Interview with Joel Craig, author of Welcome to Nursing HELLo + Win Prizes!

JOEL CRAIG is a nurse who works at a busy hospital in Los Angeles and lives with his husband, Donovan. They have been married twice with the second time finally being legal. In addition to writing about nursing, Joel is also an actor, having appeared in the films, Sideshow and Sordid Lives. Currently

he is acting in the web series, What’s My Intention? He's working on his next graphic novel, Vampire Nurse in Hollywood.

His latest book is the graphic memoir/nonfiction, Welcome to Nursing HELLo: A Graphic Memoir.

For More Information

Visit Joel Craig’s website.
Connect with Joel on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Book:

A MUST HAVE FOR ANY NURSING STUDENT!

This nurse is not out to save the world. He’s too busy dodging bed pans and urine containers.

What happens when all the jobs for movie star have been filled. The next best thing is to become a registered nurse and that is exactly what Joel Craig did. Here is Joel’s journey through the pitfalls, quicksand, and joy(s) of his profession told in a graphic memoir format. The book begins in the year 2007 with Joel’s story unfolding in chronological order.

Such topics are discussed: dirty needle sticks, intimidating preceptors, job stress, and cursing on the job. Joel has imaginary conversations with rockstar Madonna, who is preparing to play Nurse Ratched on Broadway, who gives him advice along the way. Nursing students and new nurses can learn from Joel’s mistakes and what NOT to do as well as what to do. But they will get a little peek into what it’s like being a new nurse. This is almost like a small shock absorber to make the transition to new nurse not so bumpy. Also actors, writers and any creative person who appreciate the struggles of an artist in a world where art and commerce are seldom friends, will appreciate this book.

For More Information

Welcome to Nursing HELLo: A Graphic Memoir is available at Amazon.
Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Q: Welcome to The Writer’s Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I came from a theatre background. I’m an actor. I had written plays and screenplays. I wrote plays to give me material for a life on the stage. But in 2007 I became a registered nurse after two years of school. The schedule for an RN working in a hospital is not always a set schedule and I worked every other weekend. And then I started working nights. I became very isolated from my friends because of this schedule. Writing is what I knew so I wrote. Around that time I became interested in graphic novels, especially graphic memoirs. I found myself reading about other losers like myself going through the same struggles and I really connected with that. So Welcome To Nursing HELLo, a Graphic Memoir was started.

How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

This book was extremely difficult to write because I went to work forty hours a week and then went home and wrote about it. I was carrying work home with me which I already did anyway. I always thought about what I didn’t do in my job that if I could do over what I would do better or more efficiently. People’s lives are on the line. People laugh at bloopers when an actor blows his lines on TV but mistakes nurses make aren’t funny. So I added imaginary conversations I had with entertainer, Madonna to take me away from the seriousness of work for a little bit.

Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I self published using CreateSpace which is a great way to go and it’s inexpensive.

Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

Nurses who I originally wrote this book for did NOT embrace my work as much as I would have liked. I thought hey it’s a quick, funny read about things that other nurses have certainly been through. But I’m not one of those feel good nurses who writes about how I feel like my life is so much better because I help people in my job. I write about patients who have cursed at me, fights with doctors I’ve had, and I’m not afraid to say that I am an unemployed actor who went into nursing because I ran out of other occupations that people would actually hire me for.

What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

I’m working on Vampire Nurse in Hollywood, a silly fun story about this vampire who is a nurse so he can get assess to blood but he also wants to be a film actor which is a problem because vampires don’t show up on film. I don’t have a publication date yet.

What’s your favorite place to hang out online?

I like Twitter because people only have 140 characters to say what they need to say and move on. People say some witty and funny things. I think Oscar Wilde would have totally embraced twitter if he had it during his time. I’ve had people find me out of the blue who appreciate my work. That is kind of fun to connect with people I’ve never met before.

Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

I’ve read books about actors who are successful and they write about it. Here is a book about an actor who is not successful (yet), and how he tries to survive and stay creative in a world driven more by commerce than by art.

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