am, Sun Sep 16, 2012.
To concoct believable fiction, disaster novelist Wil Mara finds experts who possess real world knowledge of hard science, which, mixed with his imagination, can add up to some frightening scenarios. In his latest book, “Gemini Virus,” Mara consulted with virologist and Taos resident Dr. Martinez (Marty) J. Hewlett on a story about the outbreak of a deadly disease and its consequences.
Both Hewlett and Mara will address public health concerns while also separating fact from fiction related to pandemic viruses, during a talk they are planning as part of the Taos Fall Lecture Series.
Their presentation will take place Wednesday (Sept. 19), 6:30 p.m., at the Taos Community Auditorium, 145 Paseo del Pueblo Norte. Admission is free and the public is invited.
The series is presented jointly by the University of New Mexico-Taos and Southern Methodist University-in-Taos.
The plot of “The Gemini Virus” follows an extremely contagious virus that kills within four days. In an interview, Mara confirmed that “all of the diseases and their symptoms mentioned in the book were culled from real diseases. That said, some of the more horrific that I used as models include HIV-AIDS (in advanced forms), smallpox, ebola, Hong Kong flu, and Lassa Fever.”
As advanced as our public health defenses have become, Mara says we don’t necessarily have the means to curtail the effects of a p...
