Princeton Man To Sign Copies Of Book Inspired By 10-Year-Old Daughter

PRINCETON, NJ — A Princeton man who penned a book about a young girl who uses STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) elements to save the day will be signing copies and reading from his book on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Labyrinth Books Princeton, 3 p.m.

Geoffrey Cook will also read a short excerpt from “Veronica and the Volcano,” and answer questions. The book is filled with educational elements about volcanoes, geysers, caves, and the wonders of physics. A glossary in the back provides an at-a-glance list of the facts in the book.

Cook was inspired to write the book by his 10-year-old daughter, Madeline. He and his wife began telling Maddy bedtime stories every night about a little girl who lived on a volcano, and she couldn’t get enough. She requested a new story every morning on the 25-minute drive to school.

This was the genesis of Veronica’s world. Cook, a serial entrepreneur and CEO/co-founder of The Meet Group, began to write the stories down. Soon, there were over 300 pages of adventures.

Cook’s stories blend science with science fiction. He believes that nature is as fantastical as any imagination. By straddling the world of the believable and the fantastical, he aims to inspire young girls with an appreciation for the mystery of nature.

For this book, Cook extensively researched volcanoes. He even visited one. The most important volcanoes in the book are all based on real-world volcanoes: Krakatoa, Crater Lake, Mt. Pelee, and Tambora.

Since the book began as a series of bedtime stories for his daughter — and because he believes it’s important for parents to read to their children at bedtime — he wrote each of the book’s 31 chapters as a story that can be read in 15 minutes or less. Each chapter also has 2 or more illustrations, because his daughter still loves to flip ahead to the next picture. The book is aimed at students in fourth through sixth grades.

The hero in "Veronica and the Volcano" is 10-year-old Veronica, who lives on the side of a volcano. Filled with educational elements, the book combines earth science with incredible action to stir young readers' interest in nature while entertaining them at the same time.

The villain does not come dressed in black and carrying a gun but dressed in white and asking for a vote. When a volcano erupts, fear wins an election and disaster ensues. In the end, Veronica learns she can count only on her family and her closest friends but not on her townspeople, and together they must stand up to fight the Man-in-White.

Cook says the message of the book is, “Adults are not always good, but that’s no excuse to be bad.”
The book’s other characters include Veronica’s father, her best friend Maddy, and her friend's dad, the blustering Captain John.

“Veronica and the Volcano” is available on Amazon. Find out more at www.geoffreycook.com and connect with the author on: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and LinkedIn.

Cook previously founded EssayEdge and ResumeEdge from a Harvard University dorm. He sold the companies to the Thomson Corporation. He lives in Princeton with his wife, two daughters, and son.

The attached images were provided