Books in the Hall: It Came from the Science Lab by T. Melissa Madian

Monday, October 12, 2020

It Came from the Science Lab by T. Melissa Madian

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. T. Melissa Madian will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops in the tour.

Pretend your protagonist is at school and opens his/her locker – what will we see inside?

Bartholomew is a curious little creature that was created by a science experiment gone wrong and is therefore not familiar with our world. So he’d probably collect things that he’s discovered while wandering around exploring and put them in his locker for safe-keeping. Things like bottle caps, old cameras that don’t quite work, forks (metal and plastic), and cassette tapes that aren’t fully spooled so the tape is hanging from the casing. And his well-marked science textbooks because he loves science!

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

I loved reading EVERYTHING I could get my hands on as a kid! I was a huge fan of the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries – so much so that my public school librarian started to keep me informed of when she’d get new books in the series, since I’d read everything so quickly! I really enjoyed Gordon Korman’s books, especially “I Want to Go Home”; humour is a large part of what I enjoy in a book, and his books always made me laugh. I also loved – and still love – Choose Your Own Adventure books. I kept a bunch of my favorites and they sit on my bookshelf, just in case I want a splash of nostalgia in my day. Even just looking at them on the shelf makes me smile!

What superpower would you love to have? Why?

Ooh, this is a tough one. I’d love to be telekinetic, so I wouldn’t have to get up off the couch to get anything from the kitchen. I’m only 5 feet tall, so it would be super-handy when doing the laundry, gardening or putting dishes away. Or maybe telepathic, so I’d know what my husband and cat were thinking at all times.

Favorite TV show from your childhood?

This would be a tie between Mork and Mindy and The Greatest American Hero. The idea of a space alien trying to figure out how to live on Earth was hilarious to me, plus it starred the inimitable Robin Williams, who was so funny and frenetic. The Greatest American Hero was also a comedy; the premise was an average guy gets chosen by aliens to be a superhero, and he’s really, really terrible at it, which makes everything incredibly funny. I’ve been trying to find The Greatest American Hero on streaming platforms, but I guess it’s too obscure a show from the early eighties to get picked up!

Create an ice cream flavor. What’s it called?

Chocolate burnt marshmallow. I love chocolate, and really love the taste of toasted marshmallows. No nuts or other bits in it; I love ice cream I can lick without needing to chew! Served in a fresh-made waffle cone, of course.

You’ve just won a million dollars and you’re not allowed to save any of it. What do you spend it on?

I would donate $150k to a STEM charity for young girls, $150k to supporting Armenian charities, and $150k to Black Lives Matter. The remainder would get used by my husband and I to buy tickets to every Formula 1 race and we would go on a world tour, travelling to all the cities Formula 1 races in and enjoying all the local food and culture. We love to travel, and the F1 circuit goes to some amazing locations, so it’s a great opportunity to combine everything we love into one big adventure!

Favorite class in high school. Why?

Physics! Understanding how the forces in the world work and all the different possibilities that can be created by just by knowing the fundamentals of physics has always been fascinating to me. My enjoyment of Physics was one of the big reasons I went to university for Mechanical Engineering. Science is a fantastic field of study, and my hope is that more kids get excited about learning science subjects, as it can open the mind to such amazing creativity and potential.

It was business as usual at the Acme Science Lab, until one day a massive explosion sent the scientists fleeing for safety.

But out of the smoke and chemicals emerged an amazing new creature... Bartholomew Blob!

With the lab destroyed, Bartholomew leaves the comforts of the only home he has ever known in search of new friends and a place to live.

As he travels through golden fields his body changes color with every emotion he feels.

Life can be lonely for a blob, but Bartholomew discovers there's kindness and love to be found in every adventure.

Read an Excerpt

A deafening noise filled the air around Bartholomew. He turned and shrieked – a huge object with large, sharp teeth and four fat round legs was heading straight for him! A yellow streak ran across Bartholomew and he shut his eyes tightly, hoping the creature would not see him.

The tractor stopped mere feet from Bartholomew. A girl jumped out and ran over to him, picking him up in her arms and lifting him to her face. Bartholomew, feeling the strength of her arms, opened his eyes and looked into a pair of big, brown eyes.

“What are you?” she asked.

“I… I… I’m Bartholomew Blob. I came from the science lab across the fields” Bartholomew said.

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