Today my publisher has put my latest up for sale on their site. Many of you who write for a small publisher who sells books directly from their web page know that the publisher and author make a higher percentage on sales where there's no middle man like Amazon to take a slice. So NCP always keeps new releases exclusively available on their site for the first few weeks.
The final book in The Recon Marines series, The Marine's Doctor, revolves around the hunt for the origins of the genetic engineering programs that created the superior beings known as the Recon Marines. Marine Mak joins up with the genius medical doctor and researcher, Molly Drant. They follow a trail of horror, finding evidence of cruel experiments on human subjects. Is it possible mankind would ever allow the type of genetic manipulation that occurs in my books?
I have a biology minor so I know a little about genetics but that field of science has come a long, long way since I attended college. Scientific America has a long list of articles on the work being done in genetic studies. The best use of all the research may be in the possibilities of disease treatment and prevention. A controversial use of the research is in the production of food. How much genetically modified foodstuffs are we eating without knowing it?
But already there are questions about the ethical use of genetic manipulation. Will we use it only to fight and prevent disease or will it be used to create super athletes, geniuses or persons of great beauty? Will the human race end up losing our diversity? In my Recon Marine series, even though each Marine has slight physical differences in many ways they're more similar than they are different. They were designed to intelligent, unusually strong and agile and all had the same skin tone. There's more but you'll have to read the books to learn how far I took the design of those 'super soldiers.'
Do you avoid GM food? Do you know a family that has suffered from a genetic disease such as sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs or Huntington's? What good or bad do you believe would come about if mankind develops the skill to manipulate our genes? Isn't my newest cover great?
18 comments:
Hope you sell a ton. Have a fantastic week.
Congratulations on the new release!!
Sadly I think it will be used to make super athletes first...
Congratulations! Your cover is fantastic. It's frightening to think what may come out of genetic engineering. I believe people will use it for athletes and beauty, and for an attempt at extending life.
Congrats on the book! I think genetic engineering is a scary thing.
Scary subject, because it's so likely to come true. That, to me, is what makes the best sci-fi stories though. And, yeah, I try to avoid GMO food when I can, but the problem is they don't tell us all the stuff they're messing with, or about all the steroids and pesticides we're likely consuming. Gah.
Congrats indeed at your feed. I avoid the gmo crap the best I can. And yeah they'll make a profit first and sell it to make super athletes or something.
I try hard to avoid GMO, but as L.G. said, that's harder than it appears.
Congrats again on the book!
I try to avoid GMO food too! We buy fresh and local when we can. And yes, we have a few within our family circle with genetic issues. It can be very tough.
I worry about all of this. A lot. There are so many ethical questions that so few people are asking.
Sales should soar! Good luck.
I do love your cover. It's mysterious and points to some action about to happen.
Like all of our advances, there are going to be some essential benefits and some serious downsides. GM food may allow us to feed more people, but the changes in the structure of the food may cause problems for human health. Who knows?
I am not a fan of GMOs. I think it is a terrible idea to mess with our food genetically. I think we are playing with fire to create Super People, too. So... I guess I am against.
Love the cover!
man, such indepth questions! I would love to research some of those and I imagine you already have most of the answers!
Congratulations on the new release. I avoid GMO, especially as I was marketing organic food in the 70s... when I was called a crank = a small handle that can cause great revolutions. First novel tried to tackle GM and cloning issues, with main character a diabetic. As multiple sclerosis sufferer know that maybe genetic science could provide a cure... yet nutrition seems to be winning out.
Great release and a great series! I must check out NCP.
You raise some very tough questions, Susan! When I lived in an outport in Newfoundland, I met a number of albinos who had vision problems ~ "twitching eyes" was what they called it. One family I remember had four blind children ~ just tragic. The community had been very isolated, so there was a lot of inbreeding over the years. While gene manipulation has promise, I worry about the people who would use it for their own purposes. Hitler for starters comes to mind. Are you familiar with the Henrietta Lacks story? Even ethical intentions may not be ethical.
Congrats! Awesome cover!
I think genetic manipulation can be a good thing. Mutations happen all the time naturally.
I don't mind eating GM food. Bet we all eat more of it than we think. Especially since corn is a hybrid... altered by humans long ago.
congrats on the new release. Cant wait to dive in
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