The Little Virus that Could

A lot has happened since last we blogged. I've been unaffected personally by all that has been going on in the world, the country, and my small circle of annoyances. I've been busy proofing my latest novel and always seem to find something I missed the previous read-through. I have other projects I need to finish, too. So I would be good if I had to self-quarantine for 14 days due to the latest health scare. A fortnight's staycation might be just the ticket to aiding me in getting over other matters unrelated to virus-whatever-cool-name-they-give-it. But I do have friends in China and Japan, and a Chinese friend who went to Europe, and friends in Canada who I'm concerned about. So far, all of them are healthy and safe. But they have no book to proof, sadly.

Last year, at the end of the summer, I became ill with a strange malady which, in hindsight, seems uncannily similar to the current pandemic's list of symptoms. It was mostly coughing and, at first, a bone-crushing headache and fever. No sinus problems, no sore throat, none of the usual cold or flu symptoms. I attributed it to a strong mold infestation in a hotel I stayed in, which had been damaged by Hurricane Harvey but was supposedly renovated. I got over it in about a month and thought nothing more of it until the news started filtering in from China of a new strain of an old strain of something strange.

As someone who has read a lot of sci-fi and written sci-fi, I find myself in the business of imagining, coming up with plausible scenarios based as much as possible on known science and speculation of future science. I and my colleagues in the field have role-played plagues and apocalyptic visions already, so nothing that presents in the news today seems too surprising or far-fetched. There's even been a meme going around social media mentioning a passage in a 1981 novel by Dean Koontz describing a bio-weapon coming from Wuhan. The more sci-fi/ dystopian/apocalyptic tropes go around, the more they stay around.

Now everyone is preparing to shut down the schools, cancel conferences, concerts, maybe sporting events, to keep people from congregating. Passengers on cruise ships have been hit hard. So, too, people collecting at ski resorts in the Italian Alps. Definitely not enough hand washing going on, I surmise. There have even been several infographics demonstrating proper hand washing techniques. If you didn't learn that from Mom long ago, you're not likely to change your habits. 

And people are making a run on toilet paper, which some say comes mostly from China.If the virus originated in China, why hoard the paper products also from China? Toilet paper? Come on. You're just going to throw it away, anyway. Stocking up on hand sanitizer and masks seems a little more sensible, but the act of hoarding itself, especially for non-food items, seems to smack of fear-mongering. A lot of people are making a lot of money off the frenzy. For those of us in the book business, I've seen memes about "panic-buying" books, presumably to have enough to read during a quarantine. I say you don't need to panic-buy books, just buy books. You should always have a 14-day supply of reading material - minimum.

And here's where I would suggest a sampling of my shelf (see upper right corner of this page for links). But in these fearful times, that might seem gaudy or self-serving. Listen: if you buy some books to wile away the hours, your purchase could help a soapless author get some supplies and maybe live another day, perhaps write more. Then, those who survive might get a new book for the next outbreak.

Keep calm and wash your hands.


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