By Alora Peters, Editor-in-Chief
Members of the Saint Leo University community joined author Seth Sjostrom and the Mel Greene Institute to Combat Human Trafficking for a book signing and Q&A session on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library.
The Mel Greene Institute, which was founded in 2021 by Saint Leo and the Florida Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics (F1RST), seeks to “provide educational opportunities, research, and awareness of the issues involved in human trafficking, and to develop innovative and comprehensive strategies to combat the problem.”
Proceeds from Tuesday’s book-signing and a portion of the sales from Sjostrom’s newest thriller, “Penance: Absolution,” will be donated to benefit the Mel Greene Institute.
Sjostrom is the author of sixteen books, with four more books slated for publication before the end of 2023. He has published in a wide variety of genres, with his works ranging from thriller novels to children’s books to “Halmarkian Christmas romances.”
“The way I write and the stories and topics that I tap into, they usually come from some string of emotion,” said Sjostrom. “So, it could be anger… It could be something that I am frustrated with or something I’m happy about. The emotions kind of help to drive the narrative and tell the story.”
Also, Sjostrom likes to conduct extensive research for his novels and bases many of his characters’ experiences on his own.
“If my characters have been there or are doing it, I’ve, in some shape or form, been there or done it as well,” said Sjostrom. “So, if they’ve done rappelling, I’ve done rappelling. I like to really try to get the essence of what’s going on.”
During the book signing event, Sjostrom promoted the soon-to-be released third title in his “Penance” series, which follows the adventures of an FBI agent who attempts to bring the members of a drug cartel and human-trafficking ring to justice.
The events of Sjostrom’s “Penance” series were inspired by stories he heard from task force members and police officers who worked in roles similar to his fictional characters.
“I couldn’t imagine what they saw and what they went through,” said Sjostrom. “It’s hard on the victims. It’s also hard on the first responders.”
Even though the events in Sjostrom’s work are fictitious, he hopes that they will bring attention to the real-life situations that inspired those events and to entities like the Mel Greene Institute that are helping to fight human trafficking.
“Fiction can make people aware of some of the atrocities that are out there in the world,” said Sjostrom. “It’s horrifyingly close to reality sometimes.”
As for suggestions for aspiring writers, Sjostrom said that his best advice is to be unafraid of backlash or of being controversial.
“The biggest lesson I learned was to write for yourself,” said Sjostrom. “It doesn’t matter who you write for… There [will]be some who love it, some who hate it. So, you better love it yourself. Let the world absorb it as they will.”
Sjostrom’s books are available for purchase through his website, at https://sethsjostrom.com/. The Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library hopes to continue hosting book readings and signings with local authors throughout the semester.
