BONESEEKER Blog Tour: Brynn Chapman Interview (+ Giveaway!)

Welcome to my stop on the Boneseeker Blog Tour! Here you will find my interview with author Brynn Chapman, which includes some fun research and her Boneseeker Love List Top 3! And be sure not to miss the International giveaway at the end!

THE BOOK

Title: Boneseeker

Author: Brynn Chapman

Release Date: June 17, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books

Summary: 

Arabella Holmes was born different and raised different. After it became apparent she wouldn't fit the role of a proper 1900's lady, her father, Sherlock, called in some lingering favors, and landed her a position at the Mutter Museum. The museum was Arabella's dream; she was to become a purveyor of abnormal science. What her father called a BoneSeeker.

Henry Watson arrives at the Mutter Museum with a double assignment--to become a finder of abnormal antiquities and to watch over and keep Arabella Holmes. An easy task, if he could only get her to speak to him instead of throwing knives in his general direction.

But this is no time for child's play. The two teens are assigned to a most secret exploration, when the hand of a Nephilim is unearthed in upstate New York. Soon, Arabella and Henry are caught in a fight for their lives as scientific debate swirls around them. Are the bones from a Neanderthal ... or are they living proof of fallen angels, who supposedly mated with humans according to ancient scrolls?

Sent to recover the skeleton, they discover they are the second team to have been deployed and the entire first team is dead. And now they must trust their instincts and rely on one another in order to survive and uncover the truth.

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THE AUTHOR

Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism. 

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THE INTERVIEW

Summarize Boneseeker in one sentence:

Sherlock’s daughter, Arabella Holmes, finds danger, death and unrequited love upon arriving at the Mutter Museum in 1910.

What was the initial spark that created Boneseeker? 

It was a combination of ‘what if’ questions. What if Holmes had a daughter? (He can scarcely tolerate Watson some days.) What if she was so like him, he could not ignore her? (Instead of shoving her with nannies, he saw his own genius beneath those unruly curls. He loves himself—he could not resist.)

What if, when grown, she could not fit into tight Edwardian Society’s box? What would he do with her?

What's your favorite Sherlock Holmes story?

I would say, “The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire.”

Who was your favorite character to write, and why? Who was your least favorite?

I love Henry and Bella equally—like you love your children—equally, but for their own individuality. Why—because I love all the good that is Henry—and his own particular brand of genius. And Bella—she so very complicated, and angsty, and difficult yet loveable and…is an entire Pandora’s box of emotions and conflict.

Hate? No one. I even love my villians. I mean, they star in their own lives.

If I had to pick one, it would be Sherlock himself. He only makes a cameo, as I don’t feel fit to reimagine him myself. ;)

What were some of the subjects you researched? 

Wow…well, I did a trip to the Mutter museum, filling a whole notebook about forensic anthropology and all their artifacts. Some of the interesting oddities ranged from a fifteen foot colon to Albert Einstein’s brain.

I researched the Nephilim skeletons. Many conflicting accounts and theories—the most interesting from 1912, when several oversized skeletons with two rows of teeth were supposedly uncovered. I will allow you to do your own searches on this subject. :)

The two societies mentioned in the book did exist—L’uomo Deliquente and Phrenology. My application of both to BONESEEKER however, being a total fabrication. From Wikipedia: 

Phrenology (from Greek: φρήν, phrēn, "mind"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is apseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull, based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specificfunctions or modules. Phrenology was first practiced by mystical groups that operated during the period of the Essenes. Developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gall in 1796, the discipline was very popular in the 19th century, especially from about 1810 until 1840. The principal British centre for phrenology was Edinburgh, where the Edinburgh Phrenological Society was established in 1820.

What’s your favorite line/passage in Boneseeker?

I think it’s the argument between Bella and Henry. When he tells her, her heart is Algor Mortis—‘cold death,’ a forensic term referring to rigor mortis.

He says, “I thought I would put it in terms you could understand.” (She deserved it ;)

Brynn Chapman's Boneseeker Love List Top 3

While I love this concept—I have the fear of interviews becoming like movie trailers—where they show all the best bits before you have ever seen the whole movie? That said, I will give generalities, and you will just have to read BONESEEKER to figure out my clues.

1. Bella doesn’t believe that people can be monogamous. Her own life and upbringing has been largely routed in science and routine, not love. I love Henry’s response to her—turning her own precious science against her.
2. I love when we see cracks in Bella’s rigid façade—hinting at what may lurk beneath the letters and numbers that make up her structured world. Like when they are near to strangling due to a toxic gas in the caves. We see chinks in her armour.
3. I love the concept of Six Impossible Things before Breakfast—from Alice in Wonderland, which they read together as children. And once again, how Henry weaves this common thread from the past into their present, convincing her that the Impossible…is indeed not just possible, but probable.

And that's it! My thanks to Ms. Chapman for the awesome interview! :)

THE GIVEAWAY

• Four (4) winners will receive an ebook copy of Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman (INT)
• One (1) winner will receive an ebook copy of Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman AND a $10 Amazon Gift Card or B&N Gift Card – Winner’s Choice (INT)

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And be sure to check out the rest of the tour here!