This Father’s Day, we chatted with Medical romance author Deanne Anders about why she loves writing about single dads in her books! Read on to find out more about Deanne’s background working on a Labor and Delivery unit, as well as the inspiration behind her new book, Sarah and the Single Dad.
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All fathers are special, but having worked on a Labor and Delivery unit for years, I have a bit of a soft spot for all those expecting dads. The majority of the time it’s the expectant mother who gets all the attention, as it should be after nine months of morning sickness and swollen ankles. These moms have been through a lot by the time they actually go into labor and then there is the birth itself. Fortunately for moms and dads, the days of fathers being sent to the waiting rooms to pace and then to pass out a pocketful of cigars are gone. Now the dad gets to be right there when the action takes place and most of them do fine.
Oh, occasionally one will turn pale and hit the floor, but usually they do great. They’re funny and sweet and that’s what makes writing about them so much fun (check out the first scene in From Midwife to Mummy to see one such daddy).
Now all of these dads do have their differences, but I have found that you can usually divide them into two groups.
The first group is the newbies. These first time dads are usually hyped up when they get into the delivery room. They’ve watched every YouTube video available and they are confident in their role to assist their wife throughout their labor. These are the ones you need to watch the closest. They’re just one good sight of real blood from going down for the count.
And then you have the pros. The experienced dads that don’t really remember that much about the last birth of their child, usually because they took every opportunity to head out to the waiting room to update their families, but they know it couldn’t have been that bad. They’ve survived fatherhood so far and most of the time they survive the delivery without any complications.
But it’s what happens after they’ve witnessed the miracle of the birth of their new baby that has always gotten to me. They stand there holding their child for the first time and you can see the love on their face and the protectiveness in their arms. Their lives have changed forever and I have no doubt that their baby is in good hands.
It’s this faith in the love of a father for their child that led me to the story of single dad David in my newest release, Sarah and the Single Dad. With his medical training I knew he would have been up to the task of caring for his newborn son alone while he also was navigating his way through the process of obtaining a heart donation for little Davey. He was the perfect single dad, but something was missing even though he didn’t know it. Fortunately for him, there was a stubborn nurse practitioner named Sarah waiting for him in Dallas, Texas to show him exactly what it was.
Happy Father’s day everyone,
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Sarah and the Single Dad by Deanne Anders is out now! Buy here.