Lydia Kang's Blog, page 16

Hey guys! Thanks again for helping me celebrate the cover reveal of CONTROL last week! I am totally floored by the positive comments and the support. Thank you guys so much! There's still time to try to win a signed ARC and necklace Swag Packs, if you missed out. :)

So today, I have a great Medical Mondays question from writer Clara Waibel, who asks:

If someone is attacked, and gets some part of their body scratched, how long until the DNA of the offender vanishes? Would it take just a shower? Or does it remain in the victim's body for a longer period (assuming the victim is still alive)?

So where IS your DNA? We know it's in the cells of your body, but what about fluids? On your skin? Urine? Spit?

DNA, as you all probably know, are the the coding molecules found inside of the nucleus in your body's cells. So. No cell, no DNA. No nucleus, no DNA. As to how DNA can be detected, here are some facts:

Saliva: Your saliva is mostly water, proteins, and electrolytes with some shed cells from the inside of your mouth, so yes, it has DNA. Commonly, DNA samples are taken from scrapings from the inside part of your cheek, in your mouth. 

Blood: Yep, lots of DNA. But here's an interesting fact--the red blood cells that comprise most of the cells in your blood? They don't have a nucleus, and hence, have no DNA. But your white blood cells (aka infection fighting cells) do, and that's where DNA from blood samples come from. Also, platelets don't have nuclei either.

Urine: Your urine probably has some shed cells from the lining of your urinary tract, but usually it's a very small quantity.

Feces: You had to ask, didn't you? Well, you probably have some shed cells from the lining of your intestinal tract, but you also have tons of bacteria with their own DNA too (don't freak out! It's your natural flora. Yes, you are host to a raging party of happy bacteria in there. Fun.)

Skin: The surface of you skin is comprised of compressed skin cells, and yes, they have DNA still in them. In fact, now they can test surfaces you've just touched for DNA (source: Forensic Mag)

Hair: Your hair shaft is made of keratin, a kind of protein. No DNA. However, the follicle from which your hair grows out often comes loose when a hair falls or is pulled from your head. DNA samples can be taken from those follicles.

So going back to Clara's question. If an attacker scratched someone, that victim might have some DNA from his skin on them, but after a shower, it would likely be gone. Also, if there was broken skin (as in, the attackers DNA somehow got inside the victim, such as by blood-to-blood contact), the victim's defenses would destroy that DNA and the cells that crossed into her blood stream.

Thanks for a great question, and have a good Monday everyone!

****


If you've got a fictional medical question, let me know! 

   All I ask is that you become a follower and post a link on your blog when I post your answer. This is for fictional scenarios, only. Please check out the boring but necessary disclaimer on my sidebar. :)

Helloooo!
It's cover reveal time! I am so excited. I'm having palpitations!
Head over to Young Adult Books Central where they are doing the exclusive cover reveal of CONTROL at Noon EST!
There will be a signed ARC giveaway!
And swag giveaways!
And me, possibly face-down in the corner, passed out from the excitement!
!!!!

Here's a Thursday gift of eye-candy for y'all.

This is Nathan Adrian, three-time Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer and me, pretending it's no big deal that he's like, five feet taller than me and that his chesticles are right next to my ear. My sister-in-law snapped this at the Olympic Trials in Omaha.  *This picture was sanctioned by my spouse, who also stares in awe at his awesome awesomeness.*

What? What did you say? Move out of the way, because I'm covering up too much chesticle?

Okay.

Oh yeah. Also, my book cover reveal is on Monday on Young Adult Books Central. That's the only other important thing I had to say today. Have a great weekend! May you dream of Olympic swimmers and dazzling smiles. And chesticles, of course. :)

SCURVY. 

(I just love this word. Scurvy, scurvy, scurvy). 

You may have heard of it. It's a disease cause by a Vitamin C deficiency, and cured by drinking a gallon of OJ.
But let's talk a little more about this. Here, have a clementine while we chat. 
What is Vitamin C? It's a chemical, also called ascorbic acid, which is needed by the human body to make collagen.
What do humans have in common with Rodents of Unusual Size (ROUSs, or capybaras), guinea pigs, and bats? None of us can make our own Vitamin C. We need to get it from our food. Most animals and all plants can make their own Vitamin C.
Capybara. OMG. Want one. 
From WikipediaWhat are the signs of scurvy? Malaise and tiredness, bleeding gums, bruising, petechiae (little blood freckles), poor wound healing, bloody gums, and shortness of breath.
What if I have a really, really bad case of scurvy? Swelling in the limbs, nerve problems, seizures, and death can occur. Not fun.
Can I get scurvy if I eat nothing but boxed macaroni and cheese, three times a day? Yes. Do not do this.
If you get Vitamin C from citrus fruits, then why do Eskimos never get scurvy? Because liver and fresh meat (from animals that make their own Vitamin C) provides enough to prevent scurvy.
How long have humans known about scurvy? Since ancient times. Hippocrates knew of it, as did the ancient Egyptians. 
Sailor factoid: in the 18th century, scurvy killed more sailors than were killed in combat. Long voyages with a lack of fresh fruit and meat and an abundance of preserved and cooked food (which destroyed Vitamin C) caused rampant scurvy that plagued sea voyages for centuries. Arrr, that sucks. 
From WikipediaSo...I should eat a ton of Vitamin C, then, right? Actually, anyone reading this blog probably already eats more than the daily requirement of Vitamin C without trying. So, don't eat a crate of grapefruit every day. Be warned. There is such a thing as Vitamin C toxicity.

If you've got a fictional medical question, let me know! 

   All I ask is that you become a follower and post a link on your blog when I post your answer. This is for fictional scenarios, only. Please check out the boring but necessary disclaimer on my sidebar. :)

And don't forget . . . one week from today is the official, exclusive cover reveal of CONTROL! Yay!

Hey guys!

I can't wait to show you the cover of CONTROL!

Wait, what?

What did you say?

My cover is already up on Goodreads and Amazon? Huh?

Are you talking about THIS?


Isn't it pretty? They are big, red blood cells. I LOVE the color and how it's unlike other YA novels out there.

But WAIT!

WAIT!


This is not my cover.
That's right. This one mysteriously leaked out. My new, final cover will be revealed in the upcoming weeks, but I've been getting Tweeted about this one. I've taken it down from Goodreads many times, and some well-meaning book blogger keeps putting it back up there, which is very sweet. And it's been showing up on book bloggers' Waiting on Wednesdays like this one, and this one. Ooh, and this one.

It even got Cover Snarked.
SO! Enjoy it while you can! It will disappear soon.
:)

Congratulations to fellow Class of 2k13 author Alex Lidell! Her book CADET OF TILDOR is releasing today! Woot!

Here is a glowing review from Kirkus Reviews:
A gripping debut embraces the trend toward gritty grimdark fantasy.Lady Renee de Winter has rejected her aristocratic upbringing to train at the elite Academy of Tildor. But Cadet de Winter’s schoolwork is slipping, and despite constant practice, she cannot match her male classmates. When rival crime factions entangle her in their schemes, Renee must choose between every claim on her loyalty—family, friends, teachers, crown, even her own life—and the greater needs of Tildor. Workmanlike prose effectively grounds an energetic plot and solid worldbuilding in earthy descriptions and precise details. Every character is complex and multilayered, each with a story beyond just propping up the protagonist. Renee herself is a flawed but sympathetic heroine who capitalizes upon her strengths, learns from her (serious) mistakes and slowly evolves from her rigid judgmental inclination to appreciate ambiguity and nuance while never compromising her essential integrity. Hints of romance, thankfully, take second place to friendship, trust and duty, not to mention looming war and imminent death.No fairy-tale resolution here; rather a warts-and-all portrayal of believable characters struggling with realistic conflicts affecting every level of society.
Check out this sweet trailer:




Alex's website here, where you can find all sorts of goodies about her book. And she's got a great giveaway going on too!a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can find CADET OF TILDOR on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and The Book Depository.

So. Read any good fantasy novels lately?

Hi guys! I'm guest posting at the Lucky 13s today on some things I thought up for the150 years into the future, in my book CONTROL. In particular, I'll talk about the practice of medicine in my book.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you can check out the post here!

So my new Macbook Pro comes built in with voice recognition dictation. Cool, right? Apparently you have to be online, then hit the dictation button. It sends the recorded voice stuff to a server in North Carolina, where Dragon Dictation transcribes it, and voila! It shows up on your page.

So. We are going to do an experiment! First, I'm going to listen to some stuff on YouTube and see if it can dictate. Then I'll read a few lines from some books. Fun, fun!

Sweet Child O Mine, by Guns 'n RosesLyrics: She's got a smile that seems to me reminds me of childhood memoriesDictation: Comments: Didn't work. I guess Slash's guitar was too confusing. Or maybe Axl Rose was too Axl-y.
Walk on the Wild Side, by Lou ReedLyrics: Holly came from Miami, FLA. Hitchhiked her way across the USA.Dictation: The bathroom she was advised dog in the code to do Comments: Uh. What dog? What code? What bathroom? 
Let's try Lou again. This time, it's Perfect Day Lyrics: Just a perfect day. Drank sangria in the park. And then later, when it gets dark, we go home.Dictation: Chest of drinks and then later went if it still legalComments: Whoa. Apparently this song is going into nefarious territory, involving coolers of alcohol 
Darth Vader big reveal scene with LukeMovie dialogue: Darth Vader: "No. I am your father." Luke: "No. NO! It's not true! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"Dictation: Not at the student unionComments: I can't even...how can I respond to that interpretation? Dragon Dictation, haven't you ever seen this movie? I mean, really????
Me, reading the first line of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane AustenText: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Dictation: It is a truth universally acknowledged the single man in possession of the good fortune must be in want of life.Comment: HAHAHA. Because rich, single dudes live a marginal, semi-solid existence that can only be fixed by permanent matrimony. Obviously. 
Me, reading an excerpt from Skippy Jon Jones in the Dog House, by Judy SchachnerText: Oh my name is Skippito FriskitoAnd I heard from a leetle birditoThat the doggies have fledFrom the gobbling headWho goes by the name Bobble-ito!Dictation: Oh my name is keeping the depot and I heard from an Eatonberg people that the doggies have fled from the gobbling head who goes by the name Bubba beetleComment: Dragon Dictation doesn't like my lame accent. I also sang this one, which explains why the Eatenberg people are telling tales about Bubba. Also, I'm going to introduce myself as "Keeping the Depot" at the next cocktail party I attend.
But seriously. I think that if you got the hand of speaking your punctuation, saying your sentences clearly, this could be a great thing. If I ever had any physical issues with typing, this would be a god send! It's good to know this technology is out there. 
I know that Kristen Cashore (author of Bitterblue and Graceling) uses this type of program. Here's a great blog post about how she uses voice recognition software.

So. Have you ever tried dictating your writing projects?

Happy New Year!
I can't believe it's officially 2013!

I'm pretty excited, because this is the year that my book is going to debut.

Okay, so it's debuting in December and I basically have to wait another year. But hey, who's counting months? And days? And hours?

Me?

Nah.

Now, surely you are all making New Year's Resolutions, those tasty morsels of hope and change that magically turn into green nuggets of spoiled feculence that haunt us as early as March.


Let's not call them resolutions. Sounds too much like revolutions , which gets me both dizzy and contemplating post-apocalyptic scenarios.

Let's call them Goals. 

What are my goals? They are threefold.

Physical: Try to do something un-couch potato-y at least three times a week. Eat less refined anything--sugar, flour, and eat more faceless foods, like veggies and fruit.

Mental: Be like Edna Mode, from the Incredibles: "I never look back, dahling. It distracts from the NOW." In other words, don't be overly obsessed with past mistakes and future stuff. Be here and be present (especially where family is concerned.)

Reader-ial (I know this isn't a word. Just go with it.): Try to consume a little more non-fiction. It gets the ideas flowing and charges up my smarty fact batteries.

Authorial: Keep distractions to a minimum. (Ha! I'm going to break this one in five minutes.) Promote my book as reasonably as possible without grossing myself out. Write, write, write.

There are other goals, but I'm trying not to bore you. (Podiatrial: keep toes well exfoliated. Phobial: remember that spiders are my friends, most of the time.)

What about you? What kinds of goals do you have this year?

Hey guys,

I'll be taking a blog-cation for the holidays. Before I go, a few things.

First, if you haven't, please check out the auction for Publishing Hearts Connecticut benefitting the Newtown Youth and Family Services. It will be going on all week. There are some amazing things being given away (signed books by some amazing authors, promotional deals, query/manuscript crits) so spread the word!

Second, there is a Nook giveaway this month by the Class of 2K13 . A Nook! So sign up while you can.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a wonderful, love-filled holiday. I wish I could give you all a big, squashy hug through this computer screen, but I'm sure I'd just spill your coffee.

Oh, eff it. I'm gonna do it anyway.

*SQUASH*

*SPLASH*

See you in a few weeks!