Interview with T.K. Bush - Cover Story - October 2026

Hello T.K. welcome to the RV Magazine, you’ve been writing since childhood. Why was Unveiled the story you wanted to tell first?

Honestly, there wasn’t much of a thought process behind which story I would tell first. I had an idea and just ran with it. That’s how most of my stories begin. I choose an idea, start writing, and it becomes the story I focus on.

How has your 20+ years in healthcare influenced your writing and understanding of people?

Working in healthcare for over twenty years has allowed me to see people during some of their most vulnerable moments. I’ve seen how differently people respond to fear, grief, uncertainty, and hope, and that helps me write more realistic emotions and characters. My experience also helps me make the medical parts of my stories feel authentic.

How much of your professional experience inspired Tessa and the medical world in Unveiled?

I used a lot of my own professional experience when creating Tessa’s work life. Like Tessa, I’ve worked in the cardiac cath lab and been a team lead, so I was able to bring that experience into Unveiled. The medical side is realistic, but Tessa and her story are fictional.

Love, trauma, identity, and forgiveness are central to Unveiled. Which theme is closest to your heart?

Forgiveness is the theme closest to my heart, but I think all of these themes work together. Some of my trauma came from looking for love in all the wrong places. It shaped my identity in many ways and ultimately taught me how to forgive. I don’t think I would understand forgiveness as deeply without that journey.

You say, “We are not damaged goods. We’re human.” What inspired this powerful message?

More than ten years ago, someone said to me, “I wish I would’ve known you were damaged goods.” I hated that expression, and it continued to bother me whenever I heard it used to describe people who had been hurt in past relationships, especially when the people using it had painful pasts of their own. It stuck with me and made me look more deeply into where that label comes from. If we use the term that way, then every one of us is “damaged,” because many of us have pasts that have caused us pain. But I don’t believe “damaged” is the right word. We are all growing and healing, and those experiences are part of what makes us human.

What role does forgiveness—of others and ourselves—play in your story?

Forgiveness is a big part of Unveiled, and it isn’t only Tessa who has to learn it. Each main character has been hurt, has hurt someone else, or carries guilt from the past. They all have to learn what it means to forgive others and themselves. Forgiveness doesn’t erase what happened or excuse anyone’s actions, but it allows them to begin healing and moving forward.

How did you balance emotion, suspense, and complicated relationships in Unveiled?

I don’t think I intentionally tried to balance them. The emotion, suspense, and complicated relationships naturally worked together as the story developed. The relationships created the emotional tension, while the secrets, lies, and things left unsaid created the suspense. I just tried to make sure each part moved the story forward without taking away from the others.

What do you hope readers learn about resilience through Tessa’s journey?

Tessa has no choice but to be resilient. Her professional role requires strength, but even as a strong person, she is repeatedly tested. Just when things seem to be going well, another challenge comes her way. She has too much to lose to give up. I hope readers realize through her journey that they are stronger than they think and that choosing to live, forgive, and move forward despite the pain of the past is a testimony to that strength.

What has becoming a published author taught you about yourself?

I’ve learned so much about myself, especially what I’m capable of when I set my mind to something. I always knew I was going to write a book someday, but actually typing “The End” on my first novel was such a surreal feeling. It made me even more determined to continue on this path. I still have doubts at times as I learn more about the pressures of publishing, but the process is teaching me discipline in a different way. In my cardiac career, I had to keep pushing so I could graduate, find a good job, and pay my bills. Writing began as something I wanted to do rather than something I had to do. Over time, that desire has become a different kind of “have to,” because I know I owe it to myself to keep going.

When readers finish Unveiled, what do you hope stays with them?

I hope that readers will see a little of themselves in my characters, watch them find healing, and realize that healing is possible for them too.

Which character in Unveiled was the most challenging—or surprising—for you to write?

Dominic surprised me the most. I originally had a very different plan for his character, but as the story developed, he went in a direction I didn’t expect. He became more layered than I initially imagined, but I can’t say much more without giving away spoilers.

Now that Unveiled is out in the world, what’s next for T.K. Bush as an author?

I’m currently working on my next book, a romantic suspense with a psychological twist. It’s told from two points of view and follows two people brought together by a dangerous situation involving trust, betrayal, and difficult choices. I don’t want to give too much away yet, but readers will get a sneak peek at the title and cover in the back of Unveiled.

Photos by Marando Studios.

Interview by Lucia Matuonto (Relatable Media).

T.K. Bush, a seasoned radiographic/ cardiovascular technologist with more than two decades of medical experience, has also been a prolific writer since childhood.

Married, with a blended family of 4 children and two Bengal cats, she bravely navigates the complexities of family life, healthcare, and the stimulating world of literature. 

Bush’s debut novel, Unveiled, releases on Oct 6, 2026. She intricately weaves her medical expertise into a psychologically charged thriller. Using the complexity of medical and relationship drama, she creates an unsettling world of emotion, intrigue, and deception.

Bush’s love of reading and writing gives her a unique storytelling voice, shaped by her medical background. Drawing on her own experiences with relationships and trauma, she creates stories that guide readers toward forgiveness, acceptance, and grace, even in the toughest situations.

Find out more at https://www.tkbush.com & https://linktr.ee/tkbush.

Cover story published in The Relatable Voice Magazine - October 2026. Download the full magazine for free at https://www.relatable-media.com/the-relatable-voice-magazine