Blind Rage: Team Red, Book 4 (27 page)

Author’s Note

In this novel, I have explored Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD). Although there are a multitude of traumatic disorders with similar and varied symptoms, I felt this was most closely related to what Teresa would be experiencing as a result of the acts of violence she experienced—the accident which blinded her (Blind Seduction), the home invasion/ break-in (Color Blind), and kidnapping (Blind Rage).

I am lucky to be friends with Aaron Covington, PsyD, who specializes in Veterans, most specifically, treating those with PTSD. His assistance in brainstorming Teresa’s probable symptoms and actions while suffering the disorder were eye-opening.

As Blind Rage illustrates, you don’t have to be a soldier who has gone to war to be affected. Any act of violence, and the individual’s own perception, can trigger symptoms.

Only a trained professional can diagnose PTSD and other stress-related disorders. If you, or someone you know, is suffering from any of the symptoms of traumatic stress, up to and including:

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Recurrent nightmares

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Flashbacks to a traumatic event

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Stress or panic when reminded of the event

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Hyper-vigilance or paranoia (on guard, scanning for room exits, checking locks you know are secure)

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Physical response when reminded of incident (sweats, jumpy, increased heart rate, panic attacks)

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Risky or suicidal behavior (also includes sudden need for indiscriminant, risky sexual encounters)

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Avoidance of people or places that remind of the event

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Depression

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Insomnia

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Irritability, difficulty with concentration, or angry outbursts

… help is available. Here are a few links:

National Alliance of Mental Illness:
http://nami.org/

PTSD: Nation Center, US Dept. of Veterans Affairs:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/

National Institute of Mental Health:
www.nimh.nih.gov

Featured Restaurants & Landmarks

Italia Trattoria Restaurant

The Italia Trattoria, mentioned for the
Girls’ Night out is an actual restaurant in Spokane’s historic Browne’s Addition. Not only has the service always been exceptional, but on my first visit one of the owners, Bethe, stopped by our table to introduce herself and inquire about our meal. My date and I were treated to a little history about the building (it started as a laundr-o-mat), and the story of how the restaurant started (almost four years ago).

Italia Trattoria serves an eclectic selection of unusual dishes ranging from starters like beef sirloin Carpaccio (with shaved parmesan, basil oil, arugula and capers), through yummy main courses like grilled rack of wild boar with sweet potato gnocchi. (I have firsthand knowledge—the dish is friggin’ great!) My thanks to owner Bethe Bowman, and our server, Jesse, for taking time to chat with me. The meals were marvelous—my compliments to co-owner and chef, Anna Vogel!

If you’re visiting Spokane, check out the Italia Trattoria restaurant at:
http://www.italiatrattoriaspokane.com/

Davenport Hotel

The historic Davenport Hotel is mentioned i
n this book (in a few places). This is a wonderful landmark hotel which features one of the most exceptional lobbies I have ever been in. Dining has always been a treat, and I’ve been fortunate to sleep in their antique rooms- SWEET! For more information about the Davenport Hotel’s history and amenities, visit their website at:

http://thedavenporthotel.info/

Thank you

Thank you for reading Blind
Rage: Team Red, Book 4. I appreciate your interest in the series and hope you enjoyed this latest addition to the Team Red story!

Please take a few minutes to pop on to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads to leave your review, sharing what you liked about the book. Your ratings and reviews help Indie Authors, like me, get our books recognized, by other potential readers, bringing much needed traffic to our sites.

-- Happy Reading, T

For more information about books available by T. Hammond my Stalker Pages:

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http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6981922.T_Hammond

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Links to bloggers in Acknowledgements:

**
Cu’s eBook Giveaways

http://cuskindlegiveaways.blogspot.com/

**
I Heart Books

http://officialiheartbooks.blogspot.com/

**
The Edible Bookshelf

http://theediblebookshelf.blogspot.com/

An Indie Author

I love being an Independent (Indie) Author; it’s fun and scary at the same time. I stumble through learning how to pick the right title, how to select a cover, and how to market the book. There are other considerations, such as who to ask to edit, and finding beta readers to pre-read and critique my baby (“Is my Baby ugly?” “Of course not, with the proper bonnet, we can hid that unfortunate third eye.”) Did I mention some betas are not as critical as they should be? Many people are moving around in the background to try and help a writer put together a novel, and sometimes adds to the craziness.

One drawback to being an Indie? The lack of a publishing house
which can provide a number of editors to review and re-review the drafts. Any writer can tell you it’s almost impossible to edit your own work (and kudos to the ones who CAN do it). Many writers, myself included, develop a tendency to see right over the top of our own mistakes when we’ve read the same chapters a million times… over, and over, and over again, during the writing and draft process.

Traditionally published authors are often edited multiple times. There are editors for storyline continuity, spelling, past/present tense usage, and editors for punctuation and grammar. Indie authors pay for their editor(s) out-of-pocket, and usually have one or two editors review their work before it gets published. Even the best editor can’t stack up against four or five of them tag-teaming your novel, and if you read Indie books, you probably notice they usually have more typos or other errors.

As an author, I realize typos can distract from the story line. I hate them myself, and every time I re-read my own work, I seem to find at least one more thing I wish I’d caught the first, second, and tenth time, I reviewed the drafts. If you find an error, please feel free to contact me at
[email protected]
so I can make a correction. Your input is important and can help me build a better book.

Thank you for supporting me and other Indie authors by purchasing our books. I appreciate you.

About the Author

T. Hammond lives in
Eastern Washington State, and has been a German shepherd owner for over twenty-five years.

T feels writing is not a calling so much as it is a compulsion. No one is more surprised than she is when characters take over the plot and dialog, (re)directing stories in directions she had not (consciously) intended. Although she starts out each novel with a basic outline, she finds one or two chapters into the novels, not only have the characters shredded her outline into tiny unidentifiable pieces, they use the resulting confetti in a nose-thumbing parade. She is fully convinced the writer is the tool a story uses to tell its tale.

T. Hammond

PO Box 9945

Spokane, WA 99209