Spotlight on The Human Trial by Audrey Gale

Award-winning novelist  Audrey Gale pushes the envelope, abandons tropes in new Depression-era medical thriller

 The Human Trial" (Books Fluent, Sept. 26, 2023), author Audrey Gale merges three genres: historical fiction, medical thriller and coming-of-age story, cast with imperfect, relatable characters.

 After an agonizing climb to earn his pathology specialty from Harvard Medical, early discoveries in the microscopic realms threaten not only Dr. Randall Archer’s hard-won place in the field of medicine, but his very life.

Dr. Randall Archer has always been a misfit…

 …in the brutal blue-collar home where he grew up

 …as a 16-year-old escaping to college, then medical school, on a full scholarship to Harvard.

…in the highest echelons of Boston society, where the woman he marries and the blueblood research partner with whom he shares his laboratory belong

 Even Archer’s brilliance as a pathologist catapults him into direct and dangerous conflict with the medical establishment he fought so hard to join. As the Great Depression presses down around him, Archer teeters at the edge of a precipice. He must choose between his hard-won career and the sacred oaths he took as a doctor and scientist—before all his choices are lost forever.

.

“The Human Trial”

Audrey Gale | Sept. 26. 2023 | Books Fluent

Historical Medical Thriller / Suspense / Murder Mystery

Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-953865-70-0 | $16.99

Ebook | ISBN: 978-1-953865-71-7 | $7.99

Audiobook | ISBN: 978-1-953865-72-4 | Price TBD

 

About the Author

 Audrey Gale long dreamed of being a writer, but never anticipated the circuitous road she’d take to get there. After twenty-plus years in the banking industry, she grew tired of corporate gamesmanship and pursued her master’s in fiction writing at the University of Southern California. Her first novel, a legal thriller entitled The Sausage Maker's Daughters, was published under the name A.G.S. Johnson. The novel explores one woman’s struggle to find her place amidst the upheaval of the radical 1960s. Her second, The Human Trial, is the first book in a medical-thriller trilogy inspired by Gale’s own experiences with the gap between traditional medicine and approaches based on the findings of the great physicists of the 20th Century, like Einstein and Bohr. Both The Sausage Maker’s Daughters and The Human Trial incorporate Gale’s fascination with historical and scientific research, and always with women finding their places. Gale lives in Los Angeles with her husband and dogs where she is found hiking the Santa Monica Mountains every chance she gets. For more, visit http://audreygaleauthor.com/.

Follow Audrey Gale on social media:Facebook: @audreygaleauthor | Instagram: @audreygaleauthor

 

An Interview with Audrey Gale

Before we dive into everything else, tell us about the main characters we meet in “The Human Trial.”

First is the pathologist, Dr. Randall Archer, with whom the story opens. He’s from a brutal blue collar home, which he escapes at the age of 16 by winning a scholarship to Harvard, which carries him through medical school to a pathology specialty. Archer, standing out for all the wrong reasons at Harvard, nevertheless collaborates with a blueblood physicist developing a breakthrough microscope. It offers, Archer anticipates, many advantages over others at the medical school. It also leads to Archer meeting another blueblood whom, despite its unlikeliness, he marries.

 His collaborator is Dr. Adam Wakefield, PhD Physics, whose breakout microscope changes everything for the two men, not just in what they are able to observe, but in the increasing risk they face as, inadvertently, their findings challenge the very basis of western medical theory and practice.

Finally, Elizabeth Perrish, the sole daughter to the Brahmin Perrishes who traced their history in Boston back to its founding, is a woman ahead of her times, determined to do more than her high social ranking expects of her. Her budding relationship with Archer is the final straw which causes her to be cast from her family, penniless but undaunted, during the worsening Depression.

Are Dr. Randall Archer and Dr. Adam Wakefield based on real people?

While the two characters are inspired by real life scientists, they are a figment of my imagination. I focused more on their discoveries, which likely cost them both their lives, than on portraying the men and their actual existences with accuracy.

How did you come up with the concept of this novel?

Soon after I arrived in Los Angeles, my Golden Retriever became quite ill. I was advised multiple times to “put her down,” as 13 was a very respectable age for a big dog. But I couldn’t without turning over every stone first. I found a holistic vet who at our first meeting appeared to be practicing magic, for lack of understanding. Luckily he was very forthcoming about his medical treatments and the men upon whom they had been based.

But it was subsequently, when my dad, diagnosed with leukemia and refusing a second chemo treatment, agreed to visit my vet with me that I became hooked. The vet created a tape of sound vibrations that related through stepped-down octaves to the rate of vibration of the microbes of leukemia. It sounds like mumbo-jumbo, I know, but upon a routine follow-up with his medical doctors, they declared his case to be the “damnedest case of spontaneous remission they had ever witnessed!” My father did not die of leukemia, but years later, of pneumonia.

Without giving too much away, can you give us a sneak peek at what you have planned for the rest of the series?

I’ve extensively fleshed out the second installment in the trilogy that commences with “The Human Trial.” In it, the suppression of the science and fate of the scientists carries into the 1970s, another troubled time in our history. Student activism had carried over from black power to anti-war to feminism. Everyone had a cause which often gave participants license to demonstrate, sit-in, walk-out, protest, and in a few cases, riot. The Vietnam War was coming to a humiliating ending, and Nixon was about to leave the White House, unceremoniously.

 Against that backdrop, the next generation of Archers and Wakefields find themselves caught up in dangerous circumstances which first, they struggle to comprehend and then, struggle to survive.

Finally, as we ourselves struggled to cope with Covid-19, its unprecedented deaths and shutdowns, it hit me: since the science of these stories deals directly with viral disease, a current day story makes more than perfect sense. It makes it necessary. All of these multigenerational continuations also emphasize the long and successful suppression of life-saving discoveries and their enormous costs in human life, both globally and down to the very personal lives of the next generation to be caught up in it.

Spotlight on These Things Happen by MICHAEL EON

NORTH HAMPTON, NH – What began as catharsis through writing about his own recovery journey inspired Michael Eon’s powerful examination of a life-long relationship with addiction and recovery in his debut novel, “These Things Happen” (September, 19th 2023, Girl Friday Books). With a vivid, atmospheric backdrop of 1970’s Brooklyn, Eon takes the reader on a poignant pursuit to untangle childhood trauma that manifests into a fraught battle with alcoholism.

In “These Things Happen,” Daniel Zimmer will do almost anything to end his pain, except for the one thing that might work: sobriety.

Growing up under the shadow of his tyrannical father in Brooklyn, Daniel struggles to find a sense of safety and belonging. Daniel and his brother Max find moments of solace in the rebellious rhythms of early punk and metal bands. But when faced with an unexpected family tragedy—for which Daniel feels responsible—Daniel finds escape in the numbing grip of alcohol, offering temporary relief from his pain and guilt. Carrying childhood trauma into adulthood, Daniel spirals deeper into the clutches of addiction. Just as he finds the strength to embrace sobriety, the ghosts of his past resurface, forcing him to confront his demons head-on.

Flashing through Daniel’s
life, past and present, this nostalgic ode to Brooklyn is an unflinchingly honest account of the inevitable triumphs and downfalls of recovery. “These Things Happen” fearlessly examines generational abuse, the transformative power of confronting addiction, and the profound potential for redemption.

About the Author: MICHAEL EON: Originally from the New York area, he currently lives in New Hampshire with his family. Michael earned his BA in psychology from the University of Michigan and an MA in international affairs from Columbia University. A former board member of the Audio Publishers Association and a former producer of major motion pictures and television productions, Michael worked in the publishing and entertainment industries for more than twenty years. Michael discovered the core of this story through the cathartic processing of autobiographical memories, following its evolution into this novel of redemption and recovery. “These Things Happen” is his first novel. Learn more about Michael at his website.

 

An Interview with Michael Eon

 Why did you begin journaling about your memories and experiences with addiction?

In college, I wrote a great deal of freeform poetry about active addiction and its hold on me, as well as what I believed at the time to be the causes for my desire, since childhood, to escape and numb my emotions through drug and alcohol use. Twenty years later, consumed by active addiction, rage, hatred, and hopelessness, I sought help through Alcoholics Anonymous. After a few years in a state of what I would call “stark raving sober,” I finally got the courage to ask someone to take me through the Twelve Steps as outlined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. As part of that process, I began to explore in greater detail and depth the moments of my life—the memories and experiences—that seemed to govern my existence . . . my emotions, character, and personality.

 

How did your  journal entries evolve into the creation of “These Things Happen?”

 Part of the Twelve Step process includes examining the things in one’s life that have served to hold a person back from spiritual growth. Resentment and fear are the two main offenders and consequently need to be dealt with before any semblance of peace can be had. The Twelve Step process enabled me to understand that these issues were the root cause of my dis-ease, not the drinking and the drugs. My journal took the writing I’d completed in Step Four and fleshed it out into memory stories—expanded autobiographical scenes as I had remembered them. As you can imagine, there was a lot of anger, resentment, denial, guilt, etc. in those entries, but the end result was extremely cathartic. These scenes served as the starting point for the novel.

 

Tell us a little bit about the culture of alcoholics anonymous, how did the culture of AA support the creation of this novel?

 For me, AA is a lot of things: a fellowship, a support group, a process by which to become both physically and emotionally sober, and much more. It is a spiritual program that allows for identification with others suffering from the same affliction through sharing with one another and reading/understanding the literature, including the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. For those willing to be honest with themselves (and others), and open-minded to the spiritual principles set forth in the Twelve Steps, AA can be a life-changer. It can not only free one from the bondage of active addiction, but can also teach one how to deal with life on life’s terms. Without AA, this novel would not have been possible because I would never have been able to escape active addiction and work through the trauma that served as the basis for my addiction.

 

You have a background as a TV and movie producer. What are your thoughts on entertainment culture and alcoholism?

 I believe that the media and entertainment industries influence social norms and exposure to drug and alcohol use; both industries can play a better part in removing the stigma of addiction by educating audiences about the reality of drug and alcohol abuse. Active addiction is neither a moral failing nor a matter of willpower for the sufferer. It is a disease driven by mental obsession and physical craving; one that centers in the mind of the user, which must be combatted on the physical, mental, and spiritual planes. Media and entertainment can play a better role by choosing programming that downplays the fun in and excessive use of drugs and alcohol and highlights the simple facts that (a) the sufferer is not alone and (b) there is a solution. More programming should convey hopefulness rather than hopelessness.

 

The book deals with heavy topics of addiction, trauma, and mental health. Why did you decide to write about these topics and what do you hope readers take away from the book?

 I decided to write about these topics for two main reasons: one, I have a great deal of experience with them; and two, I have a sincere desire to help others who struggle with addiction and, more generally, with life itself. The novel has sought to do this by focusing not just on the problems one faces with addiction and life, but on the solution to those problems, which I do by giving specific instructions on how to use spiritual principles to better one’s life. And you don’t have to be an addict to benefit from this novel. Dealing with life on life’s terms is not just an addict’s problem—it is a human problem.

 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

A Parent's Struggle: Helping Children Understand Alcoholism

BUY THE BOOK HERE

Why I Write by William G. Bentrim

The more things change, the more they are the same. 

My goals for writing haven't really changed since I started.   This link is to an interview June 18, 2012.  I had seven picture books and two chapter books then.   I now have over fifty published books including two full-length science fiction novels. 

The nine books of 2012 have all been re-edited and re-released.   I was blown away to find that I've had fifty thousand views of my books on Kindle Unlimited as well as the over ten thousand books that have been sold.   I'm proud of that and hope that my goal of reaching one kid per book has been exceeded.  

I think everyone has, at least, one book in them.   Write it! 

What you have to say may help someone.  It doesn't have to be obvious, it doesn't have to directly address a problem.   A fictional character that overcomes an obstacle can inspire someone to emulate that success and overcome their own obstacle.   

I was denigrated by an anonymous reader at one point as to what do I know.   I know that I want my characters to inspire and to show kindness, respect, and success to my readers. My writing is often driven by issues that concern me.  Sometimes my writing is predicated on something I have to research intensely in order to write with confidence. 

The bottom line is I find fulfillment in writing more so when I find I've helped someone. 

Recently I was approached by the CEO of Abundant Natural Health,  an Australian Company that makes products for psoriasis sufferers.   If you scroll down on this link, it will lead you to the podcast Tony and I did.   Joey's Psoriasis explains that psoriasis isn't contagious and it is okay to be friends with Joey.   Tony, the above CEO, has psoriasis and found the book helpful and feels it will be helpful to other psoriasis sufferers, particularly to young ones.   

That is why I write.  If someone is helped, inspired or comforted, even if it is only one reader, I am satisfied.  I don't write for fame or fortune, I write for satisfaction. 

That is why I write. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarnedtg 

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne

Desmond Aloysius Limerick is a gatekeeper.   Simply put he either gets doors open and holds them open or closes them and keeps them closed.   Now that would seem to be a doorman of some sort at a post hotel or restaurant.  That seeming would be wrong, in Dez’s world, the doors often have armed, angry people behind them.   Dez meets Petra on an elevator and things go down from there. 

Byrne is able to generate consistent action with it never getting boring.   He has a delightfully Byzantine complexity to his plot. In this case, the cause of armed insurrection seems obvious but it truly isn’t.   Good guys aren’t necessarily good and bad guys are worse than they seem.  

 I enormously enjoyed this book and highly recommend the author!

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned