C.J. Box, the New York Times bestselling author of sixteen Joe Pickett novels, has millions of fans. In addition to the Joe Pickett series, he's written five standalones, and a short story collection, Shots Fired. He's won multiple awards for his fiction. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages. He lives in Wyoming.
Vicious Circle, the 17th novel featuring Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett, returns to the storyline begun two novels ago in Endangered. Joe and his family must deal with a vindictive ex-con killer, Dallas Cates, who returns to town seeking revenge against Joe and his family. Though Joe and his family are at grave risk, Joe is hamstrung by the law and there's isn't anything he can do without proof Dallas Cates is out to satisfy his bloodlust.
Joe Pickett is unlike many contemporary thriller protagonists. He's happily married; is a good father; doesn't have a dark past; works hard; and is very honest. What do you feel makes him such a beloved fictional character?
I think it's because he's real and he's also flawed. Therefore, the reader has empathy for him. The reader knows he can screw thi ngs up and something bad can happen to him and his family. I hope it draws the reader in more because it's easy to see one's self in his situation. A reader can easily identify with Joe.
Nate Romanowski appears in Vicious Circle. He's a fascinating character. Will you tell us a little about him?
Nate was introduced in the third Joe Pickett novel, Winter Kill. He's a master falconer with a Special Forces background. He has a complicated past and present. His relationship with Joe has gone from one end to the other. Nate has been around through most of the books. He has a code of his own and has gotten in big trouble at various times. Recently, all federal charges against him were dropped. He's trying to go straight. He's really at his best when he has an enemy against whom he can take action.
Vicious Circle has various thematic elements, one of them being revenge for perceived wrongs. Will you talk about this as a classic western theme?
I think revenge is one of the three or four classic western themes. The bad guy comes back to town and the good guy must stand up to him. I think it's more nuanced than that in this book. Joe has some empathy toward Dallas Cates, the bad guy who's coming back. Joe feels that as a law enforcement officer, he participated in over-charging the man and feels he did it in a way that wasn't completely ethical. Joe is willing to drop the feud if Dallas will just stop in his quest.
How would you characterize the Joe Pickett novels? Are they thrillers, westerns, or both?
I think they're both. I like to think of them as contemporary westerns. There are mystery elements, thriller elements, but mainly they're adventurous tales. I don't sit down and wonder if I'm going to write a mystery or a thriller. Almost all the books are westerns to some degree. I recall talking to George Pelecanos, whose books are mostly set in the mean streets of Baltimore. He considers his books to be westerns.
The prose in Vicious Circle is elegant, yet straightforward and easily readable. How would you describe your writing style?
I try not to show off. I want to simply communicate as effectively as I can to tell a story. I think that comes from my background as a journalist and from what I enjoy reading. I pare things back. If I write a purple prose paragraph describing scenery, I'll go back and try to cut it down to its essence so the reader gets a good sense of what it looks and smells like, but doesn't go on and on.
Speaking of what you enjoy reading, who are your literary influences?
My favorite author of all times is Thomas McGuane. I also enjoy reading books by Jim Harrison. I'm a big fan of Cormac McCarthy. They all write contemporary westerns in a straightforward style. And they all have a great sense of place.
Other than Joe himself, which character in Vicious Circle was most compelling to write?
Some of the secondary characters were a lot of fun to write. Randall Luthi, an ex-con recruited to help Dallas go after the Pickett family was complicated and interesting. I also found Wanda Stacy to be complicated, especially since she gets caught up in the action through no fault of her own. Another fun character to write was Dave Farkus.
I do a lot of research. It's sometimes my favorite part of the writing process. I then construct an outline based on the research. Then, I try to pull the reader through the research in a page-turning way.
Do you have a strategy for overcoming writer's block?
I can't say I've ever had it. I've had periods where I'm so busy doing things that I can't find large blocks of time in which to write. When I feel a little stymied, I don't have a problem. I write an outline and know where the story is going. Even on days when I don't necessarily feel like writing, I still put words down on the page and can go back and fill it in later.
What's coming next from C.J. Box?
Every other year I write a standalone. This year, Paradise Valley will come out. It's the conclusion of what's being called the Highway Quartet, the others being The Highway, Back of Beyond, and Badlands. That's coming out in July.
Congratulations on writing Vicious Circle, another in the Joe Pickett series which Publishers Weekly described as "the most suspenseful in this world-class series, setting a new standard for C.J. Box." I found it suspenseful and could easily relate to all the characters in the novel.
He has written the Natchez Burning Trilogy featuring Penn Cage. The first two novels are Natchez Burning and The Bone Tree.
Mississippi Blood is the last volume in the trilogy. In it, we find mayor and former prosecutor, Penn Cage who is shattered by grief at the loss of his fiancée Caitlin Masters. In addition, his father, Dr. Tom Cage, is about to be tried for murder. Dr. Cage's trial sets an ominous clock in motion, and unless Penn can lift the veil of the past and help exonerate his father, his family will be destroyed.
Mississippi Blood features a mesmerizing murder trial at the heart of the novel. How did you learn so much about courtroom procedures and tactics?
I'm not an attorney and don't have any formal knowledge of courtroom procedures. I've attended a few murder trials but most of what I learned about trial tactics and routines can be attributed to my attorney-buddy who read the first draft and made many corrections. My guides for writing convincing trial scenes came from my having read Robert Traver's Anatomy of a Murder and Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent. Those books gave me plenty of information.
As you know, an actual trial is a drama acted out in real life.
For a novelist writing a trial scene, the trick is to eliminate all the tedious elements found in an actual trial, while retaining the very essence of "conflict" which is at the crux of every trial. That conflict of competing narratives between prosecution and defense is the dramatic force, whether in an actual courtroom trial or one within the pages of a book.
If your narrative is convincing, your trial tactics will work, whether to a jury or to the readers of your novel.
Penn Cage is a fascinating character. How has he evolved over the course of the trilogy?
It was never my intention for Penn to be a series' character. I thought his story would be explored in a standalone novel, but as I returned to Mississippi more and more in my fiction, Penn evolved from being an observer to an actor in the drama of the novels. His evolution involved his becoming more and more morally challenged with each book, which forced him to compromise with his own values as he went forward. As with us all, the more we see of life and surmount challenges, we must make certain compromises.
When writing the Natchez Burning Trilogy, how did you handle giving enough backstory in each successive novel without repeating too much of the contents of the earlier books?
It's a temptation to make the worst mistake possible by providing exposition for the reader who came late to the trilogy. I had to trust that a new reader could be dropped into this story in medias res, and I felt the power of the story would clutch the reader through to the end. I avoided giving too much backstory beyond just using a few compressing devices early in the book—a newspaper summary—which I felt would suffice. I had to trust the story would carry itself.
I understand in 2011, you sustained life-threatening injuries in an automobile accident, and found new motivation by re-entering the world of Penn Cage, the realm of Natchez, and the secrets of the town. Will you tell us a bit about that?
I was driving when a car going seventy miles an hour, hit my driver's side door. I sustained a torn aorta, many broken bones, and lost half my right leg. I was in a medically-induced coma for a week. When I came out of that situation missing a leg, my entire attitude toward writing changed. I realized I'd been compromising with myself.
What I mean is this: I originally conceived of the Natchez Burning story as one book, which I was on the verge of completing when the accident occurred. But I had been shortchanging myself because I couldn't properly address important issues such as race, family, and the South in a single novel.
When I came out of that coma, I realized I didn't care how long the story had to be. I no longer cared who would get angry at me; and I told myself if I was going to be a Southern writer, I had to be unflinching in my commitment to the truth. It didn't matter what the consequences might be.
The accident altered my life. I undertook a quest to write what I felt I needed to write. I decided to write a trilogy instead of writing this story in one book. I lost my publisher and changed agents. I had no idea how it would turn out. There are very few trilogies in mainstream trade publishing. Generally, it's considered commercial suicide. The accident took me from being perceived as a thriller writer to being seen as a fiction writer dealing with very serious issues. And I'm gratified to have made that transition.
Speaking of Southern writers, your writing has been compared to that of Pat Conroy, Thomas Wolfe, and William Faulkner. How would you describe your style?
I would not compare myself with those writers. Like so many of us, I was inspired by them. I was fortunate enough to meet Pat Conroy a year before he died. I also got to meet William Styron and James Dickey.
I recall something Faulkner said: We look at our heroes and on the deepest level, we're trying to be them. I would never presume to compare myself with those writers. But, I look at the place and time when they were writing and the subjects they chose, and I jumped into the water in my time. I feel I've got to do the best I can. What separates me from them is I'm a commercial novelist. I have to make a living. Even though I write what I want to, I still have to sell enough books so the publishing industry will pay me. That's a difficult compromise to make. Throughout my career, I have had to make that compromise to a greater or lesser degree. With this trilogy, I've compromised to the least degree possible. The writers you mentioned were commercial novelists, but while writing, they threw commercial interests to the wind, much more than I can.
We both know this as writers: when writing a novel, we're looking for resonance. I feel resonance is achieved by providing the reader with emotional insight that's only gained through suffering. In a good commercial novel, we find two or three such insights in the book. What separates a good commercial novelist from a Faulkner or Tolstoy is this: those great novels have profound insights on almost every page or chapter. They distill the human condition in ways most commercial novels never can.
I understand Sony Pictures is developing a cable television series based on the Natchez Burning Trilogy. Tell us about that.
It's in development right now, but these things take a very long time. So, I'm just waiting to see what happens.
I'll tell you something I learned as a musician and it applies to being a writer, as well: no matter how much you love something, when you begin doing it for a living, it changes things. In a way, the thing you love doing the most is inevitably compromised.
What do I love about the writing life? I love the freedom of it. If you're fortunate enough to make a living from writing, you probably have more freedom than in almost any other career. When you get over that initial hump of attaining success, you have a great deal of freedom. You're on your own. That's what I love.
You're having a dinner party and can invite any five guests, living or dead, from any walk of life. Who would they be?
That's a great question. I really have to think about it. [Reflection for a while] I'd love to invite Carl Jung along with Robert Oppenheimer to hear them discuss science and psychology. It would be fascinating to have Friedrich Nietzsche there, along with the great Greek playwright, Euripides. They could add a great deal of insight about what it means to be human. And I think Marie Curie would add to the mix. Can you imagine the conversation these five people would have?
Congratulations on penning Mississippi Blood. It's an atmospheric, beautifully crafted conclusion to a trilogy exploring racism, abuse of power, and the meaning of justice. It blends imagination, suspense, history and lyrical writing in a novel that I could not put down until I'd read the very last page.
Arnold Newman, with a Ph.D. in conservation biology, is the Founder and Executive Director of the International Society for the Preservation of the Tropical Rainforest. For over five decades, he has been an advisor to 80 countries in which tropical rainforests are located, and this work has taken him to all continents where these forests exist.
His book Tropical Rainforests is viewed world over as the lead book on our endangered habitat and its survival for the Third Mi llennium. It is very likely one of the most important books published in our time.
As described in the book, what is a tropical rainforest?
A tropical rainforest is a place in which a consortium of material and climate come together in a perfect combination of temperature and rainfall. The botany takes care of the rest. There must be at least 80 inches of rainfall per year for the environment to form a tropical rainforest, the most life-giving environment on our planet.
As we cut and denude tropical rainforests, there is less evapo-transpiration coming from the leaves, which is responsible for the rainfall nourishing the rest of the mass of the trees and the undergrowth. Ten years of investigations by climatologists have discovered there is less rain falling on Amazonia, which has led to the environment drying out, causing devastating results.
What about our tropical rainforests makes them so important to our planet?
Let me name some of the products that come out of the tropical rainforests. Just look at our breakfast cereals. Rice Krispies come f rom Asian forests; corn flakes come from harvests in South America. Enormous amounts of sugar come from Indian rainforests. Pineapples come largely from Venezuelan rainforests. Hash brown potatoes don't come from Ireland, but are derived from Andean rainforests. Much of our orange juice comes from Asian forests; tomato juice from Central America; cocoa—not from Switzerland—but from Latin American rainforests. Coffee and tea are grown in Asian and Ethiopian forests. The origin of our beef cattle owes a great deal to the benteng bull, originally found in the Java rainforest.
We've analyzed only one percent of tropical plants for possible use in medicines. Fifty percent of commonly used medications are derived from plants, and twenty-five percent of prescription drugs are derived from tropical rainforests. The National Cancer Institute recognizes that seventy percent of plants with anti-cancer properties grow only in tropical rainforests. We've only analyzed one-percent of those tropical plants for possible use of their alkaloids.
One plant, the rosy periwinkle, produces seventy-five alkaloids—and only two of them have produced vinblastine and vincristine, chemotherapy drugs which bring about a ninety-nine percent remission in acute lymphocytic leukemia, and a high rate of remission in Hodgkin's Disease. This single plant, with only those two alkaloids, has given us this incredible benefit.
Your book describes some of the threats to our tropical rainforests. Tell us about them.
Imagine rivets popping from an airplane in flight. What's the tipping point when one more rivet pops and a wing falls of during flight?
We're creating climate change by deforestation of the tropical rainforests. Tropical deforestation is responsible for nineteen percent of greenhouse gas emissions. If we could prevent half of that deforestation, we would be cutting back more on our emissions than has been done since the issue of climate change was first discussed. We've seen how difficult it is to curtail the use of fossil fuels, but it's far easier to cut back on the denuding of the tropical rainforests.
Currently, we're very quickly obliterating our tropical rainforests. They're being decimated because of our planetary birth rate and the consequent demand that places on the use of resources. Humanity gained its one-billionth person in 1835. Presently, we add one billion people every thirteen years.
The second factor in the denuding of the tropical rainforests is the massive industrial complex which excavates the riches of these forests. This primarily involves logging for mahogany and other timber species. Every mahogany tree felled causes seven other trees to die. The sun penetrates to the forest floor and weed species flourish, all transforming the forest into something different from what it had been. The logging roads make easy access for peasants who then farm, using slash and burn techniques which further erode the forests. More and more land is used as the ash from the burned forests makes the land usable for only a few years; consequently, the people move on; cut and burn more forests; and the problem widens. Cattle pastures last for six years, but after that use, the land becomes so degraded nothing else will grow. Even with abundant rainfall, the formerly life-giving land remains barren.
Palm oil and soy bean production are very lucrative businesses. Enormous amounts of money are made by very few people, who often bribe the ministries of agriculture and forest in tropical rainforest countries in order to be allowed to strip the timber and establish massive plantations.
What happens to our planet if we lose more of the rainforests?
Climate change is accelerated by tropical rainforest destruction. Deforestation is now causing superstorms, floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornados, cyclones, and glacial melting all over the world. We're seeing a rising sea level which is wreaking havoc on island nations like Bangladesh. Because of melting of the Himalayan glaciers, lowland villages are being flooded and destroyed. People are migrating to the capital of Dacca, overwhelming the city. Similar migrations are beginning to occur all over the world, and are part of the problem causing the refugee crisis in the Middle East and in Africa, along with civil wars.
Rising sea levels will impact everyone on this planet.
This not only happens in places like Bangladesh; let's look at Miami Beach.
It sits on fossil coral, which is porous. Even with water breaks to stop the sea from coming in, seawater seeps in under the walls. It's moving inland to Miami. One day in the not-too-distant future, there's going to be an enormously wet wake-up call.
Your book describes steps we can take to ensure the survival of the rainforests. Tell us about them.
Tropical rainforests hold ninety percent of all life forms on earth. It's our duty to put a stop to their destruction. Each of us is responsible for creating the market for tropical rainforest products. Globally, sixteen million trees are cut each day. If we change the motivation for industries to denude these forests, they'll find other ways to make their livelihoods.
Twenty years ago, I helped Los Angeles pass into law a provision that tropical hardwoods would no longer be purchased for city benches or be used in city facilities.
We still have a chance to save the forests and our planet. We must maintain pressure on the government. One letter to a representative elicits a form letter from that representative. Three to five letters or emails, elicit personal responses. If a member of congress recognizes there's a huge constituency concerned about this issue, there will be legislative pressure put to bear for environmental safeguards. We have to demand action on the local, state and federal levels and we have to change some of the ways we live our lives.
Congratulations on writing this important book with its clear explanations, awe-inspiring photographs, and eye-opening diagrams explaining so many issues crucial to our planet's survival. This book is so important, it has a Foreword written by the Dalai Lama, and an Introduction by Jane Goodall.
Brad Parks, a former newspaper reporter, is the only author to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of crime fiction's most prestigious prizes. Say Nothing is his 7th novel.
Say Nothing features Scott Sampson, a federal judge who's held in great esteem. He has a lovely wife and two great kids. One morning, Scott and his wife, Alison, discover that their six-year-old twins have been kidnapped. Scott receives a call warning him to decide exactly as he's told in a drug case he's about to rule on. If he doesn't follow these instructions, his children, Sam and Emma will suffer the consequences. He is told not to call the police, or anyone else. He's told the Say Nothing.
But the call is only the beginning of a terrible ordeal. The first case is only a test run. It becomes clear, the kidnappers want to influence the outcome of the most high-profile trial of Judge Scott Sampson's career. The ensuing events are harrowing.
When we last talked, you told me the newsroom has given you enough material for twenty novels. How did the idea for Say Nothing come to you?
I owe my friend Steve Hamilton a debt of gratitude. He gave me some advice years ago. He said, 'You have to write the book that scares you.' Ever since then I've ruminated about that. One day while I was jogging, I asked myself, What scares me? I'm the father of two elementary school-age kids. Nothing scares me more than the thought of something happening to them—like a kidnapping. I asked myself, 'Who would want to kidnap my kids?' From a storytelling standpoint, a ransom demand would be boring. I began considering what kind of character might have something to offer a kidnapper that could not be gotten any other way. And then it came to me: a federal judge might be a good target because he could not be bribed. He's a moral paragon and the only way to influence him would be to have control of his children. He would then be forced to do the kidnappers' bidding.
In Say Nothing, Scott Sampson is faced with ethical dilemmas of momentous proportions. Talk to us about the role of conflicting ethical decisions in your thrillers.
Conflict is paramount in many novels, especially in thrillers. However, in Say Nothing, there's really no decision for Scott Sampson to make. Nothing matters to him but his children. His future, his financial situation, his reputation and his job are all secondary to the wellbeing of his kids. He really has no choice and it's interesting to see how the decision he must make impacts him in the larger sense. He makes the decision he must, and the question becomes, what will it cost him? As the novel continues, it costs him more and more. Yet, he's still willing to put everything on the line. He began the book with an ideal life: he has a wonderful job, a lovely wife and healthy children. He has everything a person could want. And then, slowly but surely, every one of those things is taken away.
Say Nothing has been described as a 'Domestic thriller.' Define that for our readers.
Different people might have slightly different definitions of a domestic thriller. To me, it's a thriller in which the protagonist is someone you could meet at the grocery store. It doesn't involve a superhero with Special Forces training. Rather, it concerns an Everyman or Everywoman. That's always appealed to me because that kind of character is easy to relate to.
I've read a few of your novels. Among other things, they all involve the importance of family. Will you talk about that in relation to the novel?
As a writer, I need an emotional entrée to a book. If I care deeply about the characters and what's happening to them, I'll be able to make the reader care, as well. The notion of family resonates with me and with many other people. I could not have written this book when I was single and not yet a parent. Being a husband and parent gave me the insight to be able to write this novel. I'm always writing from a place of personal knowledge. When you get rid of all the trappings of your life, what really matters above all else is family.
Many thrillers involve either a missing person or a kidnapping. These issues seem to hold a special attraction for so many readers. Will you talk about that?
It goes to the heart of the definition of a thriller. Of course, a mystery is about solving a crime, while a thriller is about preventing one. The threat of something awful happening—like someone going missing or being kidnapped—is something we writers use in our writing. The threat must be real to the reader.
For instance, I'm afraid of spiders. I was once sitting in my office and a huge spider appeared on the wall. It was nearly as large as my hand. I tried to kill it with a rolled-up newspaper. But this creature was so huge, it laughed off my feeble attempt and disappeared. So, I was left with this massive spider lurking somewhere in my office. And then, I suddenly felt something tickle my leg. I jumped and screamed. I think thrillers must have something like that spider at their core. So, I'm always looking for that spider.
You mentioned writing from some well of personal knowledge. You're neither an attorney nor a physician. Yet, Say Nothing involves easily understandable and vivid descriptions of the federal court system and certain aspects of medicine. Tell us a bit about your research for this novel.
As a newspaper reporter, I was no stranger to courtrooms. The law has always fascinated me. For this book, I shadowed a federal judge for a while and learned a great deal about the federal system and the law. I could never have written about Scott Sampson without that access.
The dialogue in Say Nothing is very realistic and highly believable. Tell us about your process for writing dialogue.
It helps that I was a newspaper reporter. I spent years listening to people talk. I learned to listen carefully and to distill the essence of what people were saying. I always looked for quotable moments. When writing, I read my dialogue out loud. I ask myself, is this how someone would talk? It it doesn't sound realistic to me, I re-do it.
What's surprised is that I've learned that some of my greatest enjoyment comes from being read by other people. I love getting reader emails such as, you wrote this character…do you know my Aunt Betty? That kind of feedback tells me the reader has internalized my story and fleshed out the character even beyond my own imagination. That shared experience is wonderful and I enjoy that kind of magic.
You're having a dinner party and can invite any five people, living or dead, real or fictional, from any walk of life. Who would they be?
I'd invite Harper Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, and we might as well have Jesus at dinner. He might have some answers to questions we all have. [Laughter] Then, to balance it out, I'd invite Mohammed.
What would you all be talking about.
I think we'd find universal themes to talk about. We'd realize issues that drove people in Jesus's time were the same things Mark Twain wrote about and Thomas Jefferson wrestled with when he wrote the Bill of Rights. And those same things still drive us today. So I think the conversation would be about timeless issues of the human condition.
What's coming next from Brad Parks?
Another standalone for which I don't yet have a title. It concerns family again. [Laughter] It's about a woman whose child is taken from her by Social Services. Someone is framing her as a criminal in order to take away her child.
Congratulations on writing Say Nothing, a propulsive, harrowing, and deeply moving novel that kept me turning pages because I had to find out what would happen to this extraordinary family.
Faye Kellerman is the bestselling author of 30 previous novels, most of them featuring the husband and wife team of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. Faye and her husband, Jonathan Kellerman, are the only married couple ever to appear on the New York Times bestseller list simultaneously for two different novels. And both are authors very long-running series.
Bone Box, the 28th installment of the Decker/Lazarus series, begins with Rina making a shocking discovery of bones found in the woods of her upstate New York community. It leads her husband, police detective Peter Decker, to investigate a series of gruesome unsolved murders which point to a diabolical serial killer who's been hiding in plain sight. And whoever this psychopath is, he may be on the hunt for a fresh victim.
It's clear from reading Bone Box that you know a good deal about forensic science. How did you learn so much?
As you know from our last talk, in my early years, I was trained as a dentist. We studied gross anatomy, which is where I got the title Bone Box. Dental students have a different experience from medical students: while medical students are given the entire body in gross anatomy, we are given parts of the body in a bone box. This is how we dentists begin learning the anatomy of the body, especially the head and neck.
As for forensic science, I ran with my basic knowledge of anatomy and medical science and talked to a few experts. I also went online—an easy and wonderful way to do research these days—and found all the forensic information I needed for the story.
Of course, over the years there have been advances in forensic science's ability to make determinations about a very decomposed body, and all that research was available online. So, I used my basic knowledge and updated it by reading articles.
What do you feel makes Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus so appealing to the reading public?
I think they're appealing because they're full, fleshed-out characters.
I like that Peter is a great family man and is passionate about his work. To him, solving each crime becomes a personal mission. I like characters who care about what they're doing and who are concerned about the victims. I think readers also like that.
I think Rena and Peter have a very good marriage, but it's a realistic one. Sometimes they fight and I think lots of people can identify with that. She's also a good homemaker and enjoys cooking her kugel and brisket, but contributes to Peter's investigations whenever she feels it's necessary to join in.
Part of why I moved them to a small town and away from Los Angeles was to allow Rena to play a larger role in the investigations. With the L.A.P.D., there was no way she could have access to the material Peter shares with her now. The L.A.P.D. is a huge, monolithic bureaucracy, but in a small town, there are fewer resources, so she can become involved.
In Bone Box, Peter Decker's interrogation tactics are quite impressive. Have you studied interrogation techniques?
In my books, Peter and the interviewee simply talk. If you get a person talking, he or she will tell you all sorts of things. I think to be a good interrogator, you must be a very good listener. If you get guilty people talking, they will inevitably come out with a contradiction to a lie they've told. A good interrogator must engage in active listening, and that's what Peter does.
Do you ever brainstorm with Jonathan for plot ideas or twists?
We don't really brainstorm. I'll come up with the root of an idea and I might mention it to him. Sometimes I show him a finished book. Many times, I give him the first fifty pages and ask him what he thinks.
I tend to do a lot of walking to stimulate my imagination. I love to walk and think about what might make an interesting story that will provide readers with a few hours of entertainment and relaxation.
Which question do you get asked more often than any other?
The thing is, I never know what's going to become an integral part of a novel, but it all derives from some part of my life experience or imagination.
I write well-fleshed out characters, and—you know this better than I do—inevitably, more ideas spring from my subconscious. They all have a little bit of me in them. It's very hard to figure out in advance how a story will unfold, but after having written so many novels, I feel more comfortable letting the ideas come up from somewhere in my own subconscious. Writing is much easier now because that sense of panic I used to experience doesn't set in as I begin a new book.
What moves you most in a novel?
I'm most moved by very interesting characters.
Occasionally, I'll find a novel that's so cleverly plotted, it grabs me; but mostly, I want to follow a person in whatever journey he or she is taking, if that character is likable and identifiable. And I try to impart that in my own novels. I always ask myself: how does the crime affect the people involved?
If you could re-experience reading one novel as though reading it for the first time, which one would it be?
Wow. That's a tough one. [Laughter]. Leaving my husband's books aside, and my son Jesse's, I'll pick Jane Eyre. It's a very personal story of a girl who becomes a woman. I'd also say The Count of Monte Cristo, that's a novel of world adventure and a swashbuckling account of extreme revenge.
Both books moved me as a teenager and opened my eyes to a world far beyond my very confined one.
What's coming next from Faye Kellerman?
I have my first, standalone novel coming out some time this summer. It's called The Killing Season and involves a seventeen-year-old boy looking for the murderer of his older sister.
Congratulations on writing Bone Box, a superb police procedural with a great deal of warmth and heart. It takes the reader into the world of detective work, forensics, marriage, medicine, murder and mystery.


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Meet Adele Mundy, Badass Space Librarian
DRAKE, David. Some Golden Harbor. NY: Baen Books, 2006.
Cover by Steve Hickman.
For conspiring against the government of Cinnabar, her family was massacred; she is the sole survivor. She's a scholar, a librarian turned Signals Officer who has joined Daniel Leary, a lieutenant in the Republic of Cinnabar Navy (RCN) to battle against treacherous politicians, the Alliance, rebels, and all manner of galactic grief and peril. She is a master of information technology and spy craft. She likes weapons and knows how to use them.
Don't mess with Adele Mundy, sharpshooting librarian in space.
It was just the other day when I rued the exclusion of librarians from science-fiction literature only to learn that yes, in addition to Space Lawyer, there actually is a librarian plying her skills in the cosmos beyond Earth. I was so taken by the revelation, provided by Vic Zoschak, of Tavistock Books, who perpetrated Space Lawyer on me, that I pursued it directly to the source, David Drake, author of the highly respected RCN series featuring the inter-galactic adventures of Lt. Leary and Signal Officer Mundy, and mercilessly interrogated him.
Booktryst; Why did you choose librarian as an occupation for Adele?
DD: My RCN series is consciously modeled on Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series which pairs a naval officer with a technical specialist who is a crack shot. O'Brian made Maturin a doctor. I wouldn't create so direct a copy, and anyway, I don't have the background to describe a doctor's work usefully.
I did, however, spend quite a lot of time as a book page at the University of Iowa and later at Duke. I love libraries, and I have some knowledge of and enormous respect for librarians - the first and still the best information specialists. It was therefore natural to make Adele a librarian.
Booktryst: Is there something intrinsically sexy about a librarian with martial skills?
DD: I don't think of occupations as being sexy. I've never understood the cachet which some people attach to this occupation or that. In particular I don't understand why people consider being a writer 'special.'
I'm a writer and a darned good craftsman. My dad was a very good electrician, and my dad's father was arguably the best tinsmith in the country. These are all respectable things to be, as is librarian; but they aren't sexy.
Booktryst: You have cruelly destroyed the fantasies of many library patrons with over-active imaginations. Let's get to another key issue. Adele Mundy, space librarian, on e-books: sí or no?
DD: The late Jim Baen (who founded Baen Books) was a real leader in electronic publication. For some years now Baen Books earns a great deal of money annually through its electronic publications (though that's still a sidelight of its dead tree operations). Jim was one of my closest friends, and I'm proud that the RCN series has been a feature of Baen's electronic publications from the beginning.
Booktryst: Any chance of spinning off Adele into her own series? I smell chick-lit, grrrl power bonanza! Followed, of course, by film adaptation, Angelina Jolie, and sequels.
DD: Spinning off Adele? Tsk! As in O'Brian creating Stephen Maturin, Pistol-Packing Doctor? Adele and Daniel Leary are halves of a single archetype. I'm certainly not going to split them up.
Booktryst: Alright, then. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, together again after the deadly Mr. and Mrs. Smith, as Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy. Hollywood, are you listening?
Booktryst: I'll take that as "no comment."
DD: I'll throw in a comment on Space Lawyer, which I read a very long time ago. I think you'll find that the concluding portion of Space Lawyer was written for book publication, not for the magazine.
Schachner [Nat, author of Space Lawyer] (though he's forgotten today) was a mainstay of Astounding during the Golden Age and wrote consistently thoughtful material. [Asimov was a fan]. Unfortunately he was at best a pedestrian writer. When I was 14, that didn't bother me; but Space Lawyer is sprightly compared to some of his work.
Best wishes to you and your readers.
And to you, David Drake.
Next time you visit a library, don't mess with that shy, demure reference librarian behind the desk. It could be Adele Mundy, incognito and undercover for a secret mission on Earth, packing a devastating weapon to deal with unruly patrons, rude behavior, and aliens in the rest room. And if you owe late fees, better pay up, buster. Adele takes no guff.
Labels: Angelina Jolie, books, Brad Pitt, Entertainment, Hollywood, Librarians, Libraries, RCN, Science Fiction
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The Bars of Paris, A Bar-Room in the U.S.
Victoria And Albert Go To The Olympics
Lame Duck Books To Close
A Slightly Pre-Joan Rivers Red Carpet Fashion Repo...
Bookbinding on Trial in Divorce Case

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Narrative Flows: Dig This!
After the Arizona History Conference on Saturday I spent the rest of the weekend noodling narrative ideas. I am very intrigued by the idea that when you line up frames in a grid, or by rows, they begin to relate to each other, no matter how disparate the subject. You dig?
Narrative Flow #1
Woke up on Sunday and gave it some more definition, adding black, below. Did I kill some of the subtlety? Hmmmm. Probably.
Always a dilemma—when to stop, when to give it one more pass?
"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."
Posted by Bob Boze Bell at 11:17 AM 1 comment:
Doc On The Block
For all of you who love Doc Holliday, here is a special offer. I've only got one each of the following art prints left, after our show in Tempe last weekend and they are $40 each, plus shipping. First come, etc:
"Doc's Last Gunfight #1"
"Doc And Wyatt: The Deadliest of Friends"
"The Walkdown"
"Doc Looms Large"
"Doc Spins Cup"
"This is funny."
—Doc's alleged last words
Posted by Bob Boze Bell at 12:09 PM 1 comment:
There's Always One
I keep a narrative clip book to inspire me. Because I'm a cartoonist, I am fascinated by the repetition of images and how they start to tell a story, even when they aren't intended for that purpose. One spread in my clip book in particular has intrigued me:
Narrative Clip File: The Power of Repetition
This morning I took a crack at this idea, applying it to a concept I have for our upcoming In-din Humor issue. As I was sketching in the idea, my neighbor from down on the creek, Tom Augherton, wandered in and captured me in my studio, deep in the process:
"The Lonely Whip Out"
And here is the sketch:
Daily Whip Out: "That's Not Funny"
The premise is that in every tribe, including yours and mine, there's always one guy who doesn't get the joke.
It's not quite there, but I am in the water. What to do next? I think Samuel has the answer:
"Go on failing. Go on. Only next time, try to fail better."
When Tequila Talks, I Listen
When tequila talks, it says to me, "Trust me, you are a really good dancer."
Don't mess with me, I can dance real good!
More Random Tequila Wisdom
"If I had a shot of tequila for every time I thought of you, I'd be sober."
"Badges?"
What Can Cosby Do Now?
"He can't do anything now except maybe run for president."
—Trevor Noah.
In Cave Creek in the old days, it was traditional to kill a snake before you went out with one.
"Deena On Her Prom Night"
"The first half of our lives is spent ignoring our parent's advice, and the second half in trying to keep our children from ignoring ours."
—Old Parental Saying
Posted by Bob Boze Bell at 8:33 AM 3 comments:
My Eyes Are Up Here And Other Bits of Weird Wisdom for These Weird Times
I read with tired alarm, the other day, about some ridiculous development in Washington and the writer claimed that this was when "America went off the rails." Is that true? Have we gone off the rails?
"Go home, 2018, you're drunk."
As things get weirder and weirder, I find myself seeking out books that attempt to explain how we got here and why. Last night I started this book:
"The test of a good theory lies in its ability to explain the past, for only if it does can we trust what it may tell us about the future."
—John Lewis Gaddis, in his new book, "On Grand Strategy"
Daily Whip Out: "The Law In His Hands"
My Eyes Are Up Here
In the Can't-Leave-Good-Enough-Alone Department, I grabbed a board from last week and gave it another pass. Changed the title, too.
Daily Re-Whip Out: "My Eyes Are Up Here"
Everything in this world tries to be round (including those overgrown ta tas, above), and I can't help but think that the more things change the more they remain the same. What appeared to be a progressive arc away from fascism has turned into a circle and here we are, back in the year 1939.
"If you fail to prepare for all that might happen, you'll ensure that some of it will."
Or, put in a more sarcastic way:
"It's a weird time, if you've noticed."
Froggy Hauan and The Hilarity of Robbing Norwegian Banks
Kathy and I met my Thompson, Iowa cousins last night at El Encanto Dos out on the Carefree Highway. Norm and Trudy Hauan are leaving today for home, after their annual winter stay in Arizona.
The Hauans and the Bells at El Encanto Dos
Left to right: Kathy, Norm, Trudy and BBB. Norm, 82, is legendary in northern Iowa where he is known as "Froggy" Hauan. He created an empire of farms that is still talked about today. My father was a big fan of Froggy and so I honor my dad by staying in touch with our Iowa kin. Norm and I are related like this: our great-grandfathers, Peter and Ingebrit Hauan were brothers. Norm is a descendent of Ingebrit, and Peter had a daughter named Minnie, who married another Norwegian farmer named Carl M. Bell and they had a son they named Allen Peter Bell (my dad's middle name was in honor of his mother's father). Unfortunately, my father was teased incessantly by the middle name—Peter—and always styled his moniker as "Allen P. Bell".
Like most extended families we love to talk about old times and one of my favorite stories is the time bank robbers hit the Peoples State Bank in Thompson in 1974. The robbers got away with about $7,000 and were never caught, but they forced the tellers and the customers on to the floor and then tied them up. It sounds terrifying but the way Froggy tells it is hilarious because he invokes the niceness of small town Norskys dealing with armed criminals. And, it helps that nobody was hurt. Norm asked me not to use several of the stories because some of the people are still alive, but one of the customers, "Shorty" Hagenson was forced on to the floor next to an attractive bank teller, Betty Johnson. Later, over a beer at the only bar in town, Shorty admitted, "I always wanted to lay with Betty Johnson, but there I was with my hands tied behind my back."
And, here, courtesy of the Thompson Courier, for your viewing pleasure are Shorty and Betty looking at the floor where they were forced to "lay" together.
"Did you hear about the Norwegian farmer who loved his wife so much he almost told her?"
—Old Norsky Saying
Dust Devil Rider
Went home for lunch and took a shot at a sketch:
Daily Whip Out: "Dust Devil Rider"
Also did a couple more sketches on a summer project:
Daily Whip Out: "In-din Humor Sketch"
"The idea that Indians aren't funny is so funny."
—Paul Andrew Hutton
Posted by Bob Boze Bell at 4:02 PM No comments:
It's a long road from our daughter's house in Seattle to our home in Cave Creek. In fact, it's 1,486 miles. So we flew home from Seattle yesterday and as we cruised at 30,000 feet over the Grand Canyon I started looking out the window for my homeland. Was that Frazier's Well down there, or were we farther to the east? I finally recognized Ashfork, and quickly scooted westward up the twin lines of I-40 to find Seligman, then beyond the Sno-cap Drive-in lies the longest surviving stretch of old Route 66 snaking its way across Long Valley and onward to Peach Springs, Truxton and Valentine and then around the corner to Hackberry where my great-grandmother, Dolce Guess, is buried.
It always makes me feel good to see my home country from the air. I have been down many roads in many parts of the world, but few places stir my soul more than this land.
My curator, Kristi Jacobs, is putting together some of the themes I have painted on over the years to consider as art pieces to show at the Arizona History Conference which takes place this coming weekend in Tempe.
One of the themes she has curated ("66 Kid Headlights") naturally caught my eye and I grabbed a half-dozen of them to paint and "improve" over my lunch hour (and she's going to hate this: I have renamed most of them!)
Hailstorm In Truxton Canyon
Blasting Thru Truxton After the Rain
Kind of interesting how much many of my road memories involve rain. Perhaps because it is so rare in Arizona, or, maybe it's because those are the memories I cherish the most.
Cloudburst at Coyote Pass
Late Night Driver North of Grasshopper Junction
T-Bird On The Move South of Perfume Pass
Oatman Road at Dusk
Why am I obsessed with road pictures? Here's one possible explanation:
"We spend our lives trying to understand our parents."
—Thomas McGuane
Posted by Bob Boze Bell at 2:57 PM 2 comments:
In Praise of Nut Job II
Had a glorious week in Seattle babysitting the grandkids. It was challenging grandparent work, but someone's got to do it.
Weston tries his first bite of a green chile chicken burrito
Grandparents get along so well with grandkids because they have a common enemy. Ha.
Frances Grooving On An Empty Box of Fiber One
Lots of fun picking through the trash and I'm always amazed at what the little tykes find amusing. I was holding Frances in the back yard when I randomly kicked a soccer ball and she started laughing, so I walked over and kicked it again and she laughed and laughed. I must have kicked that ball 25 times and she just kept on laughing. It's the little things.
We gathered every morning in the kitchen.
The Morning Gathering
But my favorite time was the painting sessions:
Weston does the first of many Daily Whip Outs.
Of course it wasn't all art sessions:
The Tree Climber
Weston Abstract
I got to catch up on a lot of cartoons. I must say Nut Job 2 is pretty spectacular with superior animation and funny sight gags. We watched it twice. Nut Job 1 was okay—one of those rare cases where the sequel is better than the original—and I thought the animation on Coco was crazy amazing, although the story about the Day of The Dead and how it was related to the little boy was a little overcooked. Of course there were insufferably bad cartoons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Stagecraft Edition was terrible (Weston loved it) and there was a Monster Truck show where the animation looked like it was done with two pieces of plexiglass and three rejected truck drawings from Cars III. But what do I know?
Quite a bit, actually. Hard to believe that I have lived long enough to see movie shorts (when cartoons played before a movie) and then the beginning of Saturday morning cartoons where we saw the same 15 cartoons over and over because there wasn't enough product to fill the pipeline for one hour of one day, much less seven days.
And then all the different genres, like claymation which Wes Anderson has revived in his brilliant Isle of Dogs.
Kind of crazy when you consider what it all comes down to:
"It's just lines on paper, folks."
—R. Crumb
Posted by Bob Boze Bell at 6:24 AM 1 comment:
The Old Squat And Spit Rule
When cowboys gather, they tend to form a semi-circle and squat down on their haunches. After pleasantries are exchanged, one of the cowboys will offer up a "true" story. And, when that story is finished, there will always be one cowboy who spits and says, "That's nothin', one time I. . ."
Daily Whip Out: "The Ol' Squat And Spit"
And off they go. It's not a law or anything, but it is quite prevalent throughout the West. It has become known as the Old Squat And Spit Rule. Oh, and one more thing:
"The last liar wins."
Posted by Bob Boze Bell at 11:02 AM No comments:
The BS-er vs. The Natural-Born-Storyteller
We all have been abused by an overbearing storyteller. This usually happens at the bar, where they have a captured audience.
Daily Whip Out: "The BS-er at The Bar"
We have a tendency to flee from these BS-ers and, when asked why, we accuse them of telling windies, at best, and outright lies, at worst. The main reason for this is most BS-ers have a hard time getting to the point in an efficient manner. The problem stems from false flamboyancy, or, excessive, exuberant story-telling. Or, as my Texas friends like to put it, "If you can't improve on a story, you have no business telling it in the first place." Well, unfortunately, when it comes to "improving" a story, most BS-ers confuse quality with quantity. Just because you add a half dozen goofy set-ups and sidebars, doesn't make the joke, or the story, better.
On the other hand, some old-timers just have the gift. Thanks to the editor of Arizona Highways, Don Dedera, I met one of the best. Don gave me my first illustration assignment for Arizona Highways in February, 1985 for a story on everyone's favorite home town. I traveled to Prescott to meet and draw several Prescott living legends, among them Budge Rufner and Gail Gardner.
Gail Gardner sketches, February, 1985
When I got to his house in downtown Prescott, Gail was in a wheel-chair in the living room with a hand-knitted afghan on his lap and chain-smoking. As soon as I came in he started with the stories and the whole time I was there, it was just one story after another, and they were all good. At one point, his caretaker leaned in from the kitchen, and yelled, "Gail, he's here to draw you, not interview you!" He didn't give a rip, and he never even slowed down. He just loved to spin tall tales. And, he never stopped smoking. When I joked he wouldn't live very long if he kept that up (he was in his nineties!) he just laughed and lit another one. As I continued drawing him he told many stories complete with outrageously funny locations, which I jotted down in the corners of my sketchbook, above; including "Fart-Knocker Flats," "Skin-Chin Canyon" and "Freeze-Ass Ridge." There were more, but I couldn't write them down fast enough. When I asked him how a place got the name "Fart-Knocker Flats," he laughed, gave the location, and said, "These flats had big, round rocks all over the place and when you'd come ridin' hell bent out on to those flats, your horse would stumble and it would knock the farts plumb out of you." Even his asides were hilarious and I could have listened to him all day long. Here's the kicker: not once did I think of him as a BS-er. True, the stories were laced with tall tales, but he somehow rose above that.
His parting comment: "Nobody's had more fun than I've had." No BS there at all.
"A joke is a question, artificially inseminated with tension."
What Makes Me Happy Besides A Forest of Sombreros?
Not much makes me happier than a gaggle of big hats.
Daily Whip Out: "A Forest of Sombreros"
Unless, maybe it's an old photo of an overloaded stagecoach:
The stage to Rhyolite, Nevada
"Crazy explorers on a Mule"
Goofy named frontier saloons.
Moonrise Beside A Massive Saguaro
Frontiersman In Snow
Or, wolves in snow:
Budding Artists Giving It Their All
"Painting is marvelous. It makes you happier and more patient."
"An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one."
—Charles Horton Cooley
Posted by Bob Boze Bell at 12:30 PM 3 comments:
Ten Things to Say to A White Person
More insights on In-din humor from Vine Deloria, Jr:
"ONE OF THE best ways to understand a people is to know what
makes them laugh. Laughter encompasses the limits of the soul.
In humor life is redefined and accepted. Irony and satire provide
much keener insights into a group's collective psyche and values
than do years of research.
"It has always been a great disappointment to Indian people
that the humorous side of Indian life has not been mentioned by
professed experts on Indian Affairs. Rather the image of the granite-faced grunting redskin has been perpetuated by
American mythology."
One of the ways to accomplish this is to turn the old stereotypes on their collective heads. Here's an example from Deloria:
"Popovi Da, the great Pueblo artist, was quizzed one day on why the Indians were the first ones on this continent. 'We had reservations,' was his reply."
Or this example from a Native American Stand-up:
• How much white are you?
• I'm part white myself, you know.
• I learned all your people's ways in the Boy Scouts.
• My great-grandmother was a full blood European princess.
• Funny, you don't look white.
• Where are your powdered wigs and knickers?
• Do you live in a covered wagon?
• What's the meaning behind the square dance?
• Oh, wow! I really love your hair. Can I touch it?
• What's your feeling about riverboat casinos? Do they really help your people, or are they just a short-term fix?
Boy In The Water smiling at the above turnabout questions
"Mas tequila por favor, because no great story starts with someone eating a salad."
Wreck of The Tequila Limited
It's Time for an In-din Humor Issue
Here's a little known fact of life in America: In-dins are funny and they don't get credit for it. I want to change that, or, at least try and dispel the popular perception of them as being always stoic and wooden. That's why it's time for:
Dan The Man's Mock-up In-din Humor Cover Idea
"It has always been a great disappointment to Indian people that the humorous side of Indian life has not been mentioned by professed experts on Indian Affairs," said In-din author, Vine Deloria, Jr. in his classic "Custer Died For Your Sins." He goes on to say, "Indian people are exactly the opposite of the popular stereotype."
Deloria relates that the two favorite subjects of In-din humor are Columbus and Custer:
"Columbus didn't know where he was going, didn't know where he had been, and did it all on somebody else's money. And the white man has been following Columbus ever since."
As for the Boy General, Deloria quips, "Indians say Custer was well-dressed for the occasion. When the Sioux found his body after the battle, he had on an Arrow shirt."
Daily Whip Out: "Custer Wore An Arrow Shirt"
Vine also reports Custer's last words: "Well, it's better than going back to North Dakota."
You get the picture. So we need plenty In-din jokes and humor. If you have any, or know where we can get 'em, we want 'em.
"When a people can laugh at themselves and laugh at others and hold all aspects of life together without letting anybody drive them to extremes, then it seems to me that that people can survive."
—Vine Deloria, Jr.
My Eyes Are Up Here And Other Bits of Weird Wisdom...
Froggy Hauan and The Hilarity of Robbing Norwegian...
Two Dudes In Seattle
Mama Mia Mamacita!
Back Page Memories
Power Grab & Coors Can Shootout
Wild Bill Abides
In Praise of Trump and Billy the Kid
Wild Bill's Limpid Eyes
Hat Wars Revisited And A Merry Whip Out Weekend
The Reconnoiter
The G-Man Is On Deck, Rasch In The Hole
The Lift: Better Late Than Never
The Truth About Wild Bill
Cloud Nine Descends


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What Happens to Our Body after Recovery from Covid-19
Society » HEALTH | January 11, 2021, Monday // 13:05
The Coronavirus leaves a lasting imprint on our health – one way or another. A new study shows that even those who have overcome the infection and are officially considered healthy are not always feeling well. They suffer from muscle pains, fatigue and mental disorders such as panic attacks and depressions - these are the most common long-term consequences of infection, write scientists in the authoritative Lancet medical journal, writes Julia Vergin for Deutsche Welle.
Their data show that and six months after the end of the acute phase of the disease, about two-thirds of patients treated in hospital continue to suffer from subsequent symptoms. "Our analysis shows that after discharge from the hospital, most patients continue to experience the impact of coronavirus infection, which is why special care and rehabilitation after discharge is needed, especially for those who had a severe course of the infection," said Bin Tsao, one of the study's authors.
Scientists examined 1,733 people discharged between January 7 and May 29, 2020 from a hospital in Wuhan. People had an average age of 57, most of them in need of lung ventilation.
Patients were re-examined after discharge - between mid-June and early September last year - and scientists found that 76% of them had at least one residual symptom.
Fatigue, mental complaints
Some 63 percent said they experienced fatigue and/or muscle weakness, 26 percent had trouble sleeping and 23 percent suffered from fears or depressions. The researchers found that women more often had mental health complaints than men.
In addition, laboratory tests showed that 13 percent of patients whose kidneys functioned normally during the hospital stay turned out to have impaired kidney function after the re-examination.
In patients who had COVID-19 in a particularly severe form, even months later impaired lung functions and insufficient supply of oxygen to the body were found.
Study's weak points
The work of Chinese scientists overlaps with the results of other previous studies on the long-term consequences of COVID-19. Still, the Chinese study also has some weaknesses. For example, the proportion of patients studied with chronic lung and heart disease is relatively small. And the data for these people is not based on doctor's examinations, but on the evidence of the patients themselves, whose judgments are sometimes also inaccurate. It is also pointed out as a drawback that no studies have been done on people who have had the disease in mild form.
"This fact could distort the data concerning the number of people suffering long-term consequences after the Covid infection," says Yordis Fromhold, chief medical officer of the respiratory diseases unit at the Median Rehabilitation Clinic in the German city of Heiligendamm.
Fromhold points out that the most common residual symptoms she noticed among her patients were the presence of fatigue and muscle weakness. However, the doctor also had patients complaining of neurological problems, joint pain and hair loss. They all felt insecure — they didn't understand what was going on with them.
Patients between the ages of 30 and 65 are currently being treated at the clinic in Heiligendam, where rehabilitation is taking place. Chief medical officer Fromhold said most of them never managed to recover from the infection and restore their usual work-life balance.
Health » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: COVID-19, residual symptoms, study
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GC › Undergraduate Academics
Distinctive Programs
The Goshen Core (general education)
iCore Technology Initiative
Study Abroad (Study-Service Term)
Sustainability Leadership Semester
Agroecology Summer Intensive
Maple Scholars Summer Research
Honors Opportunities
Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center
Center for Business & Entrepreneurial Education
Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions
Center for Intercultural and International Education
Harold & Wilma Good Library
Mennonite Historical Library (MHL)
Institute for Latino Educational Achievement
Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism
Institute for Ecological Regeneration
Animal Subjects Research
Mikol Aspinwall '19
Mikol Aspinwall '19
Mikol Aspinwall '19, Goshen's youngest ever graduate at 17, is an entrepreneur with a knack for technology.
Mikol Aaron Merino Aspinwall came to Goshen College as a first-year student at the age of 13. He graduated at age 17 with a degree in computer science as the youngest graduate in the college's history.
He works with a Silicon Valley startup, has developed apps for different organizations and launched a soft drink business with a few classmates.
Originally from Phoenix, Aspinwall, a graduate of Herberger Young Scholars Academy, is used to being ahead of his age group. He built his first computer at the age of five with his dad and helped his mother streamline her eBay business. He started attending high school at the age of nine and audited classes at Arizona State University before moving to Goshen.
After deciding that a military scholarship to Holy Cross College was not for him, Aspinwall was attracted to Goshen College for the opportunity to be himself and to find his calling without undue expectations – even with his 185 IQ.
While at Goshen College, Aspinwall started the college's esports team, managed websites for several local companies and created cyber security protocols for others. Challenged by GC faculty on various social issues, he found his voice as a communicator. Unlike the "tech wizard" stereotype, he has learned to communicate complex ideas in layman's terms, and has even helped teach some computer science classes at the college.
Aspinwall works on an app with Patryk Ostrowski
Aspinwall works remotely at Blink Labs, a start-up social media firm in Silicon Valley with which he has forged a partnership, and has brought in other GC computer science students to gain valuable work experience.
"In college the most important thing I've learned is how to work really well with people and learn how to get the best out of other people in order to meet common goals," Aspinwall said. "I've also learned a lot about how important other people can be and that vocation isn't all there is to life."
He has worked with the Goshen Historic Society to develop a walking tour app that includes Goshen's historic points of interest downtown. He is currently working with two other GC seniors on a drink venture, which is seed-funded and hopes to "bring local artists together with the local community through sparkling water with an all-natural sweet twist."
"Virtual networks are essential to the world that Mikol has mastered," Said Felipe Merino, Aspinwall's uncle. "Many times that world isolates young people from those that live around them; not so in Mikol's case. Mikol is creating synergy with local artists and classmates to scale a business idea and has developed a commitment to improving the community and the world we live in."
In the Goshen community, Aspinwall has worked on his uncle Felipe Merino's campaign for the Goshen City Council. Committed to the cause of getting more young people involved in the local community, he is working with a team of GC students to make the Riverbend Film Festival come to life with an app that they developed to help people more readily find events.
He also spent last fall break in Puerto Rico, serving with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) in an area affected by Hurricane Maria in September 2017.
"I want to work with NGOs as much as I can and service the local community."
Along with his "Local" drink venture, he is planning to attend grad school somewhere.
"I'm not committed anywhere yet, but still going through the process," he said. "In the future, I'd like to be a professor at Goshen College. The sky's the limit."
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GC › Academics › Profiles › Mikol Aspinwall '19


The Flipped Classroom is NOT Just for Math and Science!
"But that only really works if you are teaching science or math, right?" Wrong.
One of the misunderstandings I frequently come across when advocating for the use flipped classroom techniques is the idea that 'reverse instruction' is really only suited for math and science and similar subjects where there are a lot of 'problems to solve' as a part of the natural learning process.
The idea of enabling students to learn about a new topic with content that they can consume at their own pace, and then using the gained class time to review and apply learning, can lend itself to just about any academic subject area.
When I first learned about the Flip Classroom, my sons were both studying Spanish. While visiting the classroom one night and listening to the teacher explain her approach, it hit me like a "coulda had a V8" moment, with a figurative thud to my forehead – Foreign Language classes could sooo benefit from the flip! Think about it – one of the biggest challenges and shortcomings of the Foreign Language classroom is the lack of time to actually speak the language conversationally. If you push more of the rote material – the vocabulary drills and tenses, genders, etc., out of the class in the form of content that can be accessed and reviewed any time, you've freed up class time for much needed conversational use of the language!
In this article, Bergmann and Sams look at various academic subject areas using the flip, and Foreign Language is the first one they discuss, including a real world example of … you guessed it … a Spanish class.
Job Bergmann – 'Flipped Learning' and Phys Ed!
Chapter 10 of Bergmann and Sams' Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student Engagement is titled, "english was made to flip". This chapter focuses on English Teacher April Gudenrath and her story as she adopted flipped teaching and learning.
Check out this flipped lesson, A Host of Heroes, that April created with ed.ted.com to see flipped English content in action!
Here's a whole web site devoted to Flipped History classes: http://www.flipped-history.com/! In addition to a lot of content focused on flipping the History classroom, there's an article on Flipping Social Studies. Flipped-History teacher Tom Driscoll has been featured in a wide range of flipped learning literature.
In this article and accompanying video, Drama teacher Adam Moreno explains how the flip can be a powerful tool in the Drama Class. Use "Outside of Class" time for things like learning directions, readings of scripts, reviewing important terms and vocabulary, and free up in class time for more acting exercises, rehearsals, and performances!
Check out professor Richard Newton's story in Flipping the Higher Ed Humanities Classroom: Teaching Critical Thinking at Cal Poly Pomon.
This is really just scratching the surface – the list goes on and on. Pick a subject area and search for it with the term "flipped classroom" in the search and you are likely to come across a published example. Just about any and every academic subject has been flipped. The sky is the limit. Keep on Flipping!
Flipped Teaching Techniques + Active Learning = Excellent Educational Possibilities!


D2 Models has San Diego child models so we are able to assist clients with babies, kids, tweens, and teens. The need for young talent has always been great but has increased significantly as more companies have products and services targeting the next generation. As these increase, there is a growing need for models to appear in media projects.
When considering San Diego child modeling agencies, D2 Models should be at the top of your list.
Besides having newborns and infants, D2 Models has access to professional pregnant models. Our network covers all of Southern California, so we can help you to find whatever you're looking for. Among baby modeling agencies, ours is one of the best.
With toddlers and kids all over the country at our San Diego Child model agency, we are your go-to resource for child models for your next commercial or print project. There are no looks that we can help clients with, and we can provide a large number to choose from when casting.
San Diego Child Models include pre-teens, middle school and high school kids. All are in high demand for current lifestyle shoots. Southern California, and especially San Diego, is a great location for finding the teens and tweens needed for film, commercial, and print projects. San Diego talent agencies are the right place to look, and you have found one of the top ones.


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Q: Mockito - Cannot instantiate @InjectMocks I have two private fields in my class which I am testing and these two fields are initialized in constructor.
Now when I am trying to call using my class annotated with @InjectMocks, it is throwing exception:
 Cannot instantiate @InjectMocks field named 'ServiceImpl' of type 'class com.test.ServiceImpl'. You haven't provided the instance at field declaration so I tried to construct the instance.

Below is the piece of code.
public class ServiceImpl implements Service {

private OfficeDAO officeDAO ;

private DBDAO dbDAO ;

public ServiceImpl() {
officeDAO = Client.getDaoFactory().getOfficeDAO();
dbDAO = Client.getDaoFactory().getDBDAO();
}

My test class:
@RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
public class ServiceImplTest {

    @Mock
    private OfficeDAO officeDAO;

    @Mock
    private DBDAO dbDAO;

    @Mock
    Client client;

    @InjectMocks
    private ServiceImpl serviceImpl;

    @Mock
    private Logger log;

    @Before
    public void setUp() throws Exception {
        MockitoAnnotations.initMocks(this);
    }

Please help me how I can resolve it.
Any help will be appreciated.

A: You are using @InjectMocks annotation, which creates an instance of ServiceImpl class. Because your constructor is trying to get implementation from factory: Client.getDaoFactory().getOfficeDAO() you have NPE.
Make sure what is returned by Client.getDaoFactory(). I bet it returns null and that's the problem :) Refactor your code, so that DaoFactory is passed via parameter rather than using static.

I see you have a different exception right now. But based on the code I cannot really tell more. Please, provide full example of failing test.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
In-Depth Discussion
News & AnalysisInsight
Despite Victory for Employer, NLRB Decision Reminds Employers That Improper Handbook Language Can Overturn Election Results
By Michael Mankes on
In a decision that must be viewed by employers as both a relief and a reminder, a divided National Labor Relations Board held that an overbroad non-solicitation policy found in an employee handbook was not sufficient to overturn a union representation election. Delta Brands Inc., 344 N.L.R.B. 10 (2005). Although the Board in Delta Brands ruled in the employer's favor, the Board's conclusion turned on very specific facts and suggested that even a slight variation of the facts would have rendered a different result. Thus, while the good news – that the Board declined to overturn the election despite an unlawful policy – is noteworthy, Delta Brands is more cautionary tale than cause for celebration. The continuing trend of unions challenging the legality of seemingly innocuous handbook language and work rules must remain a concern to both union and non-union employers.
A Continuing Trend
Union attacks on employee handbooks are not new. Historically, the Board has been receptive to such attacks and willing to scrutinize handbook language and work rules. For example, in Lafayette Park Hotel, 326 N.L.R.B. No. 69 (1998), in overturning an employer-won election, the Board held that an employer's work rule prohibiting "false, vicious, profane or malicious statements" about the employer was unlawfully vague. The Board reasoned that a rule prohibiting the distribution of "false" statements "fails to define the area of permissible conduct in a manner clear to employees and thus causes employees to refrain from engaging in protected activities." The Board further held that a rule requiring employees to leave the premises immediately after their shift ended was unlawfully broad because it had the effect of denying off-duty workers access to nonworking areas, such as the parking lot, to engage in concerted activity.
The Board further considered the issue in Freund Baking Co., 336 N.L.R.B. 847 (2001), finding an employee handbook objectionable because it contained what the Board concluded was an overbroad "Confidential Information" policy. The policy prohibited employers from disclosing or using proprietary or confidential information except as their job required. The Board concluded that employees could reasonably view the policy as prohibiting them from discussing their wages and working conditions with a union or others outside the company, and thus precluded them from engaging in concerted activity. As a result of the maintenance of this single handbook rule, the Board set aside a representation election that the company had won 30 votes to 3! The Board found it irrelevant that there was no evidence the employer enforced the rule or the rule influenced employees' conduct, but, rather, held that the simple fact the rule was maintained was sufficient.
The Board's Holding in Delta Brands
In Delta Brands, the employee handbook contained a no-solicitation policy that prohibited "vending, soliciting, or collecting contributions for any purpose unless authorized by management." Under established Board precedent, the policy was unlawfully overbroad because it could be viewed as prohibiting employees from engaging in union-related solicitation, a protected right, without management approval. After the company won a representation election 10 votes to 8, an NLRB hearing officer recommended that the election be set aside because of the policy, concluding that maintenance of the policy alone reasonably could have affected the results of the election.
The Board rejected the Hearing Officer's recommendation and held that, based on the specific facts of the case, the unlawful policy alone did not justify setting aside the election. The Board explained that an election will only be overturned where the union proves that the conduct in question (1) affected employees in the bargaining unit, and (2) had a reasonable tendency to affect the outcome of the election. In this case, the no-solicitation rule was not adopted in response to a union organizing campaign and was contained in a 36-page handbook. Only one employee had received the handbook during the critical pre-election period. There was no evidence that employees' attention was ever drawn to the rule, that the rule was ever enforced, or that employees were affected by the rule's existence. The Board concluded that, under these circumstances, the mere existence of the rule could not have affected the results of the election. Further, the Board reasoned that the union seeking to represent the employees had the "interest" and "now-how" to inform employees of their rights. Despite the fact that the Board's ruling is seemingly at odds with earlier decisions in which the Board has presumed that employees are affected by unlawful handbook language, the majority opinion maintained that its analysis of the circumstantial evidence is not a departure from Board precedent.
The Board's consideration of the surrounding circumstances and decision not to overturn the election certainly may be viewed as a positive result for employers. That said, Delta Brands is not a complete victory. The Board expressly stated that it was not altering its long-standing position that unlawfully vague or overbroad handbook language or work rules may be sufficient to overturn an employer-won election. The Board ruled simply that, under the very specific facts of this case, the mere existence of the overbroad no-solicitation policy was not sufficient to set aside the election. Indeed, the Board suggested that, under different circumstances (e.g., where the union presents evidence that employees were affected by the policy or where more employees received the handbook during the pre-election period), it would reach a different conclusion.
Moreover, the Board's decision to let the election stand was not unanimous. In a spirited dissent, Member Liebman sharply criticized the majority, accusing them of ignoring precedent and creating new requirements of proof that a union must satisfy to set aside an election. In Member Liebman's view, an employer's maintenance of an unlawful rule alone is sufficient grounds to set aside an election, regardless of the circumstantial evidence. She explains that a handbook rule represents an ongoing term and condition of employment, and employees are presumed to be aware of the rule and to have been affected by it.
Potential Ramifications for Employers
Delta Brands is a reminder to both union and non-union employers that their employee handbooks may be subject to attack by unions and scrutiny by the NLRB. While the NLRB ruled in favor of the employer in this case, it did so based on very specific facts, and indicated that it would have reached a different conclusion had the surrounding circumstances been different. Moreover, employers must be mindful of the minority view expressed by Member Liebman, that unlawfully vague or overbroad handbook language is always justification to overturn an employer-won election. Given the frequent changes in the Board's composition, in time, this view could become the majority position.
In light of Delta Brands and previous Board decisions on this issue, employers must continue to ensure that their handbook language is regularly reviewed. Many of the policies and rules on which unions and the Board focus are fairly common and seemingly innocuous, and may be difficult to identify and adequately revise without the assistance of counsel. The mere existence of such handbook language, however, can have significant consequences. For nonunion employers, it may be the difference between winning and losing a union election. In addition to overturning employer-won elections, the Board could award a union special access rights to the employer's facility during the weeks prior to an election. For union employers, the potential ramifications are equally disastrous. Improper handbook language could serve to invalidate a decertification election. A union's handbook challenge could also turn an economic strike into an unfair labor practice strike, which would deprive an employer of its right to permanently replace striking employees. A careful review of handbook policies before a union challenge could effectively reduce the risk that your company will lose hard-fought ground in a labor dispute.
Michael Mankes is a Shareholder and Laurie Drew Hubbard is an Associate in Littler Mendelson's Boston office. If you would like further information, please contact your Littler attorney at 1.888.Littler, info@littler.com, or Mr. Mankes at mmankes@littler.com.
Michael Mankes
Office Managing Shareholder
mmankes@littler.com
Labor Management Relations


Tonight I had dinner with a very dear cousin. We had not seen or spoken to each other in many years, and neither of us could figure out why.
To say we reconnected is not exactly true, as we never really have been disconnected from one another.
We have had many changes in the last 7 or so years, children grown, trials of life, growth of spirit and a sense of knowing that "there is more".
We are from a family of strong women and our roots are deeply intertwined.
So happy we have reunited, I have missed you coz!


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Home > Match Reports > U9s
Hemingford U9s coast to 78 run win
By Paul Fogden From the first ball to the last stroke of the bat Hemingford controlled and dominated their opposition in a totally one sided match. Batting first Huntingdon had no answer to the pace and accuracy of the bowling attack. From 120 balls bowled Hemingford gave away a measly 7 wides, took 6 wickets and conceded only one boundary. Huntingdon restricted to a score of 197. Superb bowling from all the players with the pick of the bunch being debutant Liam who took 2 wickets for the loss of no runs. Other key Wicket takers on the day were Harry F (2), Archie (1) and Josh (1). Liam delivering another unplayable delivery There was also excellent fielding through the innings which included
2 victories on the day but 2 very different matches
by Paul Fogden A comfortable 67 run victory against Warboys was followed by a nervy but exciting 8 run win against Little Paxton during a morning filled with good cricket and some individual standout performances. First up Warboys. We fielded first and through a mixture of excellent bowling and fielding we restricted the opposition to a below par score of 201. All the boys bowled well and showed much improvement on the previous week. In particular, there were 2 devastating spells of bowling from Sammy and Josh which were full of pace, accuracy and aggression with both boys taking 2 important wickets each. Harry H and Callum also chipped in with a wicket a piece with the loss of very few runs. Our
U9s 2019 Season Review
Mirroring the success of the England cricket world cup team, the U9s went from strength to strength this summer and have now matured into very talented group of players. There has been some really exciting and enjoyable cricket games, with some outstanding individual performances and memorable moments. A diving catch at mid-wicket, a last ball 4 to clinch a 2 run win and the "bowl off" victory to name a few from the last tournament alone. We've had unprecedented participation in Hemingford with nearly 30 year 3 and 4s taking part, undoubtedly helped by the feed in from Tim's fantastic "All Stars" programme. Whilst this has presented us with a few challenges at times, it's been brilliant to see so many
Josh takes catch of the summer as Rupert shines
A wonder catch by Josh at mid-wicket was the pick of many highlights as Hemingford U9s did us proud at a fantastic 8 team tournament hosted by Waresley. Josh and Ed won the "bowl off" for Hemingford against two other runner up teams, and Rupert was awarded a "player of the tournament" trophy at the end. A close 5 run loss to Waresley Girls first match could have gone either way. Izzy clasped onto a caught and bowled, and Isaac took another wicket and we bowled with some great consistency. A solid batting partnership of 14 between Rupert and Jonah wasn't quite enough to get Hemingford over the line. The next match was even more exciting, Jonah managed to hit the
Milner Continues Good Form with Bat
Henry Milner put in a star batting and fielding performance as Hemingford U9s registered their first victory of the summer against a combined St Ives / Warboys team. Hemingford put in a top class performance in the field, Finlay Riddoch the star performer conceding just two runs from his 12 deliveries and taking one wicket. Henry Milner was like a ball magnet in the field, taking three catches from the first two overs and making a number of fine stops. Sam M had clearly been working on his bowling action with some great consistency and extra pace. Callum was so unfortunate not to take a wicket, beating the batsmen all ends up but the bails stubbornly refused to dislodge despite being
Ed Holmes with a classy flick off the legs as Rupert Thackray watches on
Hemingford Park U9s hosted their 2nd mini tournament in a row as they faced a well drilled Warboys outfit and a depleted Hunts County team. Despite a much improved performance, ultimately wickets cost victory in both of the matches. Rupert Thackray gave a bit of oomph to the Hemingford batting and nearly took the umpires head off (me!) with a powerful sweep through square leg. Will Hollebon put in a promising performance in what was his first ever game of cricket and demonstrated a fantastic natural bowling action. Generously, we gave both to a depleted Hunts County side in the 2nd game. Izzy Cope was undoubtedly the most improved player of the morning, with some wonderful deliveries and great consistency we haven't seen