been absent from the blog for a while as I work on the 3rd book of "The Jack Bass Black Cloud Chronicles." The book, "In the Line of Ire" is book #1 in the series and is the prequel to "Past Aghast", which has been #2 on the Goodreads "Medical Thrillers" list for several weeks.

I took the advice of a number of my readers and have done more character development in Book #1. Hopefully, that will add to the reading experience of the subsequent 2 books in the series.

I'm nearing completion on the 1st draft and hope to have "In the Line of Ire" into the hands of some of my usual beta readers very soon.

Cheers!

"Past Aghast" is still NUMBER 2 on GOODREADS "Medical Thrillers" list. Following is another example of the many 5 star reviews (Thank you, Teri!):

Past Aghast - Buy it!, August 23, 2013
By Teri D. Past Aghast (Jack Bass Black Cloud Chronicles)
I bought "Past Aghast" to read on an 8 hour round trip flight. Normally, I buy a book for this reason, and struggle to stay engaged, it usually ends up back in my bag. Not this time! I could not put the book down... in fact, I read half the book by the time I reached my destination. I wanted to know... what's going to happen next? I finished the book on the last leg of my journey. I enjoyed the story line, the characters and the ending. I can't wait to read the next in the series, it's already on my bookshelf. I have a lot of partially read books, I know Edwin's will not join the collection! 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0099DNSYE/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1DQKP23RN9XZ6T9HG9AN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846 

FB and other social media posting analysis to help predict suicide risk. I hope FB does better at this than they do at running their business day-to-day. But, if the project can demonstrate some results, how cool would it be to find those who are giving hints of their intentions by what they're posting on social media. Then will come the challenge of what to do once someone at risk for suicide is id'd. I imagine there will be challenges about confidentiality, etc. but, if this can help avoid suicides - hurray! I'll be watching this one w/ interest.

http://mashable.com/2013/08/20/durkheim-project-social-media-suicide/?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner

It's official! #Obesity is bad for your health. Pardon my sarcasm - I hope nobody is really surprised by the content of this article. It reminds me of the Administration not wanting to use the word "coup" for what happened recently in Egypt. C'mon, is there really anybody who doesn't know that obesity causes all kinds of health issues or that it ultimately leads to an early death? Obesity is NOT inevitable, neither for adults of any age and definitely not for children. As I say, "you can make the effort or you can make the excuses." It's up to you whether you choose to be in poor health and die prematurely or make an effort and live a fuller life.

http://holykaw.alltop.com/obesity-related-deaths-hit-1-in-5-americans

Does everyone who suffered thru childhood abuse end up with PTSD as an adult?
No.
Does childhood abuse increase risk for developing PTSD as an adult?
Absolutely.
Can we do something to reduce childhood abuse and trauma?
For the sake of children, the future adults of this country, I certainly hope so.

The best treatment is avoidance of the occurrence of child abuse but that is a daunting societal task - one we can't look away from as a society, though. At least not if we want to look in a mirror without feeling a huge pang of guilt, that is.

http://www.asca.org.au/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=45

Interesting. It feels more every day like we're nearing a "tipping point" for technology solutions for a number of health issues - and that's a good thing. Unfortunately, that technology may often have such a lofty price tag that it's unlikely to be available "for the masses" for some time. Sure, it will become cheaper as new technology replaces current technology, but wouldn't it be nice if new technology were available for the masses sooner, rather than later. Likely, with all the rhetoric already going around about Obamacare, seeking some way to fund cutting edge healthcare technology solutions for most of the US population is unlikely to be well received on a number of fronts.
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/glasses-that-solve-colorblindness-for-a-big-price-tag/?_r=0

While I never really intended to use this blog as a clinical discussion forum, as I've observed the numbers of page views by topic, it appears there is considerable interest in some of the behavioral and physical health items I've posted.

While I've taken some poetic license in using the behavioral health afflictions as part of my fictional creations, these afflictions are real. Too many children are abused (there is NEVER a rational excuse) and these children are then at risk for poor health the rest of their lives. PTSD, especially in veterans, is REAL and can cause a variety of health issues for the rest of the veterans' lives. I could hear the pain in the voice of a friend of mine when he called me recently to tell me that a third buddy of his, who he'd served beside in Iraq, had now held a gun against his head and ended the pain in the only way he must have felt was an option for him.

I guess I just want to remind all that it's all tied together, physical health, mental health and social health. And WE'RE all tied together...like it or not. Think how much better you'd feel if you could count on support, from family, friends, even strangers who appreciate that someone went in harm's way for them. Then, pay it forward - love your kids and treat them well, show appreciation of, and kindness to, others. It's start...and it may help more than you'd ever think!