Trauma Junkie

Trauma Junkie #1

by Tom Hobbs

What happens when a suicidal paramedic falls in love with an ambulance chasing reporter?

Brian is going through a rough patch in his life. His wife, Amber, has divorced him and is remarrying a rich wall street
hedge fund manager. His boss hates him, his partner tolerates him, and he likes to stand on the ledge ten stories
up, bottle in hand.

Four years ago his infant son passed away in his crib sending his life into a tail spin.

All he has left is saving lives, and saving them on his terms. That's not enough.

Enter Brooklyn, a fiery red headed stringer, who works the overnight selling video and stills to the New York media and
she's had a long standing crush on Brian.

She's out to prove that a paramedic isn't the only one who can save a life.

Three Alarm Fire in Brooklyn.


Brian looked up as he and Mel moved up Garfield with their stretcher, lifting it over fat tan hoses as they did. Another ladder was moving into place along with two others. The hose attachments on the ladders were raining thousands of gallons water down on the top of the building. At street level, teams of firemen in twos and threes assaulted the flames spewing out the windows with hoses stiff with tremendous water pressure. Standing behind them on the other side of the yellow tape were several people in a crowd, some of them in robes and pajamas. Men, women and children - whole families were huddling together. Some were crying hysterically, others were in shock. Husbands wrapped their arms around wives and tried to comfort them. Mothers picked up small children, who pointed innocently at the burning building. Some panicked, pacing back and forth. Others stood numb with shock, their faces a bright orange illuminated by the flames.

Then, Brian saw Brooklyn in the center of it all - her video camera aimed at the flames of the building. She was capturing the entire scene in small newsworthy bites from her side of the yellow tape. She moved from one point to the next with amazing agility, slipping in and out of the crowd and capturing them as well.
From the entrance door, a fireman burst through the grey black smoke carrying something limp across his shoulder — something light in color, a human sized ragdoll covered with black sludge. It was a young woman, possibly 15 or 16. Reggie and Carlos turned their stretcher toward the charging fireman like a catcher's mitt. Each planted one foot on the bottom rail to counter the incoming impact. The fireman laid the woman down on the stretcher at full forward speed, forcing them to recoil. Then he yanked his Scott Air Pack mask off of her face. The fireman coughed, bent over, and then coughed some more.

Mel ran to the fireman placing an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. He sucked in deeply a couple of times and then waved her off and continued coughing.

Reggie listened for a breath at the girl's mouth and finding it, though shallow, quickly cut open the young girl's Breaking Dawn nightshirt and placed his stethoscope above her heart. The fireman coughed up some more sludge and took another deep breath from Mel's mask.

"Yo, Carlos, get a tube in her. She’s breathing shallow, and she's tachycardic!" He felt her wrist."Fast and thready. She's crashing!"

Carlos was already on it, but seemed to be having trouble getting the tube in.

"Yo, Brian, give me some cric pressure! I can't get the tube!" Carlos yelled over the roar of the chaos.

Brian gently pressed down on the young woman's Adam's apple, moving her larynx into place for the intubation tube. He looked at her fingernails; they were cherry red.

"Carlos, look at her fingernails."

"Smoke inhalation, Yo. I'm in!"

Carlos taped down the tube, attached the oxygen, and turned it up above the usual flow of 12 LPS to 16.

"She ain't gonna make it," Carlos said.

"Don't say that, Carlos! Don't ever fucking say that!"

"Yo, I'm just sayin'."

"Yeah, I know what you're saying, but you can't think that way."

"Head's up, Brian!" Mel shouted.

Brian looked up to see another fireman running toward them. This one was carrying a small child cradled in his arms, it's face swallowed by his Scott mask. Brian and Mel turned the stretcher toward the fireman to catch their patient. It was a small girl, perhaps four years old, in a nightgown. Black streaks scattered across the white cotton material. She wasn't breathing. Brian felt for a pulse; there was none. He listened for a heartbeat and found none as well. Mel blew two quick breaths into the child's mouth and hooked up the monitor to the child's chest. It read asystolic. Brian looked into her wide open eyes, and there was nothing there.

"Brian?"

"Begin CPR."

"Brian, she's gone."

"BEGIN CPR!"

Brian moved toward her to begin compressions. He felt a strong hand grab him from behind, but in a gentle way. It was Reggie.

A woman in a nightgown burst across the line followed by a man in pajamas.

"Oh nooooo! Anna!" ...

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

About the Author
Tom Hobbs Grew up in the National Park Service living in places like the Grand Canyon, Acadia, and Mesa Verde. After High School he joined the US Air Force where he served in Wyoming, Germany, and New Mexico. He graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Creative Writing and Photography and went to work in film as a Director of Photography while writing screenplays on the side. He moved with his wife, Robin, and their children Rush, Ari, Chris, and Nadia from San Diego to New York City just four days before 911. After that he went to work as an EMT and later on as a Paramedic. He currently works as a freelance Social Media Marketer in Brooklyn. He writes in his spare time.
Trauma Junkie a novelized version of a spec screenplay he wrote by the same title.
He runs the website www.kindlemojo.com that promotes Independent Authors.
tom@kindlemojo.com Comments are always welcome.

Reviews

[Theresa Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trauma Junkie shows some of the exciting and dangerous aspects of being a NY paramedic—stories that are usually reserved for the FDNY an NYPD. For example, stories of drug addicts trying to obtain narcotics by any means necessary, whether it’s feigning seizure or physically harming medics, which means that medics sometimes need to wait for police escorts.

While there were exciting moments and emotional moments, there were several ways this story could have been improved. Hobbs often uses jargon without explaining it. The jargon itself is good because it makes me believe that the hero of the story, Brian, knows what he is talking about. But the author, Hobbs, needs to explain the terms initially. For example, in one section he used a term I didn’t know three times and it wasn’t until the third time he used it that he explained it. Other times he just didn’t explain at all or if he had explained it earlier, by the time I got to it again I’d forgotten what it meant. You never want to confuse your reader.

Also, I’m not sure if there was some formatting error in the way it downloaded, but there were several spots where I felt a clear break was needed. Maybe by using asterisks:

***
Like this.
Hobbs overuses the weasel word “very.” There was some awkward phrasing like, “She wore on her face a smile.” If Hobbs doesn’t already have a critique buddy/group, he should get one, and he should also pay a professional editor to bring this story to the next level. Maybe because this was initially written as a screenplay and that's why it needs more work to read like a novel.

Unless you are keenly interested in the day in the life of an EMS employee, I wouldn’t recommend this book.

[Tom Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. A suicidal ex special forces paramedic called Brian and a hot ambulance chasing photographer called Brooklyn, who is also chasing our flawed hero.

The comic book style cover sets the tone. This is fast paced action with love intertwined, great dialogue, one-liners to die for, and dry humour to get you laughing ("a dead man with a boner the size of Baja California"), a headless corpse that Brian knew, but "remembered him as taller."

This book just zips along. There's no laboured backstory or victorian style scene setting, you're pitched into every scene, and something dramatic is happening. There's plenty of paramedic type words and jargon i didn't immediately understand, but i really liked that the author didn't nanny me with explanations, i just picked things up as i went along.

Is this the best book you'll ever read? Well, maybe, if you like this genre in this style. It's written in a totally down to earth unpretentious style - which may not please the purists - but neither did the gal who wrote 50 Shades of Grey. A few errors slipped through the editing and proof reading, but i probably only noticed because i'm a bit anal on those things, and it certainly didn't effect my enjoyment. If you've 99c to spare, download this book now.

[Mike Billington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one really sweet read.
In 'Trauma Junkie' author Tom Hobbs has crafted a wonderful story about the lives and loves of the men and women who spend their nights saving people that have been shot, stabbed, beaten up or who were the unlucky victims of accidents. It is, in some respects, a nightmare world of junkies and thugs but it is also the world of people who care deeply for others; people whose lives are dedicated to bringing victims of accident and illness back from the brink of death.
The fact that they don't always succeed in that mission takes its toll on many of them, including Brian Sheahan, an Air Force veteran who logged a couple of tours in Afghanistan before leaving the service to work as a paramedic in New York City. Sheahan has enough pain in his past to sink most men and there are times when he's not certain that he wants to go on living but, not always by choice, he does. He is a fascinating blend of hero and ordinary guy caught up in extraordinary events; a guy you'd probably want to show up when something bad happens to you.
Sheahan is the main character in this excellent book but Hobbs has populated its pages with several other memorable men and women: His ex-wife Amber, his girlfriend Brooklyn, his ambulance partner Mel and others are fully realized, not just cardboard cutouts whose only purpose is to give Sheahan someone to talk to when a bit of dialogue is called for. As a writer myself, I know how difficult it is to flesh out these secondary characters; how hard it is to make them as "real" for the reader as the main character. Hobbs has done an amazing job of making the men and women whose lives touch Sheahan's just as important to the story as he is.
Hobbs, who worked New York City's streets as a paramedic before becoming an author, brings a degree of authenticity to 'Trauma Junkie' that is seldom found in books about first responders. He skillfully captures not only the drama of paramedics arriving at a scene where something tragic has happened but Hobbs also gives his readers a crash course in the technical aspects of the work they do. It makes for fascinating reading.
This is a fast-paced novel with enough action for a Hollywood blockbuster, enough pathos to make readers care about what happens to the characters and just enough humor to sweeten the deal.
I highly recommend it.

[L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Author, Tom Hobbs takes the reader on a wild ride through the streets of NYC with his protagonist, an EMT named Brian Sheahan, and the characters intricately woven throughout the story. Brian writes in his diary that he doesn't want to live, holding on to demons from his past, but at night he and his partner, Mel, dedicate their lives to saving others. Brian works with his ex-wife, Amber, and feelings are still present. He meets a spirited freelance news reporter named Brooklyn and knows he must make choices. I read this book in one sitting - could not put it down. It was just like watching a great movie or television show. I was riveted from page one. The dialogue is excellent and gritty and the reader is present to witness real-life drama as it unfolds. Read this one. You won't be sorry!

[Kay Glass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this the other night and was hooked. The medical scenes were very well-written, there was just the right amount of medical jargon, and the rest of the scenes were handled perfectly. I laughed, I even cried at parts. There were a few typos- some wrong word usage and a few spelling errors- but I was so hooked on the story that it didn't matter. I don't normally give 5 stars to a book with typos, but it didn't matter in this case. The story was written so well that I couldn't give anything less. I normally delete stories after I finish reading and reviewing them, but this one I'm keeping, and I'll definitely be rereading it, as well as sharing the link to get others reading it as well. Well done- I look forward to more from this author.

[Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly this is a series of ER trauma stories where we watch random people die horribly, which I personally find stressful. There is a “gay attack waiter” (which I found mildly amusing) and a few characters who are otherized in ways that may be more or less amusing to you depending on your POV. Also, dick jokes. Up to you!

[Em Milling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book drew me right in. The style of writing was straight and to the point, the characters were, for the most part, well rounded and interesting.

A few things to note though, this book was adapted from a screenplay and I think it could have benefited from taking a few liberties in using the novel format, rather than the on-screen time/budget constraints. Just as I was totally swept up in these really brilliant moments of life and death (so much that I was tearing up on the subway), it just sort of jumps ahead a year and ends. That is why it gets three stars and not four.

I did find Brooklyn a little flat and underdeveloped. She kind of just existed, and her pathos, while relatable, just shows up and then disappears. It sort of seems like there should have been more exposition to her circumstances, and indeed the book itself would have benefited as a whole, by tying her story in a little tighter in the scheme of the world the characters live in. Again, it seemed like the constraints of writing for the screen could have been stretched in order to adapt to the novel format.

Brian was great, his development, his pathos, his general growth as a human being was really touching. I might have gone a little deeper in describing his huge internal suffering when attempting to revive the DOA child at the fire. Going through the motions of a depressed person could have opened up a number of doors for this novel, on a number of levels. I'm not saying "make this book boring and tell us how he walks slowly with a black cloud over his head for the next 50 pages," I'm just saying that he could have been revealed a little bit more for ultimate relate-ability and overall appeal.

Could have done without a number of the bit characters who are so insignificant that I can't remember their names. They hardly played any part.

I really did enjoy reading the book and I found the narrative engrossing and stimulating. The fast pace and the ease of dialogue (for the most part) definitely knocked this read up a few notches. It would be great to see it grow.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Emotions and Trauma Which EMT's Go Through"

This story is about multiple emergency medical technicians (EMT) who work mainly the night shift in New York City. Brian Sheahan and his partner, Mel, have worked together for about five years. Mel, a woman, is one who can stay awake all night, but Brian often takes catnaps in the ambulance and snores and makes other bodily noises enough to rattle the windows. He's like a brother to Mel, who is the ambulance driver. Brian has been married to Amber, who finally recently filed divorce papers. Their marriage has fallen apart after the death of their young son. The "Chipmunk," also called Ben, and other names, is the supervisor of the private EMT company which fulfills the needs of many areas of NYC and also public events. Brian and Mel are rushing a man to the hospital having a very poor heart arrhythmia. He has crashed two times, and now again being just four minutes from the hospital. The man's daughter, Jessica, riding along with her dad had put something in his drink to put him out so she could attend a Halloween party rather than be on restriction. He dies just after arriving at the hospital. Detectives Jackie Miller and her partner, Billy, place Jessica under arrest. This story goes on to other scenes of violence, mayhem, and many more traumatic events. It is fast paced, sometimes with too much dialog which a reader may have to backtrack to determine who is speaking. It is also spiced with NYC street-wise slang which is better understood if this was a TV series, but it's a little too much for the average reader. It's still an interesting story of the hard job and pressures of EMTs. After reading the author's bio, it's pretty clear this story was written as a script for stage play or TV show. The impact of September 11th terrorist attack in NYC inspired the author to become an EMT himself. I applaud him for taking this step.

[Tracey Cramer-Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I was trained as an Army paramedic in a previous life, I am drawn to novels and characters who are in that line of work (and much of my writing is impacted by that experience).

From the description of this book I thought there’d be a bit of humor. A couple chapters in I thought crap, this is going to be another Black Flies (which is a rather dark/depressing novel about a paramedic). But no...I got a pleasant surprise. Although there are scenes about the heavier aspects of the paramedic job, the author didn’t dwell in them. The book wasn’t so much about being a paramedic as it was about how events in Brian’s life impacted him - and it’s a love story - which is what I like to read.

Against the odds (not to mention with the help of a woman) Brian manages to claw his way out of a very bad spiral that began with the death of his infant son, subsequent divorce, and interrupted suicide plan.

It’s not a long book and it has a rather large “cast,” which makes it more of a challenge to develop the characters. I thought the author did a good job of that. At first the animosity between Brian and his ex-wife was too cliché, as was the fact that they both found new love, but in the end they found a way to become friends and support each other, which I found refreshing.

My only complaint? Add a “he said,” “Mel said” etc. I sometimes could not tell who was speaking, which forced me to stop and re-read. It takes me out of the story and slows me down.

[Donna Usher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A paramedic struggles with the break-up of his marriage while also saving lives, performing heroic acts and giving us plenty of laughs with black comedy unique to people that deal with death on a day to day basis.
I found the medical side of Trauma Junkie fascinating. It was evident before I got to the end and read the author bio that Tom Hobbs had at some stage been a paramedic. The story feels real, and the casual way he laces his witty conversation through the medical scenes shows us that he is completely at home with the action taking place.
My only real criticism of the book was that I occasionally had trouble during the dialogue working out who was saying what. Maybe I’m just a little slow, but I feel it could have benefited from the occasional use of beats to identify the speakers.
You could criticise it for a lack of emotional depth - I mean the man is going through a divorce but you don’t really hear about what he is feeling - but I felt instead that this was in keeping with the protagonist’s character. After all this is mick lit, not chick lit, and most men suffer in silence. We knew how much pain he was in by his actions not his thoughts.
With its fast paced action, its laugh-out-loud wit and its fascinating storylines, Trauma Junkie kept me up late at night reading until the very end. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

[Natalie Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trauma Junkie is a contemporary romance but without any erotic scenes. It was well written and well edited. It did read like a movie script, a majority of scenes consisting of mainly dialogue. Without much 'he said', 'she replied' I would expect to lose track of who was talking but I didn't. There was only one part that I had to go back and re-read because I thought these two people were talking and it was really those two. It had funny bits and still managed to be touching. The characters seemed like real people with real defects. The EMS stuff was technical enough that it seemed real but not so much that a civilian like me would get lost. I enjoyed how relaxed they all were with the trauma they see every day, except that one kind that gets to us all - hurt or dead kids. I enjoyed all of the partner relationships. Even the kids in the book were portrayed realistically. I read this quickly and it was quite action packed, as would be expected in a book about trauma junkies.

[Sharon Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Trauma Junkie' is one of those books you just can't put down until you get to the end. The lives of the paramedics are fast paced and the book is written at this same attention demanding pace. It's gripping stuff and anyone who loves shows like 'ER', 'Rookie Blue' & 'Rescue Me' will find it impossible to put down.

There's a good sense of humour in there and fair bit of swearing, all of which suits the story and lends to the sense of realism. I usually find books that need to use medical terminology a bit dry but Tom Hobbs manages to keep the book entertaining while maintaining the believability factor.

I was left thinking what a great TV show the premise would make, as what it all boils down to is a group of great characters doing a tough job and battling their inner demons while trying to live their lives like everyone else. Well worth a read - prepare to be hooked!

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt something was missing through the book. It was cleared up in the author’s biography. The book is based off a screenplay he wrote. That summed up many issues I came across.

I didn’t believe all the characters were properly fleshed out or developed.

I came across many sentences that didn’t make sense or weren’t worded quite right. I wonder if they were copy and pasted from the play.

For the most part, I enjoyed the action scenes where Brian and Mel were dispatched to emergencies. But at times, especially the last one, where it was a three alarm call, something was missing.

Each chapter starts with an entry from Brian’s diary, but instead of being allowed to delve deeper into his character, it’s omitted. More of his diary could have opened him up for the readers to make a real connection.

Overall, it’s a good beach read.

Three Stars

[Ginney Etherton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this entertaining, not so much for the ambulance bits, but for the scene-building. I've never been to Brooklyn, and TV/movie depictions are edited to showcase the action, not the streets. But Hobbs has given me the real, modern-day Brooklyn experience. The easy-going, sensitive characters live and work in a gritty world, and I followed their story with interest.
I did have some problems with dialogue attributives. Losing track of who was speaking made clarity, and therefore, engagement, an issue.

[Jessica Kong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trauma Junkie by Tom Hobbs has become one of my favorite books. The characters were fully developed and very likable. The plot was packed with EMT emergencies and personal life drama. As a New Yorker, I loved how the book was set in my neck of the woods. The humor was just right, not too much or too little. I truly loved this book, and I did not want it to end. I definitely recommend this book to everyone.

[Toby Zidle · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Real' Characters

'Real' Characters

I've just finished reading "Trauma Junkie" and really enjoyed this book. It has a plot and real characters in addition to the trauma incidents. The usual trauma medicine fiction I've read seems to rarely be more than a string of anecdotal episodes connected by the barest of character development. "Trauma Junkie" is far better than that.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded this because it was free on Amazon.com a few days ago. I read it in one day. It isn't the worst book I've ever read, but it's nothing to write home about. Underdeveloped characters. Cheesy plot. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they are looking for a book that requires absolutely no thinking outside the narrative.

[JoJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I began following this author on Twitter! Loved it! A well-written fast-paced read! Written so I didn't need a medical degree to enjoy and understand. Definitely a fan! Looking forward to the rest of the series and plunging into Brian and Brooklyn's story, along with the other characters :)

[T.A. Munroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

My version had quite a few typos and formatting errors in it, but--but been there done that myself. Lots of real people as characters and I really liked how the threads were tied off at the end. If gave me a renewed respect for first responders and their work.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Trauma Junkie, Hobbs shows us the working and personal lives of several paramedics as they save lives while suffering in their own. The book touched me at times and made me laugh at others. I enjoyed this read.

[Michele Foulk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced story about a group of emergency medical techs and ambulance life. Characters are well developed, and those touching moments in life are presented well, without being overdressed. Varying emergencies are presented, and a couple of love stories develop. Great read

[LLona Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced story that moves like it was intended for TV. I'd love to see it as a TV series; would compete well with shows like Rookie Blue for pace, and Grey's Anatomy (blending medical scenes with personal interaction among the EMTs). Good drama played out by realistic characters.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very good book.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The characters are well developed, and plot is strong enough to keep you interested right through to the end. I'm ready for the next one to find out how Brian continues to fare.

[Rusty Shumaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for light reading.

[Thomas Heintz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

For someone who is into this line of work, it was a good read and a page turner. I'm looking forward to reading the next one

[Cierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

Being a paramedic, its very easy to relate to the characters! Just the right amount of drama! Chuckled several times!