Deep Time - by Susan Sizer Bogue (Paperback)

About the Book

"After an inspiring trip to the Grand Canyon, Lauren Brown falls in love with geology--so much so that she convinces her husband, Kenny, to follow her from Philadelphia to East Texas, where she enters a male-dominated graduate program at Texas Polytechnic. Lauren thrives on the adventure geology affords her--studying undersea volcanoes, shepherding clueless undergraduates in a remote national park, and climbing canyons in Oregon to collect rock samples--but at home, things are deteriorating. After separating from her straying husband, she becomes best friends with Chris, an honorable male colleague who helps her fend off a predatory professor. When Mount St. Helens awakens, geologists from all over the world flock to Washington. Lauren is determined to be part of the action and witness an erupting volcano. The dream event of a lifetime is at hand. On a Saturday in May, she and Kenny, with whom she has reconciled, convene with Chris to stake out Mount St. Helens. The first day, the mountain remains annoyingly quiet. The next day, it erupts with catastrophic power--and irreversibly upends Lauren's life."--

Book Synopsis

For adventurous fiction lovers, this debut novel tells the story of a young geologist working with ancient rocks who finds herself in present mortal danger when Mount St. Helens erupts with catastrophic power.

May 18, 1980. Mount St. Helens erupts with the force of 1,600 atomic bombs. Fifty-seven people die. The Pacific Northwest is changed forever.

Lauren Brown is six miles away.

It begins with a raft trip through the Grand Canyon. Lauren takes one look at ancient canyon walls with Earth's story written in stone and knows exactly what she wants to do with her life. She wants to read that story. She wants to be a geologist.

She enters the male-dominated field of 1970s geology and thrives on the studies and adventures afforded her but struggles with a predatory professor. Chris, an honorable colleague, helps her fend off the professor and becomes her best friend.

When Mount St. Helens awakens, Lauren vows to witness a major volcanic eruption. She chooses an observation site three ridges and six miles from the rumbling mountain, outside the prohibited Red Zone. When Mount St. Helens erupts with epic power, she realizes the eruption is so far beyond what was anticipated that people are going to die. In mortal danger herself, she escapes down the mountain just ahead of the deadly ash cloud, but Chris is missing. She searches for him for four days before learning his fate.

Review Quotes

"In Deep Time, Bogue has effortlessly woven together a compelling love story and an action-adventure story, tying them together with a master class about the Earth's geologic history."--Deb Acord, Rocky Mountain Reader

"Deep Time by Susan Sizer Bogue is a captivating and dramatic novel that spans from the 1970s to the 1980s. It is the perfect blend of science, nature, and adventure, with a flair for intrigue and self-discovery. . . . Fans of Pompeii, Robert Harris's hit novel, will be easily impressed by the adventures that await them in Deep Time."--Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

"Rich in scientific curiosity, emotional insight, and adventurous spirit, Deep Time will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction, women's fiction, and novels where personal growth unfolds alongside the awe-inspiring forces of nature."--Maincrest Media, 4.5-star review

About the Author

Susan Sizer Bogue is a lawyer turned novelist whose debut title, Deep Time, grew from a chance meeting with a woman geologist who survived the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Over years of friendship, Susan learned geology and volcanology from her friend and even traveled with her to the observation site near Mount St. Helens that the geologist once had believed was safe because it was outside the Red Zone, absorbing the firsthand story that became the emotional core of her novel during their many hours together. Susan made two more trips to the volcano before finishing Deep Time. She lives in Parker, Colorado, southeast of Denver.