Simmon on podcast “Author to Author”
Listen to the podcast Author to Author, where James Riordan discusses The God Gene with writer, producer and TV host, Jaymie Simmon.
The God Gene Featured at Printer’s Row Lit Fest
Jaymie Simmon’s Chicago-based debut novel, THE GOD GENE, is the winner of the 2013 National Indie Excellence Award for Literary Fiction. It was also a finalist in the 2013 Midwest Book Awards. Simmon will be at the Printers Row Lit Fest today and June 9 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. in the Illinois Woman’s Press Association tent, where the author will be selling and signing copies of her book.
THE GOD GENE centers on Rosalind Evans, a beautiful, determined, 36-year-old cancer researcher at a prestigious Chicago university. She is completing work on a highly confidential pharma project when she discovers that the genetic code at the center of the second chromosome spells out The Ten Commandments.
“The God Gene” is as much social satire as it is thriller.”
Simmon donates a portion of the proceeds from every book to charity. This year’s recipient is BallouSkies, a charity that supports research for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
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THE GOD GENE Wins 2013 National Indie Excellence Award for Literary Fiction
THE GOD GENE reads at thriller pace, but takes a deep, darkly humorous dive into the American psyche at a point where information overload and political ambition collide. THE GOD GENE won the 2013 National Indie Excellence Award for Literary Fiction. It was also a finalist in the 2013 Midwest Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction, and a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Award for Fiction. Simmon studied at theUniversity of Chicago’s Writer’s Studio.
The story
The story centers on Rosalind Evans, a beautiful, determined, 36-year-old cancer researcher at a Chicago university. She is completing work on a confidential pharma project when she discovers that the genetic code at the center of the second chromosome spells out The Ten Commandments. She fears her project has been hacked, but before she can investigate, a co-worker leaks the bizarre discovery to a popular blog. The story goes viral and the next morning the world wakes up to the news that there is a message from God in their DNA.
With the media fanning the flames, debate rages over the authenticity and meaning of the so-called God gene. Is it a hoax? A miracle? The end of times? Evans is the scapegoat for society’s fear and uncertainty and becomes the victim of a conspiracy that reaches from the White House to the Vatican and from the ivory towers of academe to the boardrooms of big pharma. She must battle them all in order to regain her scientific integrity, her freedom, and ultimately, her life.
Author Jaymie Simmon says the idea for the book came from her insatiable appetite for political news. “I admit it: I’m a news junkie,” Simmon says. “I’ve tried to quit, but American politics is like a Fellini movie; it’s absurd, yet you can’t take your eyes off it.”
Praise for The God Gene
Jack Hatfield, Chairman of the Chicago Area Great Books Council, says, “I highly recommend The God Gene… Fully developed characters. Interesting plot line. Very relevant to our times and its spiritual and moral ambiguity.”
Phil Angelo of The Daily Journal says, “The humor here runs the gamut from laugh-out-loud to dark.”
