service dogs Archives - K.V. Fischer

Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction – The Scientist

Independence Day is the perfect day for this Fact or Fiction article in honor of Brian Perri, a veteran who was dedicated to protecting our country’s freedoms. We are in the midst of the 5-year anniversary of that fateful day when Brian went missing. This special Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction article will explore what is fact and what is fiction behind the character Brett Powers, who was inspired by Brian.

The Five-Year Anniversary

In Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction – Missing , we saw that the last selfie taken by Brian Perri was June 30 on Mt. Meeker’s summit, but no one knew he was missing until he failed to show up for J.C.’s graduate school defense on July 5. Hence, we are in the midst of the anniversary period. The specific facts surrounding his failure to show up are found in this article. However, we will delve deeper into the character.

The Scientist’s Backstory

The backstory surrounding Brett Powers for the most part belongs to Brian, from his background working at a nuclear power plant back east, to his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Radiation Health Physics and being one of the rare scientists who has earned both Health Physics certifications. He was a nuclear “genius.” As a novelist, I do confess to taking liberties since this story, although inspired by real-life, is classified as fiction.

A Deeper Dive

Brian went through SERE training with Kimo as noted in the last Fact or Fiction article, Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction – SRI’s Chief Operating Officer. As described within the novel, Brian passed SERE at the top of his class and did in fact stay out the maximum number of days before they had to bring him back in.

As noted in the last article, he was a member of Special Operations as a paratrooper rather than Special Forces. Like the character Brett, he was fluent in Arabic and proficient in Russian.

The graduate school ties between J.C. and Brian are fact. Since Brian’s family was back east, he joined our family for most if not all of the holidays during his graduate school tenure. This gave me the opportunity to get to know this amazing man.

The End

The search ended when a body was found on Mt. Meeker. This was fact. The description of the body and how it was handled as noted in the book, are facts. But is the happy ending fact or fiction? What transpired after the funeral in Search Beyond Lies, is fiction, however the glasses … Check out the story behind the glasses in Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction – The Clues: Part 2.

Brian & J.C. hiking wearing the infamous sunglasses.

When you look at the fact that Brian was a former member of Special Operations, a nuclear genius fluent in Arabic and proficient in Russian, and then add the glasses… Rather than a tragic ending, could there actually be a happy ending? Let me know what you think.

A suspense thriller with a dash of romance, Search Beyond Lies tells the story

suspense thriller, romantic suspense, Colorado, Rocky Mountains, action — Search Beyond Lies, Book One in the Search & Recovery International Series

of the search for a missing scientist, a top-secret project, and a ticking clock. Desperate to find his friend and mentor, James Frankel knows that only former Army Ranger, Charlie Sommer can help him. But how can he trust a woman who’s keeping secrets?

As a former Army Ranger, Charlie Sommers garnered the reputation of having the highest search and rescue success rate, but she’s plagued by the one she left behind. Now she’s on the verge of an exciting new beginning as a part of Search & Recovery International where her secrets are safe. There’s only one problem: the new assignment will take her back to Colorado and the loss that still haunts her.

The clock is ticking down. With their lives–and their hearts–at risk, Charlie and James join forces in an attempt to save the scientist and the world from catastrophe while finding the truth beyond lies in this action-packed thriller. It is available at https://amzn.to/3ueVmTO.

Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction – The Character Names

Since Search Beyond Lies, is inspired by a real-life tragedy involving real people, key characters are inspired by these same people. In this fact or fiction article, we’ll explore what is fact and what is fiction regarding the character names. First, we’ll look at a few rules of thumb regarding choosing character names.

Rules of Thumb

The way writers choose character names differs among writers, but there are a few rules of thumb for the reader’s benefit.

1.You never want to confuse the reader by choosing names with the same first letter or the reader will have difficulty keeping the characters straight.

2. The names should fit within the era and culture. For example, if you write historical romance, like Amanda Cabot, you won’t want to pick a new generation contemporary name like Aurora.

Before we uncover the selection process for the character names in Search Beyond Lies, a brief look at its inspiration is in order.

The Tragedy

On July 5, 2018, Brian Perri was reported missing on Mount Meeker, one of the most dangerous mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park, after a selfie revealed his last known location as the summit.

Inspired by my son’s role in the search that was covered by news media far and wide, I penned Search Beyond Lies, Book One in the Search & Recovery International Series (SRI). Though a work of fiction, the book’s inspiration lies in the rare type of friendship my son, J.C. Fischer, and Brian’s former army buddy, Kimo McEwen, had with Brian, where they put their lives on hold and jeopardized their safety and well-being to search for him.

Key Character Names

As the back story revealed, I chose the key character names based on the initials of the real people that inspired them with one exception.

J.C. Fischer inspired the hero, James Frankel.

Brian Perri inspired Brett Powers.

Kimo McEwen inspired the COO of SRI’s Kale McLaren.

The exception was Charlie Sommer whose inspiration was Priscilla Jane Kurtz Williams. To avoid confusing my readers, I had to come up with a name that didn’t violate the first key rule. After brainstorming with my writers’ group, Charlie Sommer was chosen because of the character’s military background and the letter “C” was not used for any other character.

Basically, the initials are fact, while the actual name is fiction.

My fellow readers, what rules of thumb do you believe should be added? Writers, how do you choose your character names?

A suspense thriller with a dash of romance, Search Beyond Lies tells the story

WHAT ABOUT THAT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION?

What about that New Year’s resolution? Did you make yours? If you did, how long is your list? My New Year’s resolutions started in middle school and continued for more years than I’d like to count. They included what most people placed on their list, although they varied based on the time of my life:

avoiding sweets,
exercising,
losing weight (especially after having babies),
meeting new people (I was very shy — notice the past tense), and
providing additional community service hours…. .

Although my resolutions were made with good intentions and were always meritorious, there was an undeniable common thread — I inevitably broke them. The question was how long did I maintain before I failed?

new year’s resolutions: overcoming failure

With failure came disappointment, frustration, and a sense of loss. My motivation went out the window, after all, I already failed. I stopped making New Year’s resolutions a number of years ago, however, I never threw the baby out with the bath water. My thinking, focus, and approach changed.

new year’s goals

I no longer make New Year’s resolutions, I make New Year’s goals. According to the dictionary, a goal is “the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.” I create goals and strive to achieve them.

It’s okay to get off track, I can always get myself back on without a sense of failure. It’s a healthier, positive outlook that keeps me on track.

My article, On the Road to Healthy Living: Foolproof Your Plan! provides the road map to successfully meet your New Year’s goals. Encouraged by the success of Search Beyond Lies, the first book in the Search & Recovery International (SRI) series, my professional goals for 2023 include:

releasing the audio version of Search Beyond Lies;
continuing to grow my law practice;

continuing the Fact or Fiction Series for Search Beyond Lies as well as other Fact or Fiction articles for guest authors;
releasing the second in the SRI series, After the Verdict;
working toward getting the third in the SRI series, Pattern of Deception, ready for my editors; and
doing the research for the 4th in the SRI series which takes place in Hawaii.

My other goals include remaining physically fit, increasing my physical performance, staying within the low range of my ideal body weight in anticipation of the planning and celebration that goes into the next goal — my son’s wedding!

There is no doubt that 2023 will be a big year! Accordingly, I plan to post at least twice monthly, more with guest authors.

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and productive 2023! God bless!

Any tips? Please share.

Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction – The Clues: Part 2

In The Clues Part 1 of the last Fact or Fiction article for Search Beyond Lies, we learned that the existence of the glasses Charlie discovered was fact. The way they were discovered was fiction. The story behind the glasses still makes my head spin….

The History Behind the Glasses

Brian was an avid hiker with a goal of hiking all the 14ers. Par for the course, his sunglasses took a beating. J.C. was also hard on sunglasses so as a tit for tat type of joke, they gave each other their favorite sunglasses for their birthdays. At the time, J.C. liked a certain style of Ray-Ban® sunglasses.

The sunglasses

The day before J.C.’s birthday, 8 months after Brian’s last hike, a small package was delivered to our home for J.C. By this time, J.C. had started a new job back east, so he asked me to open it. They were Ray-Ban® sunglasses. He asked who the sender was and where it originated from. Logical questions.

The answers, however, did not make sense. They were sent from Estonia and the sender was his father, my husband. Clearly, he did not send them. Not only had my husband never been to Estonia, but even if he had, he would have sent a gift to his son’s new residence.

Hmmm. I took a picture of the sunglasses and texted it to J.C. They were his favorite style….

The investigation

I called Ray-Ban® and was advised that they could be counterfeits. They did not distribute from Estonia, and they were made only in Italy or China. I checked the packaging and tag. These were made in Italy, or so the tag said. The next step was to take it to an authorized distributor who had the capabilities to inspect and determine whether they were genuine Ray-Ban® sunglasses.

I did and they were genuine Ray-Ban® sunglasses. Hmmm.

friends and family

J.C. called every one of his family and friends who may have given him those sunglasses for his birthday. He struck out. No one he knew sent him those glasses.

conclusion

Who sent those sunglasses? Maybe it’s only my novelist’s imagination, but I’m not 100% sure Brian is no longer with us….

Search Beyond Lies is available on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3ueVmTO

Search Beyond Lies-The Top-Secret Research Project: Fact or Fiction?

In our last Search Beyond Lies Fact or Fiction article on the university, we discovered that the university within the book is fiction. Colorado State University’s Radiation Health Physics program is the real deal where Brian Perri and J.C. Fischer obtained their graduate degrees. But what about the top-secret research project at the heart of the novel? Did Brian in fact work on such a project?

Colorado State University Science Quad — Colorado State University – Science Quad

Search Beyond Lies’ Top-Secret Research Project

The top-secret research project with world-wide implications at the heart of Search Beyond Lies is pure fiction—a figment of my active imagination. Although Brian and other graduate students had the opportunity to work with several world-renowned Health Physicists, none of the projects rose to the level described in the book.

The Real Research Project

Both Brian and J.C. had very interesting research projects, but neither were top-secret.

Brian took advantage of one of the many graduate student opportunities mentioned in the last article regarding the university. Through CSU’s partnership with Fukushima University in Japan, “Brian used Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) modeling to determine lens dose conversion factors for mice living in the Fukushima exclusion zone in various exposure scenarios.” (In Memoriam Brian Joseph Perri, by Amber Harshman, Health Physics Journal, May 2019). It is my understanding that the data from Brian’s research could be used to counteract the harmful effects of the sun’s radiation.

J.C.’s project was part of a Department of Defense grant. The mathematical formula described within the book is fact. “The purpose of his research was to further improve and advance detection capabilities of shielded and unshielded radioactive sources in elevated background environments using a string or series of measurements.” In other words, his research was used improve the detection of radioactive materials/nuclear “bombs” that are “shielded” in lead or other such shielding in defense of our country.

PhD or Masters?

Both Brian’s and J.C.’s research projects were for a master’s thesis, not a PhD. So, the existence of J.C.’s defense was fact, the level was fiction. The purpose of elevating the projects to that of a PhD was two-fold:

A top-secret project with worldwide implications would only be done at the PhD level; and
The hero, James, would not be old enough for Charlie if he went straight through from undergraduate unless it was for a PhD.

My son-in-law, Rob, is finishing up his PhD in Intergraded Biomedical Sciences in the discipline of Neuroscience. I received the low-down from him and witnessed a PhD defense at CSU for the Radiation Health Physics Program. The protocol as outlined in the book is fact.

Brian Perri's graduation posthumously. — Brian Perri’s Graduation with Dr. Thomas Johnson, Dr. Amber Harshman, & J.C. Fischer

Both J.C. and Brian earned their master’s degrees, however Brian’s was posthumously. At the time Brian made his last climb, he had the initial draft of his thesis completed. His professor finalized it and published it in his name posthumously.

What would you like me to reveal in the next Fact or Fiction article for Search Beyond Lies?

Find Search Beyond Lies on Amazon

Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction — The University

In Search Beyond Lies, a key place is the university. Both James and Brett were graduate students at the university and obtained PhDs in Health Physics. Is the university a real place?

The University

Although the university within the book is fictitious, both Brian Perri and J.C. were graduate students in Colorado State University’s Health Physics program. Because my intention was to create a fictitious university, I intentionally did no research on CSU at the time of my writing Search Beyond Lies.

The Real University – Colorado State University

Colorado State University is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. Its Health Physics program was created over 40 years ago and was fully accredited by ABET in July 2007 and continually reaccredited in subsequent years. CSU is recognized as one of the premier health physics/radiation protection graduate training programs in the country.

ABET and the Accreditation Process

In case you are wondering what ABET is, it’s a nonprofit, ISO 9001 certified organization that accredits university and college programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.

Every year the entire Health Physics program is critically examined by an advisory board, and in depth every 6 years by the ABET external review team.

CSU’s External Advisory Board contains representatives from nuclear power facilities, consulting experts, mining and milling operations, and national laboratories.

What is Health Physics?

I reached out to one of the key faculty members who provided me with the best definition of health physics: “Protection of workers, the public and the environment from harmful effects of radiation while facilitating beneficial use of radiation.”

You might wonder why someone who works in the field of radiation is called a Health Physicist. Why not a Radiation Physicist? I touched a little bit about this within the book.

The professor provided me with further insight. “The health physics profession was named in an effort to obfuscate what we do. It was named in WWII to try to deflect the actual work that was done.”

Unique Offerings in CSU’s Health Physics Program

Unlike other programs, CSU’s health physics program offers classes in Radioecology and Radiochemistry. Both of these areas are important for evaluating reactor chemistry and making human health and environmental impact assessments for all segments of the nuclear fuel cycle. Additionally, these areas are very important in evaluating and periodically revising the environmental regulations for nuclear power and other nuclear activities, especially nuclear accidents.

There are many opportunities for their graduate students, including the ability to work in radiation research through CSU’s partnership with Japan’s Fukushima University.

Job Opportunities

Where do graduates of CSU’s Health Physics program work? Since there are very few graduate programs in this highly specialized field, opportunities abound. Graduates are working in nuclear power plants, at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Monaco and Austria, most of the national laboratories, and hospitals. Many alumni hold leadership positions in the Health Physics Society, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and nuclear power plants.

It’s an incredible program with global opportunities. In the next article we’ll delve into the truth behind the top-secret research project with world-wide implications at the heart of Search Beyond Lies. Is it fact or fiction?

Search Beyond Lies is available on Amazon.

Search Beyond Lies: Fact or Fiction: The Character—Brady

One of the key characters in Search Beyond Lies is a schnauzer mutt name Brady. Is Brady a real dog? Is his story fact or fiction?

brady the dog

Brady is a real dog. He is our incredibly smart, well-trained family dog.

He rings a bell when he has to go out.
With Rob and J.C. he does all kinds of tricks, walks off leash at their heels, will not bark at their command or even chase rabbits.
Notice how the above did not include me. He is smart enough to know I’m a pushover and he can get away with … .

Although he is not a trained service dog or search and rescue working dog, he could easily be trained for both.

Brady masked during CO fires for protection against ash. — Brady knew his mask and neck ring protected him from the ash during the worst of the Colorado fires.

The Story behind how brady was “found”

Search Beyond Lies tells a story of how Brady was found and slept in a suitcase as a result. Is this story fact or fiction?

The story of how Brady was found is a true story with a major fictional twist. In the book, the animal that was found by Brett was Brady. The real story is that a kitten was found in the exact same manner by J.C. So, the story itself was true but fictionalized with different characters.

Brady belonged to my daughter, Victoria, and her husband Rob who is responsible for training him. After graduating from medical school, Rob had to move Victoria from Washington, D.C. to San Antonio, TX for her neurosurgery residence program (one year later he was able to transfer to the University of Texas for his doctoral program).

Brady looking out the window behind him in Rocky Mountain National Park. — Brady looking back in Rocky Mountain National Park

We were to only watch Brady for 2 weeks for the move, however, since both of their programs were extremely time intensive where Brady would be alone most of the day, we offered to keep him for the duration of their programs. Needless to say, we got attached to him and they gifted Brady to us (one of the best gifts we have ever received).

the suitcase

Brady does in fact sleep in a suitcase but for a different reason. When Brady first came to live with us my husband, Joe, did a lot of travel for his work. Brady wasn’t happy when he left and clearly thought Joe would take him along if he slept in his carry-on suitcase. My husband’s carry-on became Brady’s bed, and we bought another one for Joe.

Brady–The Name

Brady as a young puppy hiding in a suitcase.

The story behind Brady’s name is true. Brady was very tiny when Victoria and Rob first got him. My daughter wanted a small dog and Rob wanted a big dog, but they were living in an apartment and small it was. Their compromise was a small dog with a big name — Rob named him after his favorite quarterback, Tom Brady.

I’ve been asked if Brady will appear in future books. I’m working on Book 2, Pattern of Deception, which takes place in Alaska. He just may… .

Search Beyond Lies Cover -- A couple in the Colorado Rocky Mountains on a search and rescue mission.

Search Beyond Lies is available on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3ueVmTO

The Five-Year Anniversary

The Scientist’s Backstory

A Deeper Dive

The End

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Rules of Thumb

The Tragedy

Key Character Names

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new year’s resolutions: overcoming failure

new year’s goals

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The History Behind the Glasses

The sunglasses

The investigation

friends and family

conclusion

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Search Beyond Lies’ Top-Secret Research Project

The Real Research Project

PhD or Masters?

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The University

The Real University – Colorado State University

ABET and the Accreditation Process

What is Health Physics?

Unique Offerings in CSU’s Health Physics Program

Job Opportunities

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brady the dog

The Story behind how brady was “found”

the suitcase

Brady–The Name

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