Y.S. Pascal's Blog, page 7

Devil Wind by Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid: Try this new puzzle

Hi. Authors Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid have created a fantastic new thriller called Devil Wind. Of course, I have the lead! But Gus is back and a few others (I don't want to give anything away). All I can tell you is that a number of bestselling authors, talk show hosts and movie people have read the manuscript and love it (see some of their comments on my website). Try your hand at this puzzle and you'll see the great cover. The book comes out in April, so if you haven't read Dead Air, first in the series, you have time!!

Dead Air by Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid won another award!

2010 Royal Palm Literary Award

I am so excited for authors Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid (and me of course!!) Dead Air by Deborah Shlian & Linda Reid won the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award for best thriller. The award is sponsored by the Florida Writers Association. More than 300 novels were submitted for the various categories.

Dead Air by Deborah Shlian & Linda Reid not so "over-the-top"

Dead Air deals with an unethical medical experiment conducted on a college campus. When the usual government and university research grants begin to dry up (as they did in the 1990's), the fictional character, Dr. Marcus Palmer, accepts funding from a Japanese pharmaceutical company. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize until it's too late that the money comes with strings. If he reports the complications from his experimental vaccine to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the university, he will be forced to stop his work and lose a lucrative source of research grants. If he doesn't, his subjects (college students at fictional Ellsford University) will die.

While this may seem like an over-the-top premise, sadly there have been more than a few recent cases of drug studies that should have been discontinued long before a whistleblower or more often, a patient/victim reported critical complications.

The whole issue of conflicts of interest in medical research today has suddenly become nonfiction.

In 2009, the New York Times reported ethical conflicts exposed by a medical student at Harvard Medical School , considered one of the best in the country. At that time, although many students agreed with the whistleblower, others felt strong relationships between industry and academia was important for developing new medical treatments and technologies. In the New York Times article, Dr. Marcia Angell, a faculty member and former editor in chief of The New England Journal of Medicine argued that industry profit motives do not correspond to the scientific aims of academia and that much of the financing should not only disclosed, but banned. She said that as in Dead Air, too many medical researchers and academic institutions have struck a "Faustian bargain" with pharmaceutical companies. Just this year, Harvard Medical School has updated its conflict of interest policies.

Still, just today another Reuters article disclosed that more than 17,000 doctors and other healthcare providers have taken money from seven major pharmaceutical companies (AstraZeneca, Cephalon, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer) to educate practicing physicians about their products. According to an investigation by journalism group ProPublica, Consumer Reports magazine, NPR radio and several publications, at least 380 of the doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other professionals each took in more than $100,000 in 2009 and 2010.

The payments are not illegal and usually not even considered improper. But the investigation showed doctors were sometimes urged to recommend "off-label" prescriptions of drugs – that is, prescribing them for conditions for which the FDA has not given approval.

Check out more about Dead Air here

Book Review for Halloween: Draculas by Jack Kilborn, Blake Crouch, F.Paul Wilson and Jeff Stand (review by Deborah Shlian)

Anyone who likes their terror served up with a healthy dose of wry humor will enjoy Draculas – a tasty concoction cooked up by four well-known masters of horror faire. Joe Konrath (aka Jack Kilborn), Blake Crouch, Jeff Strand and F.Paul Wilson decided to team up to produce this tale in time for Halloween.

Mortimer Moorecook is rich, but money can't buy immortality- especially when he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer. So he purchases an ancient Romanian "Dracula" skull in the hope that a self-inflicted wound from the ex-vampire will somehow convey new life. Instead, the moment he lands in the emergency room of  Blessed Crucifixion Hospital, he begins to morph into a real vampire. As he bites each victim in his lust for blood, he spreads his "infection", so that soon the hospital is overrun with these creatures. And no one is immune- not Benny the Clown, the medical director of the ER, pregnant women or even "innocent" children.

The technique of telling the story from many different characters' points of view allowed the collaborators to produce a relatively seamless novel. Having read at least one of each of the authors' previous works, it was not easy to tell who wrote which scenes.  Only in the interview accompanying the e-version was ownership of specific characters revealed. For example, F. Paul Wilson admitted to Clay Theel, the "gun-nut cop" who spends his free time at gun shows and who is thrilled to be able to "demo" the new pieces he's acquired on the blood-thirsty monsters.  His favorite, "Alice", the nickel-plated Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casull revolver could take down a cape buffalo. He's sure it can blow away a "Dracula". Joe developed the not-so-funny Benny the Clown; Blake came up with Oasis.

The writing team is introducing Dracula in Kindle format. This gets the book out to readers faster than the usual 18 month lead time for print. And just in time for Halloween.

Draculas can be ordered on Amazon

Book Review for Halloween: Draculas by Jack Kilborn, Blake Crouch, F.Paul Wilson and Jeff Stand

Anyone who likes their terror served up with a healthy dose of wry humor will enjoy Draculas – a tasty concoction cooked up by four well-known masters of horror faire. Joe Konrath (aka Jack Kilborn), Blake Crouch, Jeff Strand and F.Paul Wilson decided to team up to produce this tale in time for Halloween. Mortimer Moorecook is rich, but money can't buy immortality- especially when he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer. So he who purchases an ancient Romanian "Dracula" skull in the hope that a self-inflicted wound from the ex-vampire will somehow convey new life. Instead, the moment he lands in the emergency room of   Blessed Crucifixion Hospital, he begins to morph into a real vampire. As he bites each victim in his lust for blood, he spreads his "infection", so that soon the hospital is overrun with these creatures. And no one is immune- not Benny the Clown, the medical director of the ER, pregnant women or even "innocent" children.

The technique of telling the story from many different characters' points of view allowed the collaborators to produce a relatively seamless novel. Having read at least one of each of the authors' previous works, it was not easy to tell who wrote which scenes.  Only in the interview accompanying the e-version was ownership of specific characters revealed. For example, F. Paul Wilson admitted to Clay Theel, the "gun-nut cop" who spends his free time at gun shows and who is thrilled to be able to "demo" the new pieces he's acquired on the blood-thirsty monsters.  His favorites, "Alice", the nickel-plated Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casull revolver could take down a cape buffalo. He's sure it can blow away a "Dracula". Joe developed the not-so-funny Benny the Clown; Blake came up with Oasis.

The writing team is introducing Dracula in Kindle format. This gets the book out to readers faster than the usual 18 month lead time for print. And just in time for Halloween.

Draculas can be ordered on Amazon

Chutzpah – what does it mean?

I found this on the Internet, so it's not mine, but I think it captures the sense of what the Yiddish word "chutzpah" means.

Enjoy, Sammy

A little old Jewish lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young man  would leave his office building at  lunch time, and as  he  passed the pretzel stand, he would leave  her  a quarter, but never take a  pretzel.

And this went on for more then 3 years. The two of  them  never spoke. One  day,  as the young man passed the old ...

Dead Air by Deborah Shlian & Linda Reid: Puzzle- try your luck

Hi:

Try your luck- see how fast you can put together the pieces of this puzzle which show the cover of Dead Air. My best time so far was 8 minutes- but then I was daydreaming about how I was going to tell Reed that I had to cancel our plans again- got a story to cover! Wish he understood that if I'm going to be a great investigative reporter, I've got to follow all leads. Wish me luck!!

Great interview with author Susan Whitfield about Dead Ai...

Great interview with author Susan Whitfield about Dead Air and Devil Wind at http://www.susanwhitfield.blogspot.com/  Thanks!  And check out Ms. Whitfield's awesome novels:  Genesis Beach, Just North of Luck, and Hell Swamp, too.

A remarkable honor!

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On our panel "Plays Well With Others" was Dr. Linda Reid, who writes with Deborah Shlian. Their latest is Dead Air.


From renowned author Donald Bain's website: http://www.donaldbain.com/events.htm

Linda shared a very informative panel with Mr. and Mrs. Bain on "Playing Well with Others", i.e. collaborating.  Not only outstanding authors both, but they are kind, caring, and charming people.  Linda was honored to meet them and is deeply grateful for the "shout out".

Dead Air Recognition!

Dead Air has been selected as a semifinalist for the Mensa Award and the IPPY Award!  Awesome!