MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ — On Saturday, March 9, Kira Peikoff will be having an author event at Barnes & Noble in Union Plaza.
Her latest book, “Baby X,” takes place in the near future, where advanced technology can create an egg or sperm from anyone’s cells — including celebrities. This can lead to creation of embryos in the lab; and babies are not naturally conceived anymore. What happens when this new form of reproduction becomes the norm? Everyone panics and a lot of drama ensues when a black market arises to get sperm from celebrities.
“It’s based on real science’s progression today,” said Peikoff, who, in addition to being a writer, works in biotech communications. She said she really likes the work because she’s constantly learning about people in the front lines of developing new things.
Peikoff, originally from Southern California and a resident of Mountainside, uses the town of Westfield as the location of one of the families in the book.
She is also the author of “Mother Knows Best,” “Living Proof,” “No Time to Die” and “Die Again Tomorrow.” She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from New York University and a master’s degree in bioethics from Columbia University. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek and Popular Mechanics, to name a few.
Writing is something Peikoff said she wanted to do since she was a child.
“I love journalism and I worked as a journalist for a number of years. I still work in media relations for a biotech company. I’ve developed a keen appetite for suspense in science,” she said.
One of the most memorable moments in her career happened in 2013.
“I was just in the middle of graduate school and I had an idea for an article,” Peikoff said. “I pitched it to the NY Times and they took it. It was the No. 1 most-read article in the NY Times. An absolutely crazy moment. I had something interesting to contribute.”
The article, “I had my DNA picture taken, with varying results,” was about Peikoff’s experiences having her DNA tested by three direct-to-consumer companies, and the results didn’t agree.
“The science of the times for these results for complex diseases at the time couldn’t be taken seriously yet,” she said. The tests were solely for health risk and future diseases. Being a healthy adult, she was concerned about diseases that ran in her family. While she felt it was hard to say anything is “dead wrong,” no one in her family has psoriasis and she wanted people to know that they should take the tests with a grain of salt.
Peikoff is a member of several writers’ clubs, including the International Thriller Writers.
“It’s a wonderful organization for seasoned and upcoming authors,” she said. “There’s a conference in New York. I go every year. It’s a warm community, especially younger writers.”
When Peikoff isn’t working she loves to play with her kids or read them a book.
To learn more about Kira Peikoff, visit https://www.kirapeikoff.com/.
Photo Courtesy of Kira Peikoff