courage and tragedy
To the courage and tragedy of nurses on the COVID-19 front lines. The novel’s heroine, Maria, is a seasoned transplant nurse whose ordinary 12‑hour shift becomes “a nightmare” as the pandemic strikes – at one point finding herself “alone except for the dead, the dying and the walking dead”.
Awards Winning
Fear Differential has been honored for its powerful storytelling and emotional depth, celebrating Maria’s journey of resilience, compassion, and spiritual transformation. Recognized for its authenticity and heartfelt narrative, the fiction resonates with readers who have faced loss, burnout, or personal rebirth.
This award highlights what the book represents—courage, truth, and the strength to rise afterbeing broken.
Set in Boston’s hospitals at the height of COVID‑19, Fear Differential follows Maria, a veteran transplant nurse confronting crisis on all fronts. The narrative blends the relentless reality of a pandemic hospital (“the trenches of sick care”) with Maria’s personal story: her marriage unravels even as she finds unexpected love with a patient, and she absorbs the grief of so many sick patients.
Set in Boston’s hospitals at the height of COVID‑19, Fear Differential follows Maria, a veteran transplant nurse confronting crisis on all fronts. The narrative blends the relentless reality of a pandemic hospital (“the trenches of sick care”) with Maria’s personal story: her marriage unravels even as she finds unexpected love with a patient, and she absorbs the grief of so many sick patients.
Through it all, Maria learns to bend without breaking. As the publisher notes, this is “a story of triumph over adversities, turning her wounds into wisdom”. Maria “found the courage to move on after her losses, deaths and divorce in times of Covid”, guided by faith and inner strength. In this way Fear Differential becomes both a gripping drama and a message of hope: Maria’s hard-won resilience is one nurses share in real life, even in their own annus horribilis of loss.
About the Author
Gene Cardema is a registered nurse whose decades of service at the bedside inform every page of Fear Differential. She spent many years working in critical and transplant care, and she says the novel grew
That rich background means the medical details ring true, and the emotional journey is authentic. Cardema also frames her story with deep respect for fellow caregivers – as noted in the book’s dedication to those who “sacrificed and lost their lives” during the pandemic. Today she combines her nursing insight with her spiritual perspective to explore resilience and healing. Her hope is that readers will connect with a tale rooted in real-life healthcare struggles and triumphs.
Key Themes
Frontline nursing during COVID, fear and courage, patient care and sacrifice, personal loss and renewal, faith and resilience.
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