By day, she is a school nurse to 550 elementary school children in the Dallas Independent School District. By night, she escapes into the world of fantasy, romance and fiction.

A best-selling author and pioneer of romance novels for the African-American market, Ray, 55, often taps into her nursing skills to create characters for her last 13 books.

Her first book, Forever Yours (1992), made Essence magazine's best-seller list and sold 90,000 copies. Her latest novel, Somebody's Knocking at My Door, was released by St. Martin's Press in March. Ray also signed a two-contract deal for two more novels with St. Martin's Press for a six-figure sum.

Not bad for a school nurse.

But if you talk to Ray, she's soft-spoken and dedicated to her nursing career. "I like my job. It's challenging," she said. As a nurse for three schools, she's the sole medical presence on campus.

In a health care setting, Ray is detail-oriented, disciplined and thorough. A typical day may consist of seeing up to 30 patients. During this time, she takes few breaks and eats lunch at her desk. For instance, if a child has appendicitis, she must make a correct evaluation and call the parents. Her nonstop days are filled with treating and diagnosing illnesses, giving eye tests, bandaging knees or just "being a good listener."

How did Ray get into nursing? "I blame it on my mother," she said, laughing.

At age 8, Ray and her brother were playing with firecrackers, when she accidentally lit herself on fire, burning 80 percent of her body. After her mother observed the kindness of hospital nurses who treated her daughter, she entered the nursing profession.

When Ray was in college, her mother encouraged her to pursue a career in health care. After 20 years of nursing, Ray believes her writing extends her need to be a caregiver.

"In my nursing job, no day is the same," Ray said. "Sometimes in nursing, we feel helpless when we can't fix something-facing situations we can't change. But in my writing, I have the opportunity to solve problems," which keeps her readers happy.

But how does she handle her dual career? After a day of treating children's aches, sprains and bruises, she returns home. There, she shuts the door to her study and sits down in front of her computer, where she feels calm and assured. From 7 to 11 each evening, she takes no calls and limits communication with her family, as she "floats" into a make-believe world. Sometimes, "the characters speak to me," Ray said.

But she never leaves her nursing skills far behind.

In her book The Turning Point, published by St. Martin's Press in 2001, her main character has an optic hemorrhage. After being battered in a carjacking, he becomes blind. "Understanding that ailment helped me create a more realistic character," she said.

Next Page