Guest Post: Cassie Alexander, Edie Spence series

We’re very happy today to have on the blog a new Urban Fantasy author: Cassie Alexander. Her first book Nightshifted will be released on May 22th and the second book on November 27th. If you want to learn more about the first volume, you can read my review here. But before that, I’ll let you discover this amazing post, a day with Edie Spence.

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A Shift in the Life of Edie Spence (by Cassie Alexander):
2255 — race by the front desk before changing into work scrubs. See my assignment. It’s just me and the person in room three. Awesome. Either they’re super-critical, or they’re crazy. Look up and over and into room three. See the patient laying in bed, talking to themselves with large gestures. Crazy. Awesome. Not.
2300 — get report from PM shift nurse who doesn’t seem to know my name. Despite the fact that I’ve gotten report from her forty times before, and I’m wearing a badge. Discover that the patient in room three claims to be a ghost. Patient is not actually a ghost, nor actually supernatural, but the floors are full upstairs, and he seems least likely to remember his stay at Y4 in the morning, hence his placement here.
2330 — Go to assess room three. Find patient there making “whhhooooooo-whooooooooo!” noises to themselves, like a back up villain from Scooby-Doo. Luckily, heard in report that their blood alcohol level is .3, so they sort of have an excuse. Go into room three against gut-wishes and better judgment. Patient “wooooos!” as I enter the room.
0000 — Have difficulty listening to patient’s chest with stethoscope. Wonder if patient is sure about the ghost-diagnosis, because they sound much more like a train. Sit outside door to monitor and chart.
0200 — Charles comes by and suggests a host of medications to make patient three shut up. Unfortunately, none of those have been prescribed. Patient three was shoved down here, and his doctors have left him high and dry. At least, he’s not really agitated, other than his continual woooo-ing. Double-time on monitoring with a book.
0300 — Daytimer patient from room two comes out of his room. He’s 6’5″ and frighteningly muscular. Offers to kill patient in room three to make him shut up.
“You can’t kill what’s already dead!” patient three shouts out, in-between woooos. Charles comes over to offer patient in room two some of the medication that he, at least, has available. Have dark thoughts about appropriating and repurposing some of patient two’s thorazine.
0400 — Second assessment performed. Make paper chain for patient while sitting outside door. Patient three asks what I’m doing. I explain, “You know, like the Ghost of Christmas Past.”
Patient processes this, slowly, then squints and nods. “But make it Hanukah past. I’m Jewish.”
Agree to this. Would offer for patient to help as a distraction, but realize handing him scissors right now is probably not a good idea on principle.   
0500 — give ghost-patient paper-chain-of-Hanukahs-of-yore. Also take up one of the more beaten blankets out of the blanket warmer and cut eye-holes in it. Go in room and artfully arrange everything on patient for them, with their help. While finishing up, Meaty comes over to check on me.
“He’s not an alcoholic Barbie doll, Spence,” my charge nurse begins, but then leans in and breathes the fumy air. “But I’d bet they’re down in the .2’s now.”
Had no idea that my charge nurse could double as a breathalyzer. “Sooooo, maybe their wooing has been therapeutic?”
Meaty looks at the patient again, then me, and snorts. “Don’t press your luck.” 
0600 — Patient three, wearing  the blanket with eye-holes, and wrapped in paper-chain, stops wooing. Finally, finally, asleep. Finish up charting. Go into room and quietly take paper chains off patient, so as not to have to explain them to day shift.
0710 — Dayshift rolls in, late. Another nurse who pretends not to know my name. Looks around room, at sleeping patient, and then at ostensibly lazy me. “Looks like someone had an easy night.”
Not worth fighting with her or explaining it. “Sure,” I say. “Sure.” 
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A really big thank you to Cassie Alexander for this wonderful introduction to her world. We hope it will make you curious to learn more about the series.

Don’t forget to check out her website here : http://cassiealexander.com/

7 thoughts on “Guest Post: Cassie Alexander, Edie Spence series

  1. That’s hilarous!! I’m so glad I already have Nightshifted on pre-order as this definitely sounds like a series I will enjoy – I love the idea of making paper chains for the patient! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    Wooo-Wooo…

  2. “…like a back up villain from Scooby-Doo…” LOL! Whenever I hear the ghost wooooo-ing sound (or make it, when I’m trying to freak out one of my cousins haha <3), I always think of Scooby-Doo too! I think that any author that's a fan of Scooby like I am is an author I need to read something by -- especially with a cool-sounding book like this! ;)

    Thanks for sharing this intro, Cassie! 🙂

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