The Selah Branch: A Novel of Time Travel & Race In America
ADVENTURE CRIME DETECTIVE SCI-FI FUNNY HISTORICAL FICTION FAMILY YOUNG ADULT SUSPENSE/THRILLER MYSTERY POLITICAL
Contemporary,1940s & '50s
Ted Neill
Logline
A black college student in a rural West Virginia town, Kenia Dezy already feels out of place. When an unexplained phenomenon starts transporting her back to pre-civil rights 1953, Kenia begins to unravel secrets that powerful men would rather keep hidden, even if it means massacring an entire town.
Genre
Adventure,Crime,Detective,Sci-fi,Funny,Historical Fiction,Family,Young Adult,Suspense/Thriller,Mystery,Political
Short Summary
Summer of 2017, Kenia, an affluent college student, is sent to WVA instead of Haiti for her summer practicum. She befriends a white family of kids running their own YouTube channel and cared for by their brother, an Iraq war vet with PTSD. When Kenia begins time traveling, they investigate with her.
Kenia uncovers a 70 year old conspiracy that covered up multiple murders and an industrial accident that altered the course of history in Selah Station. When her new friends are threatened in the present, she enlists their grandparents in the past to help save them and change the course of history.
Setting
Selah Station, West Virginia
Based on a True Story
No
Plot - Premise
Overcoming Monster/Villain
Plot - Other Elements
Happy Ending,Meaningful Message,Twist
Mature Audience Themes
Information not completed
Main Character Details
Name: Kenia Dezy
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Adventurous,Confident,Blunt,Outspoken,Unapologetic,Aspiring,Educated
Additional Character Details
Name: Austin Pennel
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Role: Sidekick
Key Traits: Adventurous,Masculine,Modest,Badass,Sexy,Patriotic,Gracious,Heroic,Honorable,Leader,Strong Moral Code,Heartthrob
Additional Character Details
Name: Hailey Pennel
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Role: sidekick
Key Traits: Adventurous,Aspiring,Confident,Engaging,Empathetic,Selfless,Outspoken,Skillful,Funny,Faithful,Heroic,Educated,Strong Moral Code,Unapologetic
Additional Character Details
Name: Stan Pennel
Age: 12
Gender: Male
Role: sidekick
Key Traits: Adventurous,Aspiring,Underdog,Charming,Blunt,Empathetic,Engaging,Selfless,Outspoken,Skillful,Funny,Faithful,Heroic,Educated,Strong Moral Code,Unapologetic
Development Pitch
The best pitch for The Selah Branch comes from its readers and reviews: “This book is full of important issues, of the present and the past. It's a book for all colors of people to read, and it just might help open your eyes up to some of the things suffered by black people for decades and centuries. While this is, at its core, a mystery novel about time travel, it's also a brief lesson in history. It's engaging and thought-provoking.” “Great read!! Modern day story with tons of exciting twists. Really great how current events were a part of the storyline. Easy read because you have got to know what's happening next.” "The Selah Branch is an exciting, insightful story that surprised me with the richness and complexity of its characters. I loved it even though it brought some painful realities to light. Bold. Inventive. Moving. Challenging. It raised issues and introduced ideas I'd never considered before. Powerful. Read this book.” In the The Selah Branch, characters from disparate walks of American life come together across social divides to demonstrate what is best about the American Dream. The story is current, relevant, and accessible. Source material is easily adapted into a film with potential to be built upon for a series: best described as a racial justice version of Quantum Leap. Shooting, costume, and special effect budgets would be modest.