J.L. Greger- Twelve Question Tuesday

Today I am excited to welcome writer, professor, and biologist J.L. Greger to Twelve Question Tuesday.

J.L. and Bug

1. Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you.1. I don’t like science fiction with Martian creatures, but I like science in fiction, even when it’s stretched to the limit. By my standards Jurassic Park is interesting because scientists now have extracted enough DNA from fossils to make cloning a mammoth possible. However, it’s doubtful scientists will find usable DNA from dinosaurs.  

2. My best friend (my apology to my sister and human friends) is my dog Bug. Just look at him. He’s the only character in my novels based on a real individual. As the picture shows, he’s a real character with a mind of his own. 

3. I value my privacy.

2. Are you a dog person or a cat person?
Dog

3. Tea or coffee?Neither, Diet Coke is my favorite source of caffeine.

4. Boxers or briefs?
Doesn’t matter. 

5. What was the first thing you wrote?
My third grade teacher assigned me to draw a picture and write a report on every story we read in class. She was trying to keep me busy.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
When Coming Flu, my first novel, was published.

7. Which of your works are you most proud of?
The last one out because I learn from the mistakes in previous books. So that means my current favorite is Ignore the Pain.


8. What is the scariest thing that ever happened to you?
Someone tried to attack me physically; he didn’t succeed.


9. How did you end up getting published?
I joined PSWA (Public Safety Writers Association) and got advice.

10. Would be food or a fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
Fighter

11. What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
Depends how you look at it. Maybe it was being in China in 1983 unintentionally without a passport. The Chinese officials believed me that the travel agent in Hong Kong took it. Or maybe it was taking a consulting assignment to the United Arab Emirates (UAR) in 1991. The officials in UAR invited me as the scientist J. L. Greger and were surprised when they saw the photo in my passport.

12. Would you rather be rich or famous?
Neither I’d pick powerful, actually only the power behind the throne. I’d pick that because there are a lot of things I’d like to try to fix.

 
FROM THE AUTHOR:
In Ignore the Pain, epidemiologist Sara Almquist couldn’t say no when invited to participate in a survey of children’s health in Bolivia. Soon someone from her past is chasing her through the Witches’ Market of La Paz, and she fears her new colleagues are controlled by the coca industry of Bolivia.

 
BIO: 
J. L. Greger, as a biologist and professor emerita of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, enjoys putting tidbits of science into her novels.

Website: www.jlgreger.com
 
Blog: http://jlgregerblog.blogspot.com

Amazon sales link for Ignore the Pain: http://www.amazon.com/Ignore-Pain-J-L-Greger/dp/1610091310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385498311&sr=1-1&keywords=Ignore+the+Pain 

Sex

This post was inspired by the book LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg. It isn’t a review, because I haven’t actually read the book. In fact, the post was more inspired by some of the reviews of the book, which is apparently about the inequality women still face in the work force and how to overcome it.  It may even be broader than that, possibly about the inequality women face in life in general. 

It also, according to the book’s own blurb, gives examples of things women do to hold themselves back.  It seems there are some things people do that are seen as positive attributes in men but seen as negative in women.  I can guess a few–or at least, what I think would be included.  Perhaps cursing? Being direct? Standing to pee?

I am not trying to minimize the message of this book. And actually, I probably will buy it and read it because now I’m curious.  But so far, I haven’t seen myself personally affected by the inequality in the sexes in the work place.

I’ve had jobs varying from waiting tables (my first job), to dancing in a can-can show (my college job), to collecting child support (my law school job), to being an appellate public defender (my current job.)  In none of those jobs did I feel men were making more money, getting better promotions, or reaping any benefits I wasn’t by virtue of the fact that I was a woman.  In fact, some of those jobs were not even available to men, such as the can-can job.

While there was an unofficial Boy’s Club at the D.A.’s Office in New Orleans when I was a prosecutor in the late ‘90s, Boys Club is probably a misnomer.  The group of the elite was not at all limited to men.  It was limited only by one’s ability to suck up.  Thus, anyone willing to kiss enough booty would be granted privileges.

The odd thing about the elite group was that sometimes they got screwed by the bosses as an inside joke.  The two male prosecutors who sucked up the most and spent the most time hanging out with the chief ended up getting assigned, together, to the absolute worst section of court that no self-respecting attorney wanted to get stuck in–a section where the female judge was crazy.  She soaked her feet– in pantyhose, mind you– in a water-filled foot spa that made noise and attracted gnats and made the entire courtroom smell like Fritos.  Her chambers were decorated with gigantic blown-up photos of her, and she had wigs lined up on her shelves where other judges had law reference books.

Worse than all of this, she hardly ever went to trial.  The two attorneys assigned to her section were in a contest to see who could do the most jury trials that year, 100 being the ultimate goal, a goal they were not going to reach in this section.  And when a case did go to trial, it was painful, with bad rulings, long, irrational comments that had nothing to do with the case at hand, and the judge playing solitaire on her laptop and staring at herself in a handheld mirror so much she would often ask for testimony to be read back to her by the court reporter because she had missed it.

So I can’t say that any of my past jobs were impacted by the fact that I’m a woman.  It could be I was just lucky in my job choices.  But reflecting on the equality or inequality of the sexes in the area of employment has me wondering if there is any truth to the theory when it comes to writers and writing. 

Do publishers judge female writers differently from male writers when they are considering a manuscript? Do more readers tend to buy certain types of books because they believe the writer is male than if the writer is female and vice versa?  Why do some female writers use gender non-specific names than their real name? Do they know something I don’t?

I can’t imagine sexism exists in the world of book publishing and book purchasing.  But maybe there is and no one has written a book about it yet.

Sara Rose Salih- Twelve Question Tuesday

Today I am excited to welcome Sara Rose Salih to Twelve Question Tuesday.

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you. 
I’ve been writing since I can remember, whether it was short stories, songs lyrics, poetry, novels or journaling. Writing has always been my number one passion. Besides writing, music is a very important part of my life; I don’t go more than a few hours without enjoying the tunes on my iPod. Lastly, I’m obsessed with everything teen! I still listen to boy bands, get a new pair of Chucks every fall, and love to capture that frenzied, fun and emotional window of time between childhood and adulthood in my writing.

2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?
I am most definitely a dog lady for life.

3.  Tea or coffee?
I love caffeine in general, but if I had to choose I’d probably say tea. 

4.  Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, or commando?
Boxer-briefs is always a safe happy medium.

5.  What was the first thing you ever wrote?
A “song” called “I was a Kid” when I was 4 years old. Hah! It had some super deep lyrics.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
I’ve always referred to myself as a writer, but I suppose I didn’t really feel like one until I decided to write my first book in 2011. 

7.  Which of your works are you most proud to have written?
Right now, my first book Tales of a Sevie.

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
I’m sure I’ve got something much better but what comes to mind today is a childhood birthday party. When I was about 6 years old my dad dressed up as a witch for my party. It was suppose to be fun. My friends and I all had water balloons to throw at the “evil witch.” One of the girls ended up being so terrified she ran through our sliding glass door. It was a bloody mess and she had to get stitches. We were all pretty horrified; I can’t even imagine how she felt.

9.  How did you end up getting published?
I decided to self-publish my first book.

10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
I’m not going to lie, probably food.

11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
I was once dared to go to a public pool in a boy bathing suit. I was like 9, but still. The best part was it was late July and I failed to notice the tan lines from my bathing suit top. I also didn’t exactly have a buzz cut. People totally knew, it was pretty embarrassing. I was very fortunate to have my best friend do it with me. I keep bringing up my childhood in this interview…*yikes*.

12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that.
I would rather be famous or “well-known” (that sounds a bit more humble, right?) I would rather be known for my work without being financially successful, than wealthy without a good well-known cause.

FROM THE WRITER:

It’s the first day of junior high school. Imagine yourself lost, overwhelmed by new people (especially cute boys), scared of strict teachers, and nervous over the sudden changes from the comforts of elementary school. That’s the situation that hysterical Christina, scattered Daisy, and self-conscious Mallory find themselves in as they enter the intimidating new world of junior high school. Without the use of modern day technology (e.g. cell phones), the girls release their concerns in the form of handwritten notes to their fourth bestie, Summer. Discover the pressures they face, boys they date, laughs they share, and obstacles they overcome as they survive their first year of junior high in Tales of a Sevie, the first book in the new series, Life As We Note It.

Find out more about me at:

http://sararosesalih.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SaraRoseSalih

https://twitter.com/SaraRoseSalih

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sara-rose-salih/59/6a8/a14


Purchase my book at www.Amazon.com

LOCATION AS A CHARACTER IN A NOVEL by J.L. Greger

Some locations breed intrigue. The steamy and seamy sides of New Orleans have been featured in many novels. Think about: Dinner at Antoine’s by Frances Parkinson Keyes, Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, The Pelican Brief by John Grisham, and Jambalaya Justice by Holli Castillo. None of these novels would have resonated with readers if they were set elsewhere.

Similarly it’s hard to generate a more creepy setting for horror novels and mysteries than the slums of Victorian London as a dense fog blankets the foul cobblestone streets.

Other locations breed nostalgia for a happier or perhaps simpler time. Western fiction can be set in a number of states (Kansas, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, or New Mexico), but generally the setting is the same – a spare, dry land that exudes loneliness. The protagonist generally looks like the land. He’s spare, often almost gaunt, dry with little to say, and independent because he has to be to survive on the land.

Occasionally a location resonates with a writer and suggests a story. That’s what happened to me several years ago when I climbed the narrow stone steps to the roof of Iglesia de San Francisco in La Paz, Bolivia and looked down on the Witches’ Market. I thought of so many “what if” questions as I compared the chaotic, colorful scene below with the cemetery-like roof.

The availability of coca everywhere, the press accounts of deplorable conditions in the silver mines of Potosí, and the lurid stories of life in San Pedro Prison as detailed in the best seller Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America’s Strangest Jail presented me with more scary questions about Bolivia. I added to it public health data on the poor indigenous people of Bolivia and a little bit about the politics in modern Bolivia. Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia, is the first indigenous person to be elected to lead a nation in South or North America in modern times. Then I spun a story.  The net result is Ignore the Pain, my new medical thriller.

In Ignore the Pain, epidemiologist Sara Almquist couldn’t say no when invited to participate in a survey of children’s health in Bolivia. Soon someone from her past is chasing her through the Witches’ Market of La Paz, and she fears her new colleagues are controlled by the coca industry of Bolivia.

I think this story is scary because it is so realistic, but maybe it is because Bolivia is such an interesting character.


Please note: I enjoyed my visit to Bolivia and would recommend it to adventurous travelers.


BIO:
J. L. Greger, as a biologist and professor emerita of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, enjoys putting tidbits of science into her novels. To learn more, check out her website www.jlgreger.com or blog www.jlgregerblog.blogspot.com 

Ignore the Pain is availabe on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Ignore-Pain-J-L-Greger/dp/1610091310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385498311&sr=1-1&keywords=Ignore+the+Pain

The previous novels in this medical thriller/mystery series: Coming Flu http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Flu-J-L-Greger/dp/1610090985/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363872699&sr=1-1&keywords=Coming+Flu 

and Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight http://www.amazon.com/Murder-New-Lose-Weight-ebook/dp/B00DFCC3IM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372715439&sr=1-1&keywords=Murder%3A+A+New+Way+to+Lose+Weight are also available at Amazon.  

Michael A. Black: Twelve Question Tuesday

Today I am pleased to welcome Michael A. Black to Twelve Question Tuesday.

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you.
I’ll steal that line from the old Bill Murray movie by saying that “chicks dig me because I seldom wear underwear, and when I do it’s usually something really wild.” Seriously, I’m a very private person, it takes a while to get to know me, and I like to help people.

2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?
I’m both, actually. I’ve had a variety of both dogs and cats as pets and companions, but at present I only have cats. Dogs require more attention and I’m not in a position where I could give one the care it needs. Cats are more independent and are more adaptable to my current life.

3.  Tea or coffee?
Again, I like both. Coffee in the morning is preferable, but there’s nothing like a cup of tea in the afternoon to relax and contemplate the day. 

4.  Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, or commando? (Either what you prefer or what you prefer on others.)
Commando? Hey, I’m not that absent-minded. I wear briefs. 

5.  What was the first thing you ever wrote?
I wrote my first short story in the sixth grade. It was a mystery with a private eye hero and a crooked cop for the villain. I kept badgering the teacher to let me write something other

than the “What I did on my summer vacation” type essay, and she told me one fateful Friday that I could write a story as long as I read it front of the class on the following Monday. I labored all weekend and finished it. After proudly reading it aloud in class the teacher summoned me to her desk, took the story, and scribbled D—Poor work across the top in flowing red script. “Don’t ever try this again,” she said. I was crushed, but little did I know that it was to foreshadow my entire writing career to come. I got my first assignment, deadline, and rejection all in the space of a couple days.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
After I got my first rejection slip—I just didn’t call myself a published writer.

7.  Which of your works are you most proud to have written?
I’m proud of all of them, but perhaps the one that meant the most to me was an article I wrote on preventing police suicides called “Darkness, Come Take My Hand.” I wrote it in the hope that it would acquaint people with the danger signs of someone contemplating taking his own life as my ex-partner on the force did. I was the last person to talk with him and missed all the clues.

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?

There have been a lot of them. Getting shot at wasn’t as scary at the time as it was afterward, thinking about it. Most of the time I didn’t think about the danger when it was happening. I almost got dumped over a second story railing during a fight with a big ex-con I was trying to arrest, but once again, I can’t recall feeling fear until after it was over.

9.  How did you end up getting published?  
After about ten years of getting rejection slips, I decided to attend conferences and go to author signings to get advice on what I was doing wrong. It was a matter of getting through the University of Hard Knocks. I got one story back from a magazine with a few words scribbled on the return envelope: Close, but no cigar. Too long. Try again. I immediately revised and tightened up the story and sent it off again. It was accepted and became my first published work.

10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
I hate zombies. I’d mow through them like they were dead. Oh wait, they’re supposed to be, aren’t they. Actually, I would call Brad Pitt.

11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
The fine line between daring and stupid is sometimes hard to discern. I’d have to say it’s between using both hands to pull myself up on top of a roof where a bad guy was holding a gun, to wrestling a razor blade out of the hand of a 300 pound mental patient in a small washroom of a half-way house.

12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that.
I’d rather be rich. Then I could buy my own fame. 

FROM THE WRITER

My most recent novel is Sleeping Dragons, which is a Mack Bolan Executioner novel. The Executioner series was begun in the late 1960s by author Don Pendleton, but has evolving and continued to this day. Although Pendleton passed away in 1995, the publisher, Gold Eagle (Harlequin) has continued the series with several new authors. In Sleeping Dragons Bolan is sent to Hong Kong to investigate the “accidental death” of a CIA agent and finds that some Libyan terrorists are trying to acquire a devastating binary nerve gas, known as the Sleeping Dragons, from the Chinese gangsters and military. Bolan must face an array of Triad goons as well as PLA soldiers in his effort to keep the gas from being used in Tripoli as an international humanitarian mission, led by a beautiful female movie star, is about to begin.

Website: www.MichaelABlack.com

Blog: The Ladykillers Blog (http://www.theladykillers.typepad.com/)

You may purchase my works from any bookstore, Amazon.com, or directly from publishers Oak Tree Press (www.oaktreebooks.com/Shop OTP) and Crossroad Press (www.crossroadpress.com). I also have a new e-book, Dark Haven, available on Amazon.com. I also have three audio books available on Amazon or directly from www.booksinmotion.com

BIO:
Michael A. Black is the author of 20 books and over 100 short stories and articles. He has a BA in English from Northern Illinois University and a MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. He was a decorated police officer in the south suburbs of Chicago for over thirty years and was awarded the Cook County Medal of Merit for his police service before his retirement in 2011. His most current books are Sleeping Dragons in the Mack Bolan Executioner Series and Pope’s Last Case and Other Stories.