FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2024

**Debut Novel Explores Climate Grief Through Multi-Generational Lens**

*Environmental scientist-turned-author Maya Chen releases "The Salt House" March 15 via Riverstone Press*

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Former NOAA researcher Maya Chen will publish her debut literary novel, "The Salt House," on March 15, 2024, through independent publisher Riverstone Press. The release marks Chen's transition from climate science to fiction, drawing on fifteen years of field research in coastal communities. The novel examines intergenerational trauma and environmental collapse through the eyes of a Filipino-American family in Louisiana.

The book centers on three generations of women confronting rising sea levels and sinking land in the bayou region. Chen conducted interviews with residents of Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, one of the first U.S. communities to receive federal climate relocation funding. Her scientific background informs the environmental details while the narrative focuses on familial bonds strained by displacement and cultural preservation.

"Scientists are trained to remove themselves from the data, but I kept meeting families who couldn't separate their identities from the land losing ground beneath their feet," said Chen. "Fiction became the only way I could process the emotional weight of what I was documenting in my research. This isn't a climate warning—it's a love letter to the communities already living inside the crisis."

"The Salt House" will be available in hardcover ($27.95), paperback ($17.95), and e-book formats at independent bookstores nationwide and through major online retailers. Pre-orders begin February 1. Chen will embark on a twelve-city tour beginning March 20, with appearances at the San Francisco Public Library, the Environmental Defense Fund headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the Philippine-American Book Festival in Los Angeles.

"Climate fiction often focuses on the future, but Maya captures the present tense of coastal communities fighting to remain home," said James Park, senior editor at Riverstone Press. "Her scientific precision paired with emotional authenticity creates a narrative that transcends genre expectations."

Chen will participate in a virtual launch event hosted by Powell's Books on March 15, with registration open at powells.com/events. Review copies are available upon request.

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ABOUT MAYA CHEN: Maya Chen is a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher specializing in coastal geomorphology. Her scientific papers have appeared in Nature Climate Change and Environmental Science & Policy. "The Salt House" is her first novel. She lives in Berkeley, California.

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