Paul Ethan Austin

It seems that I've been knee-deep in emergencies for the past thirty-five years: first as a firefighter, and more recently, as an ER doc. I've been honored to work with some of the funniest, smartest, and most caring people I've ever known. And they don't make a big deal about helping other people. They just show up and do it. I've come to believe that compassion isn't an emotion: it's a discipline. A way of working.

After twenty-seven years, three kids, and a series of cats with which I've shared a mutual antipathy, I've got to say that the smartest thing I ever did was marry Sally Rish Somers. She's my best friend, and one of the wisest people I've known. She's also been supportive of my writing from the very beginning. We had a deal: I could write anything I wanted to, with absolute impunity. No explanation, no apology. She could delete anything she wanted to. No explanation, no apology. It was the only way I could think of that would allow me to stay married, and still write honestly. So far, she hasn't deleted a single word. Brave lady.