Robin Covington on writing a heroine living with paralysis
Robin Covington, a regular contributor to HEA, features a heroine with a spinal cord injury in her latest release, Salvation. Here, she explains how having two friends living with paralysis compelled her to write this romance. Salvation is book two in Robin's Nashville Nights series.
Robin:
There are nearly 1 in 50 people living with paralysis — approximately 6 million people. That's the same number of people as the combined populations of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. And that number is nearly 33% higher than previous estimates showed. It means that we all know someone — a brother, sister, friend, neighbor, or colleague — living with paralysis. — Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
I am lucky to have two people in my life who live with paralysis — one as the result of an accident in her early 20s and the other who was born with a congenital defect and has spent her life in a wheelchair. They live joyously and fully but not without pain, regret, frustration and enough logistical requirements that spontaneity is a distant memory. I met them both after the accident made Christopher Reeve into a hero that brought the issues of spinal cord injury and the search for treatment and a cure to the forefront. So, when I became their friend, people living in wheelchairs were on my radar and part of the social landscape for most Americans.
But, I never contemplated writing a book about a character with a spinal cord injury until I got the opportunity to know these women, to talk to them about their daily lives, their dreams and how they oftentimes have to plan for days and weeks in advance to go to a new place with unfamiliar layouts and accessibility. And the long talks about nerve pain, bowel and urinary management, physical therapy and issues regarding sexuality and reproduction were enlightening and promoted my understanding of what long-term issues a person faces after a spinal cord injury.
Most precious was the insight I received into their emotions. The anger, the worries, the fear, the joy, the pride and the realignment of goals and dreams. But what struck me was even though they both expressed times of worry about achieving goals, anger over what happened to them and the occasional flirtation with giving up, they dig deep and keep going.
I was — I am — humbled by the way they live their lives with honesty. I have to admit that I relied heavily upon them as I wrote Carlisle and Mateo's story. I tried my best to put down on paper the emotions a young woman would experience when faced with the inevitable changes living with limited mobility would bring to her life. No easy choices. No easy roads.
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation website and available materials were also invaluable to me while writing this book. While notionally a huge fan of the work of the Reeves, I had no idea all of the amazing things their organization is doing to fund leading-edge spinal cord injury research, assist individuals living with paralysis to live healthier, independent lives and to search for the important cure. In honor of their work, I am donating a portion of my royalties from Salvation to their foundation.
Whenever I put my fingers to keyboard, I hope I write a story that resonates with someone out in the reader universe. I hope that a single line will speak to them. This time around, the people behind this story spoke to me and I just hope that I told their story well.
About Salvation:
Carlisle Queen is dying and no one knows it.
Burying the pain of losing her friends and her professional swimming career in a terrorist attack, America's former sweetheart dulls her pain with drugs, pills and parties. The bomb left her with more than nightmares; shrapnel is lodged in her back and inching closer to her spinal cord. When the doctors tell her paralysis is inevitable, she decides to take her own life rather than face a lifetime in a wheelchair.
Mateo Butler isn't anyone's hero.
Reeling from the death of his little sister and his own cowardice, he spends his nights partying and his days ignoring the medical school acceptance letters and his parents' concerned phone calls. Just a couple of months from graduation, he's facing a future filled with shame and regret. The last thing he needs is to meet the woman who compels him to be a better man.
Can they save each other?
When Carlisle and Mateo meet, the chemistry between them is combustible. They play, party and hide their true selves until one night turns their lust into something more¼something real. As secrets are revealed and walls collapse, what they were and what they might become doesn't matter as much as who they are together. When the choice comes down to life or death, can love be their salvation?
Find out more about Robin and her books at robincovingtonromance.com.