Can you tell readers
a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular
genre?
Sure. I’m a senior
medical scientist who also gave birth to two minions--though as
scientists-in-training, they’re not really making the cut. Every time I take them to the lab they just
want to color on all my notes and use the microscope to look at boogers.
Deciding to write a novel in this genre was probably
kismet. When I wrote my first novel, I
was working the night shift in a small hospital laboratory. The hospital had downsized and closed a wing
a few years before, and there were a lot of creepy stories about hauntings in
that wing. I used to go up there on
lunch with some pals and ghost hunt.
When I started writing Asylum, I had been doing a lot of research on
abandoned hospitals. Originally the
story was going to be strictly paranormal.
The plot involved two girls, who were roommates, and their weird
adventures in a haunted dormitory. After
I threw in a male character to balance them out, it just sort of turned into a
romance.
Please tell us about
your latest release.
Abraham’s Men is the second book in the Birch Harbor
Series. Our two roommates, Sam and
Chloe, are headed back to Birch Harbor College for their sophomore year. Chloe’s still struggling with the realization
that she was never really schizophrenic, and that the voices she’s heard have
always been real. She’s determined to
follow through with her plans and head to London to find the secret society known
as Abraham’s Men. Unfortunately, her
boyfriend Seth is just as determined to convince her to let it all go and live
a normal life with him. She has some
major decisions to make, and she’s forced to weigh love against what she feels
is her duty. There are still some
exciting plot twists, just like in the first book, but this one is much more
character driven.
Is there a character
that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
I LOVE Sam! She doesn’t
give a crap what people think and she never holds back. She’s a hard-drinking, hard-partying, no
excuses kind of girl with a mouth and an ego, and she’s funny. Writing dialogue for her is so much fun.
What is your favorite
scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of
course?
Sure. Like I said, I
really enjoy writing back and forth dialogue between Sam and just about any
other character. In this scene, Chloe’s
professor, Dr. Willard, has stopped by her house to drop off instructions for a
trip she’s accompanying him on as a research assistant. He’s a very awkward, formal, scholarly sort
of man with a ridiculous waxed moustache.
Chloe’s best friends, Sam and Beth, are listening in on the
conversation:
“Dr. Willard, there’s something I
wanted to bring up, and I just wanted to make sure it was alright. My boyfriend will be flying in to spend
Christmas with me. It won’t interfere
with my work. He’s just going to come
for a week, and I hope that it won’t be a problem.”
“Oh!” Dr. Willard looked
surprised. “I do hope it’s not…not
because of any… well, Ms. Adams, I don’t want there to be any
misunderstanding. No assumptions of
impropriety, not by any means! I…this is
strictly a-a-a pursuit of information, and I-”
“Oh, no. Do you have a problem with us staying together? I didn’t realize that…I…I” Chloe stuttered.
“No! Not at all.
I only meant that… oh, dear. You
see, Ms. Adams, I was trying to allude to the fact that I would hope that he
isn’t coming because he thinks that I would…that my interests aren’t… scholarly
ones,” Dr. Willard fumbled.
Awkward,
Sam mouthed silently from behind Dr. Willard.
“OH!” Chloe’s face burned.
“No! Oh my God. No, no.
Wow. He just didn’t want me to
spend Christmas alone, that’s all.”
“Very good. Well…that’s just….that’s very well,
then. Good day, Ms. Adams…and
Ms.Erickson.” Dr. Willard nodded his
head at each of them and turned to leave.
For a few seconds, after the door
closed behind him, one could have heard a pin drop.
Then Sam wailed with laughter.
“Assumptions…of impropriety!” she
gasped, her voice cracked as she wiped tears from her eyes.
“That’s Willard-speak for don’t
think you’re going to be seeing his naked psyche,” Beth giggled.
“Shut…UP!” Chloe screeched,
grabbing the roll of paper towels off the counter and flinging it at Sam.
“Can you…imagine?” Sam wheezed,
ducking the paper towels. “I wonder if
his moustache tickles.”
“EW! EW!” Chloe cried.
“No! With all that wax? You would probably be able to see your
reflection in anything it touched,” Beth dead-panned.
“Ohhhhhh” Sam groaned, “No! Sick!”
“I hate you both so much,” Chloe
spat.
“I have the most horrifying mental
image right now,” Beth admitted.
“Hey, hey, you think if they had an
affair and Clo got pregnant, the baby would have his moustache?” Sam asked,
trying to keep her face straight.
“I’m going to choke you,” Chloe
warned.
“Well,” Sam straightened up, wiping
her eyes again. “that was disgustingly
awful. What’s for dinner?”
Did you find anything
really interesting while researching this or another book?
Definitely. Both
books contain a lot of factual information on the history of psychology and the
development and decline of insane asylums.
One of the most interesting historical characters was Thomas Story
Kirkbride, who developed the plan that was the inspiration for most insane
asylums in America. He was a tireless
advocate for the mentally ill, even after he was shot in the head by a former
patient. Yeah…he lived. Apparently, his hat stopped the bullet.
What is the most
interesting thing you have physically done for book related research purposes?
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but breaking into abandoned
asylums to walk around and take pictures.
Funny story—one asylum I ‘visited’ was being renovated, but since it was
the weekend, I figured no one would be there.
I got in through a side door that had been kicked in. As I was walking around, taking pictures, I
just kept telling myself, ‘if anyone sees me, I’ll just play dumb’. I’ll just say, ‘oh the door was open, I
didn’t see the no trespassing sign.’ Unfortunately, a construction worker
happened to walk out of a room and see me from down a hallway. He yelled ‘HEY!’, and all my maturity and
self-assurance vanished, and I reverted to my 16-year-old self. I squealed “EEEEEEEE!” and took off running. Luckily, he didn’t chase me, because I
probably would have had a heart attack.
When did you consider
yourself a writer?
I don’t know if I do.
It’s easy to say I’m a scientist, because I have a bunch of degrees
hanging on the wall to assure me of it.
Saying I’m a writer is a lot harder for some reason.
Other than writing,
what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
Science, of course. I
won’t bore the crap out of anyone with the details, but I’m very passionate
about many different fields of research, particularly genetics.
What was the last
amazing book you read?
A book that’s kind of strangely appropriate for this
blog. It was called, The Immortal Life
of Henrietta Lacks. In the laboratory,
there’s a certain cell known as HeLa. It
was the first immortal cell line, and was used in countless research
projects. It was used to develop the
polio vaccine and many other amazing things, but the cells were taken from a
woman who never gave her consent and died of cancer, never knowing about
it. While her cells have contributed so
much to the world, and to medical science in particular, (consequently
generating billions of dollars) her children grew up without a mother and can’t
even afford basic medical care. It made
me reexamine some of my own bioethical beliefs.
I would recommend it to anyone!
What can readers
expect next from you?
I’m currently plugging away on the third book in the Birch
Harbor Series, The Kirkbride Plan. It’ll
be out next year, and is, so far, the most action-packed book of the
series! Readers are going to get a lot
of answers about Chloe’s family and their involvement with Abraham’s Men.
Where can readers
find you on the web?
The Birch Harbor Series facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/BirchHarborSeries
And my website: http://www.kristenselleck.webs.com
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Abraham’s Men
Birch Harbor Series, Book 2
Kristen Selleck
Kristen Selleck
Genre: YA paranormal romance
ISBN: 9780615706122
Number of pages: 394
Word Count: 86,000
Cover Artist: Kristen Selleck
Book Description:
College sophomore Chloe Adams returns to Birch Harbor determined to find the remnants of the secret society known as Abraham's Men.
Yet, the only clues she has are the words 'find Ian Rose' and a strange coded journal that once belonged to her father.
No longer able to hear the voices that have plagued her for most of her life, and finally having the loving home she has always dreamed of, Chloe struggles to define what she wants--
Until fate and her mentor conspire to offer her the chance to discover the truth.
Unfortunately, the truth might kill her.
About the Author:
Kristen Selleck is avidly evil. Until recently, she worked as a mad scientist. After several diabolical attempts at world domination proved unsuccessful (most notably, building an army of robots from used pipettes, empty reagent boxes, and other things left lying around the lab), she decided to pick up the pen. She used the pen to poke an annoying lady at the gas station in the eyeball. Then she decided to write.
She has been known to speak with a strong Russian accent. This is inexplicable due to the fact that she was born in Detroit. It has also been documented that she likes vodka, roller coasters, things which are purple, and blowing things up with dry ice. She abhors kittens, wood paneling popularized in the 1970's, and her arch-nemesis Jimmy (the Evil Overlord of Specimen Processing). She was last known to reside in Grand Rapids, and may be in the company of two evil apprentices, and her devoted henchman, Shad. If seen, please contact the FBI immediately (she owes someone in Accounting a sandwich).
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