Robin Patchen's Blog
June 28, 2023
The true story of a near fatal car accident
“The boys have been in a terrible accident. They're being life-flighted to Salt Lake City. They're both alive. That's all I know.” Those were my sister's words when I answered the phone on Monday night, July 16, 2018. My 16-year-old son had been��driving.��The car drifted to the right. Jake overcorrected, sending the car into a spin. […]
The true story of a near fatal car accident
"The boys have been in a terrible accident. They're being life-flighted to Salt Lake City. They're both alive. That's all I know."
Those were my sister's words when I answered the phone on Monday night, July 16, 2018.
My 16-year-old son had been driving. The car drifted to the right. Jake overcorrected, sending the car into a spin. It crossed the oncoming lane, hit the edge of the pavement, and flipped six times. Three times end over end and then three times side over side.
The car came to a stop on its side. The windows had all broken, and my son's arm was sticking out, pinned by the roof of the car.
That was the least of his problems.
A lot of people stopped to help, getting my nephew, Joshua, out of the car and then lifting it off Jacob. Someone called 911 and insisted that they send helicopters immediately. Someone else got my sister's phone number from Joshua, who was conscious and thinking clearly enough to share it, despite his injuries.
Two of the people who stopped, the couple who'd been following them for miles, were a former Army medic and a nurse.
Meanwhile, my husband and I were at home in Oklahoma, watching TV with our daughter. We had no idea what was happening. But God knew. He was there, and He was working.
I still cry whenever I think of that terrifying night and the hours and days that followed that phone call. I remember trying to figure out what to do. Should we start driving? Get a flight? I finally called the airline directly, and they got us on an 8 a.m. nonstop to Salt Lake.
And then we waited all night long.
I remember texting everyone I could think of to ask for prayer.
I remember walking back and forth from my closet to my suitcase, empty-handed. I had no idea what I was doing. What should I pack? How long would we be gone? What would I need?
I remember thinking, what happens if he doesn't make it? What is the proper attire for that?
And then telling myself to stop it. Just pack, Robin. Don't think. Easier said than done, but I forced myself to turn every thought into a prayer. After a while, my thoughts were a constant mantra. Please, God. Please. When I'd think the worst, the best I could come up with was, Not that. Please. Just... not that, either. Please...
Meanwhile in Salt Lake City, my sister and her husband got to Primary Children's Hospital. Joshua and Jacob were given side-by-side rooms in the ICU. Even though Joshua was awake and in pain, Jennifer and Darryll took turns staying with Jacob all night. They barely left his side, not until we arrived the next morning.
The news wasn't good.
My nephew suffered a concussion and a serious injury to his abdomen from the seatbelt.
My son's chest had been pummeled by the steering wheel. Both of his lungs collapsed, and one basically folded in on itself. They intubated him and put in tubes to drain the air and fluid from his chest cavity (pneumothorax, for those of you who know such terms.) That night, his blood pressure dropped so low that they feared they were going to lose him.
We didn't know that until we arrived the next day, thank God. As soon as we got there--around 11 a.m., they started the process of weaning him off the sedative to wake him up, despite the tube down his throat, because of his low blood pressure.
And then we settled in to wait. And pray.
Joshua spent four days in ICU before he was moved to another unit and then, a few days later, released. But he ended up back in the ER two weeks after the accident and needed surgery to repair damaged intestines.
Jacob spent a week in ICU, another three days in the hospital after that, and then a few days recovering at Jennifer and Darryll's before he was able to fly home.
They both recovered.
Miracle doesn't feel like a big enough word for what the Lord did for our family. We are so very, very blessed at how things worked out. And when it was all said and done, I knew I'd write about it someday.
It's taken five years, but next month, A Mountain Too Steep releases. The accident in the story is the accident our boys suffered. I changed my nephew's injuries a little, but what Jeremy endured in the novel is almost exactly what happened to Jacob.
The rest of the story is completely fictional--thank God. For instance, my husband wasn't murdered. And there weren't vengeful gang members out to get us. 😂
Anyway, I thought you might be interested to hear the story behind the story of A Mountain Too Steep. I'll be telling you more about the fictional parts in the next few weeks. It's available to preorder for $2.99. It releases to all retailers except Amazon on July 11, and then releases to Amazon on July 18. I hope you'll check it out!
Those were my sister's words when I answered the phone on Monday night, July 16, 2018.
My 16-year-old son had been driving. The car drifted to the right. Jake overcorrected, sending the car into a spin. It crossed the oncoming lane, hit the edge of the pavement, and flipped six times. Three times end over end and then three times side over side.
The car came to a stop on its side. The windows had all broken, and my son's arm was sticking out, pinned by the roof of the car.
That was the least of his problems.
A lot of people stopped to help, getting my nephew, Joshua, out of the car and then lifting it off Jacob. Someone called 911 and insisted that they send helicopters immediately. Someone else got my sister's phone number from Joshua, who was conscious and thinking clearly enough to share it, despite his injuries.
Two of the people who stopped, the couple who'd been following them for miles, were a former Army medic and a nurse.
Meanwhile, my husband and I were at home in Oklahoma, watching TV with our daughter. We had no idea what was happening. But God knew. He was there, and He was working.
I still cry whenever I think of that terrifying night and the hours and days that followed that phone call. I remember trying to figure out what to do. Should we start driving? Get a flight? I finally called the airline directly, and they got us on an 8 a.m. nonstop to Salt Lake.
And then we waited all night long.
I remember texting everyone I could think of to ask for prayer.
I remember walking back and forth from my closet to my suitcase, empty-handed. I had no idea what I was doing. What should I pack? How long would we be gone? What would I need?
I remember thinking, what happens if he doesn't make it? What is the proper attire for that?
And then telling myself to stop it. Just pack, Robin. Don't think. Easier said than done, but I forced myself to turn every thought into a prayer. After a while, my thoughts were a constant mantra. Please, God. Please. When I'd think the worst, the best I could come up with was, Not that. Please. Just... not that, either. Please...
Meanwhile in Salt Lake City, my sister and her husband got to Primary Children's Hospital. Joshua and Jacob were given side-by-side rooms in the ICU. Even though Joshua was awake and in pain, Jennifer and Darryll took turns staying with Jacob all night. They barely left his side, not until we arrived the next morning.
The news wasn't good.
My nephew suffered a concussion and a serious injury to his abdomen from the seatbelt.
My son's chest had been pummeled by the steering wheel. Both of his lungs collapsed, and one basically folded in on itself. They intubated him and put in tubes to drain the air and fluid from his chest cavity (pneumothorax, for those of you who know such terms.) That night, his blood pressure dropped so low that they feared they were going to lose him.
We didn't know that until we arrived the next day, thank God. As soon as we got there--around 11 a.m., they started the process of weaning him off the sedative to wake him up, despite the tube down his throat, because of his low blood pressure.
And then we settled in to wait. And pray.
Joshua spent four days in ICU before he was moved to another unit and then, a few days later, released. But he ended up back in the ER two weeks after the accident and needed surgery to repair damaged intestines.
Jacob spent a week in ICU, another three days in the hospital after that, and then a few days recovering at Jennifer and Darryll's before he was able to fly home.
They both recovered.
Miracle doesn't feel like a big enough word for what the Lord did for our family. We are so very, very blessed at how things worked out. And when it was all said and done, I knew I'd write about it someday.
It's taken five years, but next month, A Mountain Too Steep releases. The accident in the story is the accident our boys suffered. I changed my nephew's injuries a little, but what Jeremy endured in the novel is almost exactly what happened to Jacob.
The rest of the story is completely fictional--thank God. For instance, my husband wasn't murdered. And there weren't vengeful gang members out to get us. 😂
Anyway, I thought you might be interested to hear the story behind the story of A Mountain Too Steep. I'll be telling you more about the fictional parts in the next few weeks. It's available to preorder for $2.99. It releases to all retailers except Amazon on July 11, and then releases to Amazon on July 18. I hope you'll check it out!
May 11, 2023
WooHoo! Release week!
Phew! It's been a crazy couple of weeks, but I'm thrilled to announce that Vengeance in the Mist is available on Amazon--and it's in Kindle Unlimited!
It released in paperback and on other retailers last week, and reviews are coming in.
"Wow, so very good that I lost track of time!"
"I absolutely loved this book!"
"A real who-done-it!"
I really think you're going to like this one. I'm keeping it at its preorder price of $2.99 for this week only, but it'll jump to $4.99 next week, so grab it before the price goes up.
I can't wait to hear what you think!!!
Blessings!
Robin
Vengeance in the Mist
It released in paperback and on other retailers last week, and reviews are coming in.
"Wow, so very good that I lost track of time!"
"I absolutely loved this book!"
"A real who-done-it!"
I really think you're going to like this one. I'm keeping it at its preorder price of $2.99 for this week only, but it'll jump to $4.99 next week, so grab it before the price goes up.
I can't wait to hear what you think!!!
Blessings!
Robin
Vengeance in the Mist
April 20, 2023
You know it's going to be a bad day when...
When I was a teenager, our house was burglarized.
They didn't take a lot of things, but what they did take had great value, most notably all my mother's jewelry.
Has your home ever been broken into? It was weird thinking that some stranger had gone through our things.
It was a violation.
Misty's already dealt with a lot of trouble in her life. She was raised in an abusive home. When she was working as a model, she, her sister Summer, and a bunch of their friends were kidnapped and held for ransom.
Years later, she was kidnapped--again!--by the same people.
She's had her share of trouble already.
When her apartment is broken into, it's even creepier than a normal burglary because nothing is missing. Nothing is even out of place. Somebody broke in--and made a concerted effort to ensure she would never know they were there.
The question was, why?
And once that question was answered, a whole bevy of new questions competed for Misty's attention. As a prosecutor in Boston, Misty's made her share of enemies. Obviously, somebody wanted something from her, but who--and what?
Imagine being in the crosshairs of some evil somebody and not knowing who they are or what they want. Would you be able to trust anybody? Or would everybody suddenly become suspect?
Misty and her coworker Tate--who definitely doesn't start out as a friend--have to work together to uncover layer after layer of lies, deceit, and corruption in order to figure out who's after her and why. I think you're going to love this twisty mystery--and the enemies-to-lovers romance that develops alongside it.
I can't wait for you to read Vengeance in the Mist. It's on preorder for only $2.99 and will release to Nook, Apple Books, and Kobo the first week of May, but if you want to get it on those platforms, preorder now because it won't stay on those retailers long. It'll release exclusively to Amazon into Kindle Unlimited on May 9.
God bless!
Robin
They didn't take a lot of things, but what they did take had great value, most notably all my mother's jewelry.
Has your home ever been broken into? It was weird thinking that some stranger had gone through our things.
It was a violation.
Misty's already dealt with a lot of trouble in her life. She was raised in an abusive home. When she was working as a model, she, her sister Summer, and a bunch of their friends were kidnapped and held for ransom.
Years later, she was kidnapped--again!--by the same people.
She's had her share of trouble already.
When her apartment is broken into, it's even creepier than a normal burglary because nothing is missing. Nothing is even out of place. Somebody broke in--and made a concerted effort to ensure she would never know they were there.
The question was, why?
And once that question was answered, a whole bevy of new questions competed for Misty's attention. As a prosecutor in Boston, Misty's made her share of enemies. Obviously, somebody wanted something from her, but who--and what?
Imagine being in the crosshairs of some evil somebody and not knowing who they are or what they want. Would you be able to trust anybody? Or would everybody suddenly become suspect?
Misty and her coworker Tate--who definitely doesn't start out as a friend--have to work together to uncover layer after layer of lies, deceit, and corruption in order to figure out who's after her and why. I think you're going to love this twisty mystery--and the enemies-to-lovers romance that develops alongside it.
I can't wait for you to read Vengeance in the Mist. It's on preorder for only $2.99 and will release to Nook, Apple Books, and Kobo the first week of May, but if you want to get it on those platforms, preorder now because it won't stay on those retailers long. It'll release exclusively to Amazon into Kindle Unlimited on May 9.
God bless!
Robin
December 3, 2022
Annual Christmas Round Robin: Wreathed in Disgrace
Wreathed in Disgrace��is a Christmas going-home-again bodyguard romance with a little serial killer action sprinkled in. Everything you could want for your holiday reading list.
February 16, 2021
Tides of Duplicity, Available Now
Just popping over to tell you about Tides of Duplicity, book two in the Coventry Saga. It's available today, and it's only 99¢. I didn't want you to miss it–the price will go up next week. A jewelry heist, a kidnapping, and a choice. When Fitz’s sister disappears, he’ll do anything to get her back, […]
July 23, 2019
Legacy Rejected Featured today at Many Books
It's release day! Legacy Rejected is available now, and I can't wait for you to read it. Check out these early reviews: “Deliciously creepy, as always. This author is the queen of suspense!” –Bookbub Reviewer “A romantic suspense novel with a really good plot that will keep you reading long into the night! … It […]
July 16, 2019
Remembering God’s Faithfulness
Last week, I made a ridiculous statement. I was on the phone with my friend lamenting a few of our family’s current trials, and I said something like, “Sometimes, I long for last July.” Ridiculous, right? You may remember what happened to our family a year ago. (If you don't, check out the blog I […]
January 22, 2019
Beauty in Flight Available Now
Two years out should have been enough. Cell mates no longer shoved her, fellow inmates no longer raised their fists, and guards no longer leered. A year ago, she’d been released from parole. Harper Cloud was free. Except her heart didn’t believe it. So begins Beauty in Flight, book one in a three book […]
November 26, 2018
Maintaining Gratitude in the Midst of Trials
Mountains are so pretty from a distance. When they're in front of you, they beckon you with their beauty. But get in the midst of them, and you see them for what they are—rocky ground and steep angles and bitter winds. Terror on every side. Trials seem the same way to me. We see the […]
