Novel Depicts U.S. Earthquake and Nuclear Spill, Weeks Prior to Japan Crisis

May 2, 2011 - PRLog -- San Jose, CA –- Author Carol Goode released her debut novel G.E.M. just weeks before elements of the storyline appeared in worldwide headlines from Japan:  an earthquake-damaged nuclear facility spewing lethal radiation into the environment.  The story's parallel to current events brings both alarm and hope to fans of the book—especially those living around nuclear facilities.

In the plausible world created on the pages of G.E.M., a violent earthquake unleashes Hanford's 53 million gallons of radioactive by-products stockpiled beneath the 563-acre nuclear reservation and a Silicon Valley bio-tech firm races to neutralize the threat with its genetically engineered microbes (GEMs).  The journey is perilous.

Readers are intrigued by the novel's possibilities, both in terms of the geologic activity in the Pacific Northwest and the potential for environmental cleanup through bioremediation, the term applied to decontamination through living organisms.  "As a person living in the Tri-Cities this is not very comforting.  But it makes the book all the more exciting," said one reader.

Ms. Goode drew upon her background in microbiology, her high-tech career in Silicon Valley, and her husband's decade-long experience as a consultant on Department of Energy contracts at Hanford to seal the story's credibility in what she terms "fictionalized science", a subtle but important distinction to those who would label the work science fiction.  "I'm often asked if the story's events are possible," she said.  "The short answer is 'yes'.  I tried to remain true to the science, but with terms, timelines, and characters that keep a non-scientist engaged."

G.E.M. is available for purchase online in trade paperback (US$12.95) and e-book (US$4.95) formats and from major book retailers and wholesalers.  [SoundsGoode Media, 315 pp.  ISBN 9781456539252].  Additional information is available at http://www.GEM.SoundsGoode.com.

About the Author
Carol Goode was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania where she developed a love for nature and the life sciences.  Before pursuing writing, she earned degrees in biology and business and enjoyed a multifaceted career that ranged from medical researcher to Silicon Valley executive.  Ms. Goode is the co-author of three scientific research publications.  G.E.M. is her first novel.  She currently resides in San Jose, CA with her husband.

For more information about G.E.M., please visit www.GEM.SoundsGoode.com. or contact Carol Goode at 408.499.3811 or GEM.TheNovel@gmail.com.

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