To the Editors: In the otherwise clear and informative review “Understanding Diabetes—and Paying for It” by Jerome Groopman [NYR, October 6], which appropriately also addresses social and economic issues, there is a very strange and glaring omission. No mention is made of the determination of the amino acid sequence of insulin by Frederick Sanger and […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/03/a-titan-in-molecular-biology/
When the R&B star R. Kelly was arrested in 2019 on a variety of charges including sexual assault, kidnapping, and child pornography, the response on social media was cathartic celebration. The antiprison activist Mariame Kaba was not surprised by this; Kelly had been accused of victimizing girls as young as fourteen over more than two […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/03/reform-or-abolish-abolition-geography-ruth-wilson-gilmore/
On October 21, 1966, Kathleen Middleton woke up gasping for breath, convinced that the walls of her suburban bedroom were caving in. The choking feeling soon passed, but the fifty-two-year-old Londoner was left with a familiar drag of depression and dread. After a lifetime of these queasy spells, Middleton knew exactly what it all meant: […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/03/department-of-speculation-the-premonitions-bureau/
Over the course of American history, the US Supreme Court has usually been the most conservative of the three branches of government, often to a reactionary extreme. Indeed, an objective observer might well conclude that it has frequently encouraged our nation’s darkest tendencies. In the decades immediately preceding the Civil War, the Court not only […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/03/a-prisoner-of-his-own-restraint-felix-frankfurter-supreme-court/
“The fiftieth anniversary of Angela Davis’s historic acquittal of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy, charges that once threatened her execution, was little acknowledged this past June, but as a thinker she may be as influential today as she has ever been,” writes Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor in an essay in our September 22, 2022 issue. Taylor argues that […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2022/10/15/the-crossroads-keeanga-yamahtta-taylor/
Homecoming Heist follows a group of downtrodden people who come together to pull off the largest heist their small town has ever seen. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
It was my senior year in high school at our own town’s homecoming parade. I leaned over to a buddy of mine standing on the sidewalk in front of the bank and said wouldn’t it be funny if somebody robbed the thing right now—they would get away with it because everyone is down here.
I enjoyed all the twists and turns in this novel. Did you plan them before writing or did they develop organically while writing?
They all developed organically while writing. Kind of like, ABCD Everything just fell into place.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
The parts describing Steamboat; it’s based on my home town.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Great question! I’ve never thought about it, but several people have asked me about a sequel to Homecoming Heist. So now I’m giving that some thought. I do have 3 other projects that I would like to put into a novel so I’m trying to decide which one is next.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Doug enlists his nephew, Steve, on a scheme that has been brewing for years. He asks Phil, an old ally, but even he has reservations about this high-dollar payday. After their crime spree of three banks in one morning, the small town is left in a vulnerable state, and the short-staffed police department is feeling the pressure from the town folks. The Chief brings in Major Cases Crimes to help out, but a Rookie fresh out of the academy is all they sent. Lead officer Andy doesn’t take young Jay too seriously until he finds a small mistake by one of the bandits.
Pieces of the puzzle come together, and Andy and Jay let their instincts and training take over. Pulling at the thread that unravels the case wide open, they force the bandits into survival mode, but will justice prevail?
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/15/based-on-my-hometown/
Did We Learn Anything From WTC Towers Collapse? provides a detailed examination of the NIST report, what’s missing and an analysis of expected results from a similar attack. Why was this an important book for you to write?
NIST did not present the collapse, but merely the very beginning of it, presumed beginning I should say.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about the WTC attack?
The initial damage to the buildings done only by aircraft impact. The other part of it caused by the explosion (ignored) was not even mentioned.
What were some key ideas that were important for you to explore in this book?
The weak points or holes in the investigation.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
That if you throw millions of dollars in someone’s way, that may not bring you success.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Now, some 20 years after the disaster, the damage done by premature destruction of evidence cannot be undone. However, the analytical part can be corrected and completed. Otherwise, there will be no benefit in terms of learning from the tragedy.
This book presents at least three types of material: One is the discussion of the report as presented by NIST volumes. Another type is the background material and information to better grasp what is missing or poorly explained in the NIST report. The third is the analysis of expected results of a similar attack against the new 1-WTC building.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/15/millions-of-dollars-in-someones-way/
An Old Shrew, A tortured Soul, and Everyday Angels follows two women with opposite personalities but are self-destructive and become the suspects in a triple murder. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
A number of my characters are based on people I personally met in Germany, some so outrageous and malicious that their existence almost defied belief and, on the other end of the spectrum, some of the kindest individuals that had ever crossed my path. They were so compelling, and the contrast between them was so striking that they kept living in my mind until I sat down to weave their stories together into one of my own.
Did you create an outline for the characters in the story before you started writing or did the characters personalities grow organically as you were writing?
My characters’ personalities grew organically as I was writing.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The theme that was most important to me was that kindness wins out in the end.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My children’s book, Lucy and Feather, the story of a little girl and her pet crow, which I also illustrated is available now.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Olga has perfected the art of manipulating and using people. A thorn in the side to many, she gets flak only from Agnes who has nothing to lose. While Olga practices being a flower thief, Agnes slides into alcoholism. The big clash comes when Olga puts a stop to Agnes’s newly found calling, and Agnes counters with a spectacular fire.
Out of the blue, three murders are committed. Who could be responsible? Olga, Agnes, or someone else altogether?
Both Olga and Agnes prematurely lose their lives, largely due to their errant ways. They might have lived longer, had they accepted the support so freely and readily given by Olga’s four wonderful neighbors; Sister Maria, a Catholic lay sister born in Turkey; Zora, a lovable Gypsy; her friend Adi; and others in their close-knit community.
While An Old Shrew, a Tortured Soul, and Everyday Angels is first and foremost a work of fiction, it touches upon the fate of the countless displaced persons and foreign worker families who found a new life in Germany after World War II.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/15/living-in-my-mind/
The House of Spark follows a young woman who is living in communist Romania, who undergoes tragedy and finds romance, only to have him disappear; she must find out what happened to her love. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The House of Spark though a work of fiction, is inspired by people and events from my family background. In 1997 when I moved from Romania to the United States, it became important to me to tell my family story in an effort for young readers to learn about my country. Mainly about the blackest chapter in Romania’s history—the Communist regime. My story follows a group of university students and young adults, part of a larger segment who fought for their people by voicing their protests and sharing anti-communist ideas, often to their personal detriment, harm, and even death. Under the Russian occupation, which started after the fall of the Romanian monarch, the Romanian students were not silenced.
Virginia is a resilient and resourceful woman who will stop at nothing to find her love. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Most of the characters in my story are inspired by real people who were part of my life growing up. My mother influenced my main character Virginia. She was an intelligent and powerful woman. Despite everything she endured in her life, she never gave up. Her friend Viorica portrayed in my story by the character Doina was a long-time friend of my mother. Like my characters in the story, they were very different but very close and supportive throughout their lives. Maria and Ionita, other significant characters in my story, were inspired by my natural grandparents. Their actual story is very similar to the one that I portrayed in my story. While Maria is the type of caring, compassionate, and kind mother, Ionita is the opposite, selfish, uncompassionate, and indifferent about the way other people feel. A broken man who turned to alcohol for comfort. One of the controversial characters in my story Luca was also inspired by a real character. He represents the corrupt and lazy guy who tried to make a name for himself using lies and manipulation. A Securitate snitch. An individual who was interested in personal gain and nothing more. A shame to society. On the other side, Jenica is the symbol of courage, the student who fought, among others, against the soviet occupation and the Securitate.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
While telling my family story, I wanted young adults to learn about Romania’s cuisine, literature, architecture, and history. I wanted to highlight Romania’s important historical and cultural inheritance. I describe Bucharest’s most beautiful recreational places, the Cismigiu Garden and Herastrau Park. Places that played an important part in my life growing up.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on a different version of the book dedicated to adults and also on the second book, The House of Spark II. I dedicated this first version of The House of Spark mainly to young adults. It highlights the bravery of the Romanian students who fought against the Soviet Communist occupation and regime. The adult version shows more of the dark side of the period. I want it to be released sometime next year.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/15/voicing-their-protests/
Antunites Unite follows different ants who are trying to prevent their colonies from being enslaved by cyborg insects. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The first two novels in my trilogy, The Antunite Chronicles, were the backstory of my wife’s children’s book Black Hole Radio-Bilaluna. They explained how Earth insects were transported to a planet in a far-off galaxy, transformed into cyborg insects, decimated their world, and nearly destroyed their moon. The third novel of the trilogy is much more open-ended since it occurs long after the period described in the children’s book. Yet the characters are still cyborg insects that have returned to their rejuvenated planet. So, although the plotline was less constrained, I again drew the world-building and character archetypes from my wife’s story. The premise for the plot, however, was heavily inspired by the dystopian novels Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. As in book 2 of my trilogy, an authoritarian dictator seizes control of the planet, but this draconian leader takes it to an entirely different level. Rather than the environmental crisis of book 2, the leader thrusts the citizens of book 3 into a dystopian world where all aspects of their lives are controlled. Unlike Brave New World and 1984, which have very depressing endings, in Antunites Unite, spies from the planet’s moon implement actions that result in a positive conclusion for the planet’s residents.
What themes were important for you to explore in this book?
The trilogy’s primary focus is on the struggle between altruism and aggression, two characteristics that are critical to insect social interactions but equally important to human civilization. These two motivations underlie the conflict between authoritarianism and social control versus freedom and insectism that is prominent in Antunites Unite.
Insectism is a political philosophy on Poo-ponic and Bilaluna that stresses benevolence and treating others how you wish they would treat you. This ideal reflects my views on the importance of humanism in our society and across cultures worldwide. The opposing view to insectism stressed in Antalonia is the sentiment that ants are better than other insects. This xenophobic attitude also causes red ANTs to feel they are superior to black and brown ANTs. Thus, the book represents an allegory for the racism and speciesism that permeates our world.
I selected red ANTs as the oppressors in this story because red ants on Earth are usually more aggressive and are most often the species of ants that exhibit hostile behaviors that justify their label as slave-maker ants. They earned the name because of their efforts to subjugate other species of ants (often black ants) into sustaining their colony.
All three books of my trilogy highlight the similarities between ants and humans. Through my research, I discovered that despite their vast differences in size and appearance, ants share a third of their genes with humans. Like humans, ants work together and understand the division of labor. Like humans, ants can be aggressive toward other species, as well as with other ants they consider ‘others’ because they have different genes, smell different, or come from distant nests.
The main points of this story are timely, with the horrors and atrocities taking place in Ukraine and elsewhere, failing democracies, and the growing acceptance of authoritarianism worldwide. Ants in Antalonia, like humans on Earth, need to learn how to squelch basic aggressive instincts and xenophobia that drive a lust for power and to conquer one’s perceived enemies. Instead, they must strive for altruistic enlightenment that inspires compassion for those like us and those who are different, allowing for inclusiveness as we work towards common goals that elevate all in our world, insect or human.
What drew you to writing young adult and teen science fiction novels?
My wife, Ann Birdgenaw, started the second book in her children’s chapter book series, Black Hole Radio, where her young heroes travel through wormholes to distant planets. Initially, she was undecided about what type of aliens her protagonists would meet, and I helped her decide and gave her some ideas about the alien world. As she progressed in her book, I continued to give her input. However, at some point, she felt the plotlines were getting too complex for the target age of her readers. She suggested I write a backstory about the planet in a book targeted at older kids, and I took her up on it and started my fiction writing adventure.
As the original storyline was quite juvenile, yet the themes and messages were more mature, I targeted young adults. As an allegory of human nature taking place on another planet with displaced insects, I have difficulty choosing the genre for the resulting novels. One could call the story a beast fable, yet as an allegory, it also has elements of satire. The idea that insects could evolve to become highly intelligent is unbelievable, so that one could see it as a fantasy. Still, the story contains many scientific facts about insects. It also takes place within a far-off galaxy, so I felt it best fit within the science fiction genre or perhaps within the speculative fiction category. I say speculative fiction because of the narrative’s robust post-apocalyptic and dystopian themes, which bring the novels into the realm of what if.
Will there be a book 4 in the Antunite Chronicles? If so, when will it be available?
Not for now. However, my trilogy originally started as a novella that expanded into three novels. The novella was a historical account written as a satire of former President Donald Trump and his administration. It had little dialogue, primarily written as fictitious historical quotes. I was fortunate to have an early draft read by a fellow scientist, Sci-Fi author, and book coach, Nina Munteanu. Nina inspired me to expand my story to include more dialogue and action scenes, and my novella grew first into a novel and eventually into a trilogy, The Antunite Chronicles.
The novella was initially entitled Poo-ponic Plague, with plague referring to the toxic environment caused by ignoring a rapidly developing climate crisis on Poo-ponic. Yet, as the novella grew into a novel and the novel into a trilogy, it became apparent the efforts of the trilogy’s first character, Antuna, would have a lasting impact on the insect civilization of Poo-ponic throughout its history. Thus, the first book, which centers on Antuna and her friends and their struggles, understandably became Antuna’s Story. Antuna’s descendants, and later followers of her philosophy, became known as Antunites, explaining the trilogy’s title.
I wrote the original title before Covid-19 started and changed it to avoid referencing a pandemic like the one that has tired all of us. I split the book in two when the story got too long. Then I changed the title for book 2 (The Rise and Fall of Antocracy) to reflect the creation and failure of the democracy dominated by the cyborg ants on Poo-ponic. Given the vast amount of time between the two historical periods for this story, there was a natural break that justified splitting the story into two books.
I wrote the first draft of Antunites Unite (book 3) in November 2021 as part of National November Writer’s Month. NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write a 50,000-word book during the 30 days of November. I only considered entering NaNoWriMo during the last week of October 2021 and had no plan or outline for the story. Yet I met the challenge with a 53,000-word first draft of book 3 completed during the month. Still, I knew this was a rough draft that would expand. Following comments from my developmental editor and a series of beta readers between December 2021 and Spring 2022, and after considerable editing, my second draft topped out at around 85,000 words. Still not completely satisfied, I sent this draft to another beta reader and a line editor. After subsequent revisions, copy editing, and proofreading by my reading-partner wife, I completed the final draft at 95,000 words or about 400 formatted pages after ten months.
As for book 4? Who knows, November is looming!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Generations after cyborg insects return to their revitalized planet, a draconian red ANT ruler takes over the colony exterminating other insectoids and enslaving brown and black ANTs by genetic and social engineering.
The queen BEE on the planet’s moon must rely on two tiny ants, Rose and Jasper, raised amongst their enemy, to infiltrate the Antalone cyborg elites. They must dismantle a dystopian regime that uses histrionics, bionics, and socionics to subjugate its populace.
An allegorical Brave New World that is out of this world, where the fate of the Antunites depends on chameleon ANT spies who plot a revolution to unshackle their kin.
Can Rose and Jasper accomplish what no ANTs have before them?
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/15/the-antunite-chronicles/