Do you think the topicality of your premise will draw people to your novel, or make them uncomfortable?

Both. Thriller readers love the adrenalin rush a thriller gives, and on that front, there isn't anything much scarier than a relentless, deadly virus against which humans have no protection. On the other hand, an avian flu pandemic runs the risk of being too scary.

Ironically, I never undertook to write a thriller. Instead, I tried to address my own fears about protecting my family should the worst ever take place. I focused on one family and most of the action takes place within their home. In that sense, my book is more about the family than about the virus. My characters are pushed to do things they never imagined doing; they watch their community crumble, and struggle with their own humanity.

What does your novel say about our world? About relationships?

There's a lot of horror in this world. A thriller writer doesn't have to go far for material. But there's a lot of joy and magic in it, too. The Things That Keep Us Here shows a world in which the very worst happens, and the very best. It's a tricky balance, and reflected in my two main characters, unhappily married to one another and opposite in every way. Peter believes in the greater good outweighing the needs of the few, while Ann is determined to keep their two daughters safe, no matter the moral or emotional cost. It's the push and pull dynamic of their relationship, as chaos rains dpwn, that drives the action forward.

How did your real life jobs - political press secretary, Smithsonian Institute analyst, and technical writer for a defense contractor - help you with research?

Working in such diverse fields taught me to be fearless in undertaking research. For example, as a technical writer, I was charged with writing users manuals for a well-known missile system. As an art history and English major, this was clearly something I knew nothing about. I had to rely on military experts who did. I've done a lot of things in the name of research: attended building implosions up close and personal, ridden with firefighters on the way to a call, interviewed dialysis patients during their treatment. In researching The Things That Keep Us Here, I was lucky enough to interview OSU scientists who go out in the field to study the virus, and who know its nature, inside and out.

Tell us about the evolution of your title, The Things That Keep Us Here.

The original title was Flu Season. Two years later, it's gone through a few changes. It's appeared as Flight Risk, Six Hours, and was sold to the UK and Germany as Out of Thin Air. No one felt, however, that any of these titles was right. During a marathon twelve-hour session, my publishing house brainstormed a list of thirty contenders, and the final, unanimously agreed-upon victor was The Things That Keep Us Here, which I love. I'm thrilled that Random House was so invested in finding the perfect title.

Your debut has landed you much acclaim from some of publishing's top thriller writers. James Rollins calls it "an apocalyptic novel as topical as today's headlines, yet as intimate as a lover's touch." Share your path to publication.

It was a long path and one I only managed to stay on out of sheer stubbornness. Over the course of fifteen years, during which I raised three children, I wrote eight novels, four of which were agented (my agent deserves a prize for sticking with me for nine very long years.) We had some nibbles but no hits.

I had been writing traditional mysteries, but when bird flu garnered media attention in 2007, it captured mine as well. The novel almost wrote itself and I knew it was the best I'd ever written. I felt real hope. But three publishing houses turned it down because the topic was too scary. Disheartened, I took a job editing medical papers for Chinese scientists. Three days later, my agent called with an offer.

Booklist compared your work to Robin Cook's. Does your next book also take us inside science?

Yes, my next book also focuses on a global threat, as shown from the perspective of the non-scientist. In it, a woman, long estranged from her hometown and her family, returns to find her sister dead and others sick from the same disease. Although I don't want to reveal the source of the illness, I will say it's based on a truly frightening phenomenon that few people are aware of, but scientists are looking into, and I predict it will start making headlines shortly.
 
For more about The Things That Keep Us Here, check www.carlabuckley.com

Contributing editor Julie Kramer's MISSING MARK, landed a rave review from People Magazine. "Smart dialogue and a fleet pace make this second outing in Kramer's fledgling series a crowd-pleaser." Her debut, STALKING SUSAN, was a nominee for the Mary Higgins Clark, Anthony, Barry, and Shamus awards. Her third, SILENCING SAM, is coming this summer.