On the last day of summer, a
molecular biologist living in New York City faces two mysteries in my new
novella, Mosquito Song: Dreams in Old
San Juan. The first mystery, she attempts to solve with the tools of
science: Which disease killed an unborn baby in Puerto Rico? But the answer to
the second proves elusive, and is blocked from her memory: Who took her home
after drunken reveling the night before?
The scientist, Antonia, gets
a five AM call beckoning her to Old San Juan, where a frozen fetal sample
awaits analysis. She responds at once, excited by the opportunity. Antonia is a
risk taker. The most likely suspects are diseases carried by mosquitoes: Malaria,
dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, and Zika virus. The DNA for each disease is
distinct, and she takes on the challenge of identifying which caused the fetal
death.
She scrambles to prepare for
her flight while getting over a massive hangover. At the same time, she looks
for clues to trigger her memory of the prior evening. Once in Puerto Rico, she
finds a mystical and confusing world and a singing mosquito haunts her dreams.
Her journey is one of courage
as she searches for the disease-causing pathogen responsible for this new case.
When the next day unfolds, the facts she discovers about the medical case and
about herself astonish her.
The story for my new novella
began when I was working as an editor, researching news stories about Zika
virus two years ago. I was also writing about pandemics
of the past, like malaria. During that time I was reading about
mosquitoes as vectors of disease, and became fascinated with their life story
and how it has been linked to ours throughout history.
I completed the story just
after I read an August 2018 report on Zika from the National Association of
County and City Health Officials. It covered a new Vital Signs publication from
the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, that found babies born to women
with Zika virus developed health problems not apparent at birth. About one in
seven of these babies were having birth defects. But they also were having
vision and hearing problems, seizures, or developmental delay. The news brought
this mosquito-borne disease into focus again, as an ongoing public health
concern for pregnant women, new mothers, and their babies in the U.S.
territories including Puerto Rico.
A scientist myself, I bring
my experience with DNA studies into this new story. I hope you will agree after
reading Mosquito Song, the job of virus hunting can be exciting!
About J.J. Brown
Author J.J.Brown was born in
the Catskill Mountains of New York and lives in New York City. She completed a
PhD in genetics and worked as a research scientist for 20 years before turning
to writing.
Connect with J.J. Brown
