DARK BIOLOGY - Bonnie Doran - One Free Book

Readers, here's another new author. 

Welcome, Bonnie. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I’m surprised at how angry some of my characters are, because that’s a side of myself I don’t like to acknowledge. Doubting self and God are part of my characters as well. I also throw in some humor. I’m fond of groan-producing puns.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Shown up for a sci-fi costume contest wearing a Goth outfit, holding an American flag, and marching onstage to “Stars and Stripes Forever.” My apologies to the artist of “American Gothic.”

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I wrote a poem in fifth grade about the planet Mercury.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

Mostly science fiction and fantasy. I enjoy suspense and thrillers as well.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Sanity? What’s that? I don’t have kids or a job, so that keeps me sane. Right now I have a timer on my desk set for 25 minutes at a time so I don’t spend my whole day on Facebook.

I set a timer on my desk so I will get up and walk after 30 minutes at the computer. It helps my legs. How do you choose your characters’ names?

Sometimes the characters tell me their names. Most often, I borrow names from people I know, like the Hildebrandts. In C. Worthington Hildebrandt’s case, the officious name came before I realized the man was doubting his own worth in God’s eyes, so the name Worth foreshadowed his coming to terms with that.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Finishing the novel one day before a writers conference and sending it to an agent who requested it two years before.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A golden retriever. They’re friendly, loyal, and intelligent.

In my growing up years, our family had a golden retriever. We loved her. What is your favorite food?

Almost anything Asian. I make kung pao chicken and Korean beef at home. I also enjoy pad thai and sushi.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Fear. At one point I couldn’t face the keyboard without my fingers wandering to my favorite computer game in avoidance. I learned to congratulate myself when I opened the Word file and showed up at the page. Usually I got into the story after that.

Tell us about the featured book.

Dark Biology is a science thriller, Apollo 13 meets Contagion in movie terms. Here’s the back cover blurb: Renowned vaccinologist “Hildi” Hildebrandt has set her sights on beating her brother to a Nobel Prize, and the opportunity to conduct experiments on the International Space Station might just provide the means to obtain that goal. Chet Hildebrandt should have had that opportunity. But now he’ll teach a lesson to them all: his hot-shot astronaut sister, his philandering hypocritical father, and the CDC for not properly appreciating his work. One vial of a virus purloined from the CDC labs and released at his father’s marriage seminar should do the trick, without hurting anybody. After all, it’s only a mild influenza strain...Or is it?

The novel also has a strong theme of forgiveness. Each main character faces this issue.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Infection Minus Ten Months

            Hildi’s nose itched.

            She ignored it. While she waited for her lab partner to emerge from the airlock, she checked the seals of her blue biocontainment suit again. Good habits could save her life.

            Hildi pulled a coiled yellow air hose suspended from the ceiling and plugged it into a socket near her waist. The deflated suit expanded as air roared past her face. The familiar ballooning sensation saddened her for a moment. She’d miss her work here.

            Then she grinned. She’d be wearing a pressure suit in her new job and performing similar cutting-edge work in an even stranger environment.

            Her practiced eyes appraised Biosafety Level 4, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most dangerous lab. Everything down and cold. But an adjoining room held liquid-nitrogen freezers filled with hot agents, the deadliest diseases known to man.

            Francine stepped from the airlock. Hildi’s college friend had never worked in Level 4, but she moved with confidence. Hildi stared into Francine’s faceplate and noted her calm expression. She’d do fine.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Here are a few links:

Website: Where Faith and Science Fiction Collide: http://www.bonniedoranbooks.com/

Blog: The Mad Scientist’s Wife: http://bonniedoran.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bonniedoranbooks

Twitter: @bonniedoran

Twitter hashtag: #DarkBiology

Thanks for the opportunity to appear on your blog.

Thank you for sharing this new book with us, Bonnie. Maybe I should get my flu shot before I read it. :-)

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Dark Biology

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