Extinction – A Biological Thriller

 

One of my current projects nearing completion is a bio-thriller addressing the real threat of spreading prion disease. There have been numerous beginnings and titles, but the ending has never changed – death. After years of research, multiple critiques, two final beta reads and a new title, I have the book nearly ready for agent queries.

Since the outbreak of mad cow disease in Great Britain in the 1990s, awareness of this contagious fatal disease has improved. More people recognize the term prion, (pree – on) but few experience the proper level of alarm at this strange contagious protein found in meat. The abnormal infectious protein acts like an untreatable virus or bacteria targeting the nervous system that inevitably kills.

Scientists have studied prions for decades and are closer to early diagnosis in cattle and wildlife. Prevention is key to survival. Spread among animals, and to humans must be stopped. Infection means death. It takes 1-2 years for symptoms in animals to become apparent so early detection to cull infected animals before they enter the food supply is essential. You could be eating contaminated beef, venison, elk, and moose without recognizing it is infected.

Cooking the meat well-done doesn’t damage prion infectivity. The protein is resistant to common methods of sterilization and is stable in the environment, contaminating ground for decades. Do I have your attention?

I’ll be busy sending out queries soon. Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by.

Betty

 

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Free Medical Thriller e-Books

Two New Medical Thrillers FREE on Amazon September 28, 29 and 30

Deadly Pyre – A Kelly McKay Medical Thriller – Book One is set in Seattle

 

 

Dr. Kelly McKay struggles to complete her ER residency at Seattle’s Harbor Medical Center. Ferocious competition, burnout and an unpredictable lover complicate her life. Besides unexplained deaths of patients under her care jeopardizing her career, a sudden increase in stabbing victims points to a serial killer stalking women near the hospital. Will Kelly be next?

 

Alaska Flight – Romantic Medical Thriller

Flight nurse Liz Elliot vows never to fly again.

Liz quits her job after a medical helicopter piloted by her lover crashes in the desert, killing him and two close friends.

Alone in Alaska and no longer flying, she feels safe and ready to begin a new journey. During her interview at the Alaska Native Hospital, a male nurse burst in and quits, leaving flying bush doctor Paul Lasher without a nurse. He needs Liz’s help for an emergency preterm deliver in the bush. He must leave immediately to reach the woman in a remote village in time.

Not knowing her past is about to catch up to her, Liz accepts the challenge, flying to the wilderness emergency with an attractive stranger. She wonders if she’s lost her mind, as she is about to lose her heart and her life.

 

I hope you enjoy them. Please share the offer with your friends and write a review on Amazon.

Thanks.

Betty

 

 

 

Fatal Feast – a biological thriller

Prion Disease

  Chronic Wasting Disease = Mad Cow Disease = Human Disease

If you are a meat eater, is it time to worry? Maybe.

Eating meat can kill you. Remember the Mad Cow disease outbreak in Great Britain in the 1990s? Eating beef from mad cows caused the disease in man. The same disease is spreading through wildlife across the United States and Canada.

When diseased beef is consumed by humans they develop the always fatal variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and die within months. This disease is spreading through wildlife in the United States and elsewhere. In wildlife, it is called chronic wasting disease. There have been no verified cases of transmission to humans from eating infected deer and elk meat, but based on transmissibility of mad cow disease to humans, it is possible.

When prions enter the body the infectious protein spreads in fluids, organs and muscles, accumulating in the nervous system causing progressive disability and death within months.

Prion disease has been around for decades, maybe longer. My first real interest in this strange contagious disease began with studying the neurologic disease in the Fore people of Papua New Guinea who developed Kuru spread by death ritual cannibalism. Few people worry about prion disease because they are not cannibals. But the meat you eat may be contaminated.

Thanks for stopping by.

Betty

YOUR HEART

Your Heart – Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease in Women, Men & Children

 MAKE CHANGES AND LIVE LONGER

FREE E-BOOK    ♥     FEBRUARY 13, 14 & 15

 ♥ Heart Disease – Then and Now

The United States designated February 1964 as the first American Heart Month to raise awareness of the number one killer. More than fifty years later, in spite of increased awareness resulting in lifestyle changes, reduction in smoking, and increased exercise, all modifications that reduce risk, it remains number one killer in men and women around the world.

In addition, an obesity epidemic has pushed millions of people into Type 2 diabetes, that markedly raises heart disease risks. Early heart disease changes are now seen in elementary age obese children.

Cardiovascular disease includes heart disease and stroke. It kills more people than any other health problem.

In 1960 when my father died of his second heart attack at age 52 (his first occurred at age 46), we knew a positive family history for heart disease, eating fatty meat, and smoking were bad. Heart attack treatment back then consisted of bedrest and oxygen. There were no medications to lower cholesterol, and heart medications were few.

Science has given us the biology behind this devastating disease. We know what happens at the molecular level and how to modify contributing factors. We know high blood fats, low activity levels, obesity, and tobacco use all contribute to early death from heart disease.

You ask, what about heart disease that runs in families?  You can counteract “good genes” by making bad life choices: overeat, use tobacco, and don’t exercise. Or, you can offset “bad genes” by making healthy choices.

Dramatic interventions to dilate and stent diseased heart arteries, or surgically bypass vessels that are too diseased to stent, have saved lives. But there are many options for people to take control and make healthy changes to lower risk before something happens.

With the right knowledge and actions, the number one cause of death in women and men is preventable. If you are healthy and want to stay that way, or if you are overweight, have diabetes or cardiovascular disease, you can live longer by modifying your risks.

After taking care of hundreds of people in crisis from heart disease over years of work in emergency rooms, I wrote a heart health handbook. In just two-hundred pages, Your Heart will give you the science behind the disease, some actions to improve your health and common interventions that could save your life or the life of a loved one. Many dietary options are available including the Mediterranean 5/2 diet that can help you lose weight for life.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Take care of your heart.

Betty Kuffel

For more information: https://healthyforgood.heart.org/

 

Three New Books

Once in a Blue Moon news!

Once in a blue moon means it’s a rare occurrence. How about once in a blue blood moon? January 31, 2018 not only brought us a lunar eclipse during a blue moon, it was during a blood moon when the moon is closest to the earth. As of Jan 31, my three new e-books became available on Amazon.

It’s my once in a blue blood moon event.

The books were brought to completion with the help of my dedicated critique group and a wonderful professional editor, Kathy McKay. Her last name is the same as the protagonist, Kelly McKay, who lives in my medical thriller series. It must have been destiny to meet her.

Two books in the Kelly McKay Medical Thriller series and Alaska Flight, a romantic medical thriller are now available. A fourth book, Fatal Feast, a biological thriller, will be published soon.

Thanks to all of you who voted for Deadly Pyre in the Scout contest. It didn’t win, but I enjoyed the opportunity to enter and appreciated your support. With your input regarding title and cover design, I made some changes to the appearance for the Kindle publication. Book content is unchanged. Deadly Pyre is now just plain….Deadly.

Book One in the Kelly McKay Medical Thriller Series is set in Seattle

Book Two in the series is set in Alaska

For more details click on Book News on the menu bar at the top of this page. If you’d like to be notified of book news and blogs please follow by leaving your email.

Thanks for  stopping by.

 

A New Year, A New Beginning

Reflections on 2017 and Activism

Landing upside down in the wreckage of our airplane in the snowy mountains of Idaho with bones sticking through my favorite jeans a few years ago was easier than coping with the first year of Trump’s presidency. I’m not kidding!

The risk of death and year of chemotherapy after surgery for breast cancer was nothing compared to facing the political chaos of 2017. I thought retirement from medicine would leave me with a feeling of accomplishment and time be creative, instead I have a new job, it’s activism. As another activist said, “It’s cheaper than psychotherapy.”

I feel fortunate living in the United States and appreciate my wonderful group of new progressive friends who are also Indivisible activists. Although American values have been eroded by this Administration, we have the opportunity to make our voices heard.

Most of us have never been activists, but now we rally, and meet with members of congress and their staff,  recognizing this political environment requires our voices & intervention.

 

The Freedoms delineated in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution are: Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom to Assemble Peaceably, and Freedom to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances.

Freedom of religion does not mean imposing your religious views on others. It means, freedom to practice your religion, and it means freedom from religion.

Free speech and freedom of the press are essential to a democracy, but President Trump has suppressed Freedom of the Press through his lies and acts of calling out journalists who report the truth. Our own Montana Representative, Greg Gianforte, assaulted a journalist and then lied about it, yet people in Montana elected him.

Individual rights are being suppressed through the Supreme Court 5-4 decisions upholding Citizens United and giving corporate stock holders like Hobby Lobby the ability to impose religious and political views on others. Money buys elections, and religious imposition on others was sanctioned by the Supreme Court. Dark money and voter suppression have been a key to Republican success.

We the People, citizens of the United States, are being harmed by this Administration. If you are not happy with the path this President and his GOP followers are taking by selecting Cabinet members to deconstruct the stability of important government programs – to name a few: the EPA, Education, Department of the Interior (Secretary Ryan Zinke of MT, opening monuments and squandering taxpayer money on private/unnecessary flights), and Health & Human Services, (repealing ACA) then, it’s time to become an activist.

You can write letters to your members of congress, letters to the editors of newspapers, run for office and vote. The Indivisible Guide (written by former congressional staffers) is helpful in providing information on advocacy, local organizing, and how to make your voice heard.  https://www.indivisible.org/guide/

Please join me in taking action, and making 2018 a better year for everyone, not just the top 1%. Help get out the vote. Contact me, or just show up if you want to join our weekly rallies. We meet every Tuesday for Resist Trump Tuesdays from 12-1 at Second and Main in Kalispell. Be strong and make change with the help of friends.

RESIST!

Betty

Medical Thriller

Amazon Scout Publishing Contest

Hi to all,

After years of writing, finishing ten books, three of them nonfiction (indie-published and available on Amazon), I finally completed editing the first book in a medical thriller series.  I am hoping to win the Amazon Scout publishing contest with Deadly Pyre. The second book, Deadly Spin, is also ready to publish.

Amazon uses reader interest as one of their factors in determining which books to choose for publication. Your nomination would help my book be noticed by Amazon. Vote for Deadly Pyre

If Deadly Pyre is selected, you’ll receive a free E-book copy. Please share this request with friends.

Thanks!

Betty Kuffel – Amazon author page: Bio and other books

Below is a 30 second trailer made by Author Shout. If you are an author and unfamiliar with Author Shout, I’d recommend you check out the site. It contains forums and information for writers including advertising help. https://authorshout

Books that could save your life

After writing for many years while still working in medicine, I completed ten books, but went on to the next before finalizing and trying to find an agent and publisher. After retiring, I felt compelled to publish three important medical nonfiction books first, before finalizing the novels. The information on these nonfiction book is found on my Amazon Author Page. https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007BI6SW8

Eyes of a Pedophile – Sexual predation and child victimization are prevalent problems in the US and around the world. It happens at home, on college campuses, schools, churches and in the workplace. The #MeToo movement has allowed women, men and children the acceptance to report and reveal sexual violence they endured.  Many who have hidden the secrets for decades finally have an avenue to reveal the stories that years earlier would not have been believed.

This book is a true crime story of a violent pedophile who preferred pre-teen boys. Sexual predators usually target a particular age and sex, others are indiscriminate. They operate in environments where their actions can be hidden. They are adept liars. The book peers inside the mind of a violent predator and provides an overview of common recognizable behaviors that may help you and protect children.

Sexual predators never stop. Reporting and prosecution are essential.

Your Heart – Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease in Women, Men & Children – Heart disease is the #1 killer of men and women. It is preventable, treatable and sometimes reversible. The 200-page book provides the science behind the disease, symptoms, and what you can do to improve heart health. It is a valuable handbook for information on medical workups, medications, food choices and longevity.

Modern Birth Control – The CDC reported the highest number of STDs ever in 2016. Did you know sexually transmitted diseases could kill you? That some cause infertility? This 50 page booklet is based on current scientific information on biology, ovulation, birth control methods, how to better protect yourself from unplanned pregnancy, and avoidance of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

Most people realize HIV is sexually transmitted and until recently was a fatal disease. With improved treatment, it is often a chronic disease, but rarely curable. However, hepatitis can be sexually transmitted – Hep C and Hep B are common and can result in liver failure. Chlamydia causes scaring in Fallopian tubes resulting in tubal pregnancies and infertility. These are all disturbing problems many people don’t want to think about. Learn about these diseases and more, along with diagnosis and treatment.

Modern Birth Control contains essential information for sexually active men and women. There is a short section on sexual assault, what to do if this happens.

Make important life decisions based on knowledge.

Live safe.

Betty Kuffel, MD

 

 

 

 

 

Sexual Harassment

Exposure of sexual harassment behaviors and violence against women is finally being discussed. I am delighted that Time Magazine chose Time Person of the Year as the Silence Breakers. The Voices that Launched a Movement.

After years of working in medicine I experienced many levels of harassment, as did most of the women I know, but this wasn’t only in the workplace. I was stalked by a bank teller, a car mechanic, and an apartment manager who entered my residence when I was asleep. I was passed over for advancement and paid less even though I had more education and experience than the chosen male. Women all have stories to tell, as well as some men.

In the past, many aggressive unwanted behaviors, touches, grabs, kisses and more, were tolerated and discounted. “Boys will be boys” or “he’s a jock” are no longer excuses for grown men who in positions of power coerce subordinates into unwanted undesirable destructive situations.

In this evolving atmosphere, bad behavior by men will be less likely hidden, but that is only part of the story. No one is talking about incest, one of the most destructive forms of sexual aggression against children, both males and females. The young victim is held captive by circumstances and cannot escape. The family often knows and does not report due to shame, financial dependency on the abuser, or status in the community.

When researching the true crime book (Eyes of a Pedophile) I wrote about a famous violent pedophile, and at book presentations, I frequently met people who divulged sexual abuse never before disclosed. The women I spoke with expressed a marked feeling of relief after talking about rapes that sometimes occurred decades earlier. The Twitter #MeToo has given victims the courage and confidence to talk about sexual violence they had hidden over a lifetime and begin recovery.

The Movement exposing harassers and rapists opens dialogue for men, women and children. Norms of behavior begin in childhood. What exactly is acceptable behavior? Children who learn violence in the home often mirror behaviors they see. Lack of respect, verbal harassment, physical violence and sexual violence are destructive at all ages. Those who have suffered abuse are often left with vulnerabilities and symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that last a lifetime.

Eyes of a Pedophile Ebook is on a special discount for $3.99, available on Amazon. Extensively researched medical and psychological details explain what is known about child predators and shows how to recognize pedophile behavior and help protect children.

Betty Kuffel

SEXUAL PREDATORS

Author Betty Kuffel,  MD

Sexual predators are men with a sense of entitlement who look for vulnerable victims and do everything they can to avoid apprehension. They may be patient and bide their time. Whether the predation occurs in the workplace or in a dark alley, the predator waits for the right victim, the right time, and in a place where they won’t be caught. Most sexual predators are males and often have many victims. They are serial rapists who cover their actions by lies and threats.

When sexual fantasies ignite and accelerate their desires, they prowl, looking for the victim that excites them and fits the person in their fantasies. Offenders want compliant victims who can’t defend themselves. Isolation, drugs and alcohol are common components to rape. Once the act occurs, the offender may use coercion, threats, blackmail or violence to prevent exposure of the act.

Sexual fantasies are only a part of assaultive behavior, a strong component of predation is a need for power and control. These men are often arrogant, objectify women and may be in a relationship or married. Most are attracted to adults and will prey on people in need. They may offer help, but in the process, force themselves into a woman’s life, cutting her off from friends, isolating and controlling her every move.

I grew up in a small town, in a loving protective family, naïve and complacent until repeated exposure to the criminal element through my work in emergency medicine. Over years, I was threatened, and became more cautious. Stalking episodes led me to marksmanship classes, carrying a weapon or pepper spray, and more recently to Krav Maga self-defense classes.

A great book teaching personal safety behaviors, providing scenarios and protective actions is The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. I purchased many copies, and have given them to relatives and friends. I highly recommend the book for all women. Men would benefit, too.

It wasn’t until many years later, after I began research for the book Eyes of a Pedophile that I learned three members of my family were raped by pedophiles. And, that my great grandfather was an incest perpetrator who impregnated his daughter and raised the offspring as one of her siblings.

Many women have told me of rapes that occurred years earlier, often decades earlier. An incident in the news recently stimulated me to write this blog and clarify how common it is that victims of rape and incest don’t tell.

Of those I interviewed, all of them were afraid. Each circumstance was different, but they did not report due to shame, fear of retribution and fear of not being believed.

All of them carried anxiety and shame that impacted their personal lives. Exposing the truth at a safe time in their lives was beneficial, a weight was lifted. Of the three in my family, one rapist was a church camp counselor, the other two were prominent citizens, well-known in the small community and friends of the family. If the victims had come forward, I doubt that they would have been believed.

Now is the time to report sexual abuse and incest.

Now is a time for healing.

Years later, after the statutes of limitations have run out, prosecution is not possible, but retribution and shaming of the perpetrator, not the victim, can occur.

Rape must be reported. Properly performed rape evaluations can provide DNA evidence and make conviction more likely. After a sexual assault, important treatment for sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy prevention must be considered. My recent booklet on contraception, contains essential information for men and women. It contains a section on prevention of STDs, treatment of infection and how to reduce the risk of sexual assault.

Be safe.

 

Amazon link

Contraception, STDs, Rape reporting

A sexual assault hotline is: 1-800-799-HOPE

Or online information: https://rainn.org/

RAINN is the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network

A valuable source of information is from Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress.

https://depts.washington.edu/hcsats/PDF/infobrochures/sexual_offenders.pdf