G.e.m.

For over a half century, the nation's largest stockpile of radioactive waste-some 53 million gallons-lurked in captivity beneath the 560 square miles of southeastern Washington's Hanford Nuclear Reservation-until one Saturday morning when nearby Rattlesnake Mountain becomes the epicenter of a rare and violent earthquake that unleashes the perils of Hanford's toxic legacy. Insidious poisons, freed from their confines, rush silently through underground waterways toward the Columbia River posing an imminent threat to the region's civilian population. Using their company's genetically engineered microbes to combat the deadly advance, biotechnology gurus Marcus Steele and Leigh Richards lead their scientific team in the race of and for their lives.

Carol Goode is a native of Western Pennsylvania. Before pursuing writing, she earned degrees in biology and business and enjoyed a multifaceted career that ranged from medical researcher to Silicon Valley executive. Her work experiences in the chemical industry, high-tech startups, Fortune 100 companies and in her own consulting business provided unique insights into environmental issues, technology forecasting and security, and continue to inspire her fiction. Ms. Goode won her first writing contest at the age of eleven. She is the co-author of three scientific research publications and author of an inspirational essay appearing in the San Jose Mercury News. G.E.M is her first novel. She currently lives with her husband in San Jose, California.