Deadly Little Secrets: A Novel Rooted in History Inspiration Deadly Little Secrets is written by this psychiatric nurse practitioner whose firsthand experience in healthcare during the 1980s shaped this story. The narrative draws heavily from the era when AIDS was largely neglected by the federal government, initially referred to as GRID—gay related immune disorder—under the mistaken belief that it affected gay men only. They were wrong. By 1985, uncertainty and fear permeated clinical settings as healthcare professionals grappled with this unfamiliar and deadly virus. Setting and Main Characters Set in the spring of 1985 in Corona Cove, California--a fictitious conservative seaside town in southern California--this story follows Loretta Castrini, a high school nurse educator who turns to her network of nurse colleagues for information when a medical emergency strikes the community hospital. The story unfolds through the perspectives of this tight-knit group, highlighting the ambitions, greed, and extremist politics that influenced the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Role of Nurses and Community Impact Nurses play a pivotal role in this fast-paced tale, serving as both patient caregivers and informants. The narrative also follows two teenagers, Sarah—daughter of Dr. Julia Brooks—and Mark—the son of Corona Cove School Board President Steve Wilcox—whose friendship since toddlerhood becomes central to the unfolding events. Through their experiences, the novel explores how religious divisions began to shape public discourse, foreshadowing future societal rifts. Secrets woven into Deadly Little Secrets unravel fast and fill our narrator with as much despair as curiosity about the people she thought she knew. At the heart of Deadly Little Secrets : Do you ever wonder how well you know the people you think you really know well