Ride Along with TheBookJeanie

This 1949 Bookmobile put in many miles bringing books to rural areas.  I am sure that children as well as adults waited excitedly for this big black book wagon to come lumbering down the lane.  Compare that to the latest innovation in libraries:  the Texas library with no books.

ABC News reported last week that San Antonio's newest library will be the home to the country's first book-less library.  Opening in the fall of 2013, Bibliotech will initially house 50 computer stations, 25 tablets, and will circulate 100 e-readers.  Technology is a wonderful addition to the resources that libraries offer but I am afraid that this vision of future libraries   seems rather bleak.  Storytime cuddled next to a silver monitor?  No more comfy reading chairs in a corner near the window?  No browsing in the stacks?  Let us know your thoughts. . .  

     

Around the Fiction Corner

Charlotte Rogan's compelling novel, The Lifeboat, opens in the year 1917 as the Austro-Hungarian Empire has begun to crumble and the threat of war is on the horizon.  But fear of war is not on the minds of newlyweds Grace and Henry Winter as they board the Empress Alexandria bound for New York after eloping to London.  Although uncertain about the reaction of Henry's family to their sudden marriage, Grace basks in the glow of her handsome banker husband and her new social status aboard this luxury liner.  When a massive explosion at sea rips through the ship, Grace is flung onto a lifeboat with a random assortment of passengers and a surly crew member while her new husband stands helplessly at the rail of the sinking vessel.  It is through her subsequent journal months later that we  come to know this young woman as she struggles to survive both physically and mentally amidst the desperation and mistrust aboard the overcrowded lifeboat.  Her perception of reality begins to warp as food and water are depleted and she is drawn into an alliance with fellow passengers that she will always question and ultimately regret. When a rescue finally takes place, Grace and two others are place under arrest when they dock in New York and her self-reflective journal becomes a strategic part of her defense as she goes on trial to fight for her life.  You will be want to read this novel straight through - it is impossible to put down.  

Spotlight on a new author

Joann Mead's first novel, Underlying Crimes, explores the dark underside of the biotechnology industry where the benefits to humanity take a second place to the profits that can be made, no matter what the risk or the consequences. When Jo, a member of a research team at biotech giant, Albio, discovers that the disposal of altered cells may pose a serious health threat to the community, she is followed, threatened, and ultimately physically harmed to prevent her from revealing her suspicions.  But Jo is only one woman up against a powerful biotech corporation as well as the greedy and corrupt politicians in her tiny state. Mead opens the door for the reader to the complex world of biotech research - the amazing possibilities for medical breakthroughs paired with the disturbing potential for unleashing biological mayhem.

Joann, you worked for years in the biotech industry so we know that you have the scientific background for writing a crime/medical mystery. But what exactly inspired you to write this very intriguing story?

Biotech is a “dual use” technology; it has the potential for good and evil. The obvious benefits are the creation of drugs and therapies but the dangers could be the escape of those very same genes, perhaps engineered DNA that quells or dampens immunity. I was inspired to tell the story of what could happen if these dangerous genes escape.

The secrecy and intense competition involved in your main character's profession was integral to building suspense in this story. Is this typical of the bio-tech industry?

Intense competition is not uncommon in big corporations. It also depends on who leads the company. Some leaders have no moral compass.

The disregard for safety measures in biotech research is chilling in your novel. How real is this danger?

In the US, the FDA mantra is purity, sterility and safety of the drug product . On the other hand, in the biotech’s local community, the sewage regulations are usually enforced by the town council’s sewage commissioner, not always the most competent person. 

Your story ends with the potential for a sequel. Is that in your plans or have you started another book?

The last chapter of Underlying Crimes is the first chapter of my next “biocrime” novel. Jo and Jeremy Blair are on a crusade to uncover the devious world of rogue scientists tinkering with deadly DNA and virulent microbes in their do-it-yourself basement lab.  

You chose to self-publish this book, your first novel. Was this difficult to accomplish? Why did you choose this route?

Traditional publishers are consolidating. The few remaining publishers look for established, well-known authors to sell their books. Self-publishing has changed the paradigm for new authors to leap frog the usual channels and get their books out. After eight years of writing and researching, it was time to get my book into print.

What would be your advice to first time authors like yourself?

Write about your passion, re-write. Follow your instincts. Write about what you know, what you imagine. You don’t need to know where you are going. You will get there eventually.
Underlying Crimes is available on Amazon, in print as well as a download to your Kindle.