Julie Korzenko's debut novel from Medallion Press is a romantic ecothriller. Chastised for not cooperating with the oil industry, zoologist Cassidy Lowell is reassigned from the jungles of the Niger Delta to Yellowstone National Park, where wolves are disappearing. Her path soon crosses Jake Anderson's, a Special Forces operative who is working undercover at her organization's ZEBRA research agency. Jake's mission is to determine the ominous connection that seems to exist between ZEBRA and one of the oil companies. Yellowstone proves a dangerous challenge. CPV-19 is an alarming genetic mutation that merges a human and canine parvovirus. The virus is loose and uncontrolled. Murder, execution, deadly helicopter rides, and a double cross lead Jake and Cassidy back to the Niger Delta.
Publishers Weekly praised Devil's Gold: "Korzenko's polished debut, a romantic ecothriller, introduces Dr. Cassidy Lowell, a zoologist...Fans of Alex Kava, Shannon McKenna and Suzanne Brockmann will hope to see more of Cassidy and Jake." And Romantic Times gave it 4.5 Stars, "...a fascinating and scary book...You'll be hooked by the first chapter."
The Inspiration for the novel came from Julie's appreciation for nature: "I was Googling areas in our world that are being destroyed by man's greed, and the plight of the Niger Delta struck a cord. The Niger Delta is quietly disappearing without any attempt at restitution or fanfare about the desecration of an important ecological environment. Devil's Gold also provided me with an opportunity to write about one of my favorite places--Jackson, Wyoming. My vacation to Yellowstone had such an impact on me and stamped my writerly brain with so many images and memories that I was compelled to put them on paper."Julie Korzenko writes with authority. "I began college as a zoology major. The field stayed close to my heart. Add that to the privilege of having my character grow up in an environment that protects a wide variety of species in Yellowstone National Park, and whammo--a zoologist was born."
"The romance subplot came easy," she continues. "I love a great romance and a happy ending. The challenge was to make the plot conducive to a romance and to allow appropriate areas for the characters' affections to bloom. I wanted to avoid the whole "as soon as I kill this guy, I'm going to ravish you" scenario.
Her career as a family law paralegal provides ample inspiration for character study. When Julie is not working, she writes or reads: "I love all genres, from romance to action adventure to thrillers to horror to fantasy. Two of my favorite authors are Clive Cussler and Nora Roberts, but I always wished Cussler would ratchet up his romance and Nora would kill someone."
Born in England, raised in New England, and subsequently settling in the South, Julie's background has strongly influenced her eclectic taste in literature, art and life experiences. She graduated with a business degree in paralegal studies. Her career has run the gambit from law to network administration to marketing and back to law. To find out more, visit http://www.juliekorzenko.com
Contributing editor Sibylle Barrasso is the author of Dark Waters. She was a finalist in the "St. Martins Press Best First Private Eye Novel Contest," received an award from Sue Grafton at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and was a contributing author of Bad Boys and Bad Girls in the Badlands, a critical anthology about mysteries set in the Southwest.
