A Diet Of Murder

[Stephen Brayton]

I’m sitting at my computer this early Friday morning trying to think of the perfect blog for this week, when suddenly this woman breaks through the door, pounds up the steps, pushes me out of my chair, and before I know what’s happening, she uploads the following blog.

So, I ask myself, what is it with authors who think they can just take over my transporter and go where they want to be interviewed or else just take over my blog anytime they want?

Of course, before I went all taekwondo-ish on her in order to defend myself and the prized blog, I read what she wrote. And by jolly gee-whillickers (is that how you spell that word?), it’sabout a new murder mystery soon to be published. Plus, practical for all of us. So let me stop rambling and introduce J. L. Greger…and find me a bandage (my heavens she’s strong, just to pick me up and throw me out of my chair…)

Get Advice from MURDER: A NEW WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT

Authors wear at least three hats – writer, publicist, and business executive. That means they must set priorities.

A Golden Rule for Multitasking

Here is a rule for setting priorities from my new novel Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight (Oak Tree Press is publishing this medical mystery this month). Sara Almquist (protagonist of my earlier novel Coming Flu) gives this advice to her sister Linda Almquist when Linda assumes an interim position as an associate dean in a medical school.

There are three types of problems. A few problems are like wine; those situations improve if you delay decisions and let them age. Most problems are like waste paper. You can ignore them because they don’t matter. Unfortunately like waste paper, they tend to be messy when they pile up. And some problems are like manure. You must identify them quickly before they stink.

Most of us waste time on the “waste paper” problems. For example, I dribble away my time agonizing over the position of pictures in blogs and the color of the background on ads and slides. I should spend more time on my “manure” problem – getting a larger audience to read my novels. That means I should spend my time scheduling more and diverse speaking and blogging engagements.

Why else should you read Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight?

This fast paced, medical mystery/suspense novel gives a behind the scenes look at clinical research. The “diet doctor” in this novel is investigating whether he can help obese subject lose more weight (and keep it off) if he alters their gut flora. Sounds strange? It is an active area of research on weight control

As a former researcher and university research administrator, I tried to instill the excitement of scientific research and the brutality of infighting among brilliant and not-so-bright faculty and staff in a medical school into this novel.

Here’s a sneak peek:

Someone in this southwestern medical school doesn’t like women. Two have been murdered already. At first, Linda Almquist suspects the deaths are related to her investigation of a “diet doctor,” who is alleged to be recklessly endangering the lives of his obese research subjects. Maybe she’s wrong. The murders might be related to something in the past – something involving her boss the Dean. While Linda fears for her job, the police fear for her life.

Need more motivation to read Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight? Consider this observation from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). One-third of American adults are obese and one third are overweight. I think that means most Americans are interested in (or should be interested in) weight control and how diet advice is developed.

Who knows, maybe you’ll lose weight when you read about the adventures of Linda Almquist in Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight. She did and you can too if you follow her secrets. Eat less and exercise more.

How does the organizational rule from Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight apply to you?

Set priorities. Focus on your big “manure” problem. Try to quickly analyze and eliminate “waste paper” problems. Don’t waste time dreaming about “wine” problems, like how you’ll spend your next royalty check.

Have fun deciding if Linda followed the organizational rule.

Bio: J. L. Greger, as a biologist and professor emerita of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, enjoys putting tidbits of science into her novels. Her first novel Coming Flu is a prequel to Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight and shares many characters.

Learn more about JL Greger at her website (http: http://www.jlgreger.com)and her blog (www.jlgregerblog.blogspot.com) called JL Greger’s Bugs. Coming Flu (paperback and ebook formats) is available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Flu-J-L-Greger/dp/1610090985/ref=sr_1...). Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight should be available on Amazon or from Oak Tree Books (www.oaktreebooks.com/Shop OTP.htm) by April 10.