I'm flattered, I think?
Without being aware of the title -- or even the existence -- of my upcoming book, SUGAR SHOCK!, today, the front page of AOL (for us AOL users; can't link to it, sorry) touts in a big headline, "Sugar Shock," when referring to the film, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which opens tomorrow.
Since I'm no longer an L.A.-based entertainment journalist invited to a plethora of screenings (just about every day of the week), I'll catch an early show tomorrow (12:01 a.m.!) in New York (where I now live) and get you my thoughts in the wee hours of the morning or tomorrow morning/early afternoon about the remake of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
Incidentally, do you like my book title, SUGAR SHOCK!?
This naming of my title dates back to 2001, when I came up with a very cool, I think, definition of it. I was going to post this here much, much later on -- in a few months -- but now seems the appropriate time given AOL's preference for the phrase.
(This definition below comes at the beginning of the book, if I can convince my publisher to be. Maybe you, dear readers, can help me do that.):
SUGAR SHOCK!(TM) - A mind-numbing, personality-bending, health-destroying constellation of symptoms affecting millions worldwide who frequently turn to processed sweets and simple carbs, which send their blood sugar levels wildly soaring and plummeting. The term SUGAR SHOCK! encompasses the often-misdiagnosed, dismissed condition of hypoglycemia and other blood sugar disorders, from insulin resistance to diabetes. Victims of SUGAR SHOCK! could experience such baffling symptoms as moodiness, fatigue, dizziness, cold sweats, depression, vertigo, drowsiness or sleeplessness, headaches, fatigue, forgetfulness, anxiety, mental confusion, heart palpitations, lack of sex drive, temper outbursts, suicidal thoughts, and more. This insidious roller-coaster effect brought on by inferior carbs hampers sufferers' ability to function at full throttle--or even half throttle. Research suggests that repeatedly stimulating insulin release by over-consuming sweeteners (which most Americans do) could contribute to such "big killers" as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
In case you're wondering if I made this stuff up, think again. I interviewed more than 250 (possibly 300; I need to count) revered physicians, researchers, nutritionists, fitness experts, obesity "warriors," public health advocates, activists, attorneys, and more from all over the world (plus hundreds of self-described "sugar addicts",) all of whom very generously took considerable time to explain how our consumption of sweets and refined carbohydrates (or what I call quickie, Much-Like-Sugar Carbs) could contribute to a host of health woes. (Incidentally, a well-respected physician is coming on board as my co-author. Details forthcoming.)
A very special thanks to my sharp, savvy, sweet friend Wendy Dubit of Vergant (who used to work at AOL) for taking a couple of minutes to call me and let me know about the "Sugar Shock" headline. (Wendy, you made my day!)
This AOL headline just confirms what I already knew -- SUGAR SHOCK! is a great book title. At least, I think so! To 'fess up, I'm afraid I can't take full credit for this catchy phrase. I had some remarkable help and creative prodding three years ago from the super talented author/speaker/book-title-naming "queen" Sam Horn, while we brainstormed together (well, she was wildly innovative; I watched and helped some) at the Maui Writers Conference in 2002.
Now's your chance! Call me curious. Tell me if you like my book title, SUGAR SHOCK! Got one you like better? I'm open to ideas.
By the way, many thanks go to cutting-edge authors John Battelle, Aaron Hamburger, Poppy Z. Brite, David Weinburger, Chris Anderson -- all recently written up in fascinating New York Times article, "Dear Blog: Today I Worked on My Book."
Each and every one of these writers inspired me to use this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog in a different, more creative way than I've been doing since I launched it in early June, after I finished writing my book. Best of luck to you all on your books. (I already placed an advance order of Battelle's book online last night; I'll be the among the first readers to buy the rest of yours.)
