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Carol Fullerton Samsel lives with her husband of fourteen years in a small country home in Benton, Arkansas. Originally from the Tampa Bay area of Florida, she relocated to Arkansas five years ago, after her husband was hired by a Little Rock hospital.
Carol is an artist, as well as a writer. Her paintings and prints have been exhibited in regional, national, and international exhbitions. In fact, Clones is Carol's second book. Last year she released An Artist's Path: Two Years Toward Professionalism, which is written for those pursuing art as a career.
She designed the cover of Clones using photographs licensed through a stock photography agency (having become acquainted with the ins and outs of art licensing while working for a decorative paper bag manufacturer).
For six years, she worked in an editorial office at the University of Florida, preparing articles and grants for various researchers and professional publications. Her desk was eventually moved into a laboratory where diabetes research was being performed. She drew from this experience while creating the laboratory settings in Clones.
She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, as well as a degree in Zoo Animal Technology. She has traveled through much of the United States and western Canada; also to Nova Scotia, much of the Caribbean, and Kenya.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
The Clones believe the Megasphere is an "ark" surrounded by water. If they try to leave, the water will flood the Megasphere drowning the residents. The Clones were created to do their assigned duties and not think for themselves. However, a few of the Clones were beginning to develop an imagination. They wondered what a tree would look like, or a flower. One engineer Clone found a small snake and hid it in his cubicle. Things began to change. A mouse, a parrot, or an elephant, the DNA was all stored there. It was forbidden to clone any animal or plant.
One Clone was sent to detainment, a dreaded place where no one ever returned. He discovered a world unlike he ever imagined: sunshine, grass, dogs, trees, a corridor with a yellow strip and a metal box with four wheels on the bottom and a wheel inside. Suddenly he wanted to share it with everyone.
The government denied the existence of the Clones and would destroy them rather than allow citizens to discover the deception.
In the author's words: "Clones, created and deserted by a corporation, form their own society. But as the facility housing them erodes, they begin to suspect that there's more to the world than they've been led to believe."
I hope I have piqued your interest without giving too much away. A few weeks ago I was at a book fair in the beautiful city of Little Rock, Arkansas. I wandered from author to author talking to each one, glancing through their books. One book kept jumping out at me: The Clones of Langston. The cover alone piqued my interest, but having the opportunity to discuss the book with the smiling author, Carol Fullerton-Samsel, made me more eager to read this book. I was thrilled when a few days later the book appeared on my desk for review.
As I mentioned the cover is wonderfully illustrated. I find it impossible to describe it and do justice to it: a blueish face that looks almost clear, obviously female and a hand holding test tubes. The print is a nice size on paper that is heavy enough to hold up and not so white that it glares. This book is 380 pages and I could have read another 380 pages without complaining. I did not want this book to end. I became so caught up in the plot and characters that I felt I was participating in the rescue. The characters are exquisitely developed. Camryn is a strong female lead. Dobie is a brilliant clone secretly in love with Camryn. Brian is not what he first appears. I loved the characters Freeman and Professor. I wasn't sure if I wanted Camryn's romantic interest to be Mark or Dobie.
I believe this is the first book in a new series. The plot moves along at a swift pace and builds to a crescendo ending. This book was written for Junior High youth but will also please adults. Carol, how long must I wait for Book II? Please hurry.
