A brother and sister duo who are natives of Palmerton have recently released a book.

Co-authored by Dr. Kirk Yeager, Ph.D., and his sister, Selene Yeager, “The Bomb Doctor: A Scientist’s Story of Bombers, Beakers and Bloodhounds,” is available on Amazon.

Kirk is the FBI’s chief explosives scientist, and has nearly 30 years of experience with improvised explosives and IEDs.

A look into Kirk Yeager’s world, the book “is described as “a rare peek behind the curtain into boots-on-the-ground, in-the-lab scientific bomb forensics - told with humanity, heart, and even a bit of humor.”

Selene said finally being able to get her brother’s stories published in ‘The Bomb Doctor’ this spring was a big deal to her. “Kirk always told really great stories around the Thanksgiving dinner table. So I always thought he could write a great book.

“Then a friend/colleague of mine did this story on him for ‘Pop Mechanics.’ After it came out, my book agent texted me and said, ‘Let’s talk about a book with your brother.’”

That was seven years ago. “It’s been a journey to try to get a book through the FBI red tape,” Selene said.

Life’s work

Originally from Palmerton, Selene said she and Kirk grew up as teacher Ron Yeager’s children, which she said “taught/made me (to be) pretty strong and resilient.”

Selene, of Emmaus, is a best-selling professional health and exercise writer, a NASM-certified personal trainer, Pn1 certified nutrition coach, off road racer, and former All-American Ironman triathlete.

She has authored, co-authored, and contributed to over two dozen book titles, including “ROAR” and “Next Level” with Sr. Stacy Sims, “Gravel!,” “Rusch to Glory,” and “The Bicycling Big Book of Cycling for Women.”

Selene’s work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, including Details, Shape, O, the Oprah Magazine, Men’s Health, Marie Claire, Runner’s World, Cosmopolitan, and 27 years as a contributing editor to Bicycling magazine. She was nominated for a National Magazine Award for excellence in service journalism for her work in Bicycling magazine.

These days you can find her helping active, performance-minded women who aren’t willing to put their best years behind them through her work as host of the Hit Play Not Pause podcast and content manager at Feisty Menopause.

Kirk, who works in DC and Virginia, received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Lafayette College and Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Cornell University. He worked as a research scientist and became the associate director of R & D at the energetic materials research and testing center in Socorro, New Mexico. While in the Land of Enchantment, he also held the position of adjunct professor in the New Mexico Tech chemistry department.

Before his current job, Kirk was a physical scientist and forensic examiner for the FBI Laboratory’s Explosives Unit, where he deployed as a bombing crime scene investigator to dozens of countries.

Kirk has served as a subject matter expert for the National Academies of Sciences, worked as a technical adviser for MythBusters, and been the subject of a feature article in Popular Mechanics. He is an avid geocacher and holds the rank of Black Belt in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu.

“I spent years as a researcher making and studying terrorist explosives,” Kirk said. “With that line of specialty the FBI takes notice of you. They wanted to hire scientists at one point and my specialty (made) me an attractive candidate.”

Kirk explained what interests him about his line of work.

“The ability to do good work which makes the world a bit of a better place,” he said. “I work with fabulous people in a mission that makes a difference. Hard to ask for anything else.”

Kirk described what exactly is it he does.

“I represent the FBI in matters related to explosives science and bombing forensics,” he said. “I work across with interagency partners to keep bad people from doing bad things with explosives. I conduct research, I train others, I strive to make things as difficult for the bad guys as possible.”

Kirk said he has a whole book full of stories and invites other to experience them.

“The word Chief is used across the government to designate someone in a leadership position,” he said. “No idea what its origins are. Explosives Scientist speaks for itself.”

The life of an author

Selene developed her professional interests early.

“When I was in high school, lots of my teachers would compliment my writing and say, ‘Maybe you’ll be a writer one day.’ I’ve always liked writing, but wasn’t sure I could make a living at it. So I went to school thinking I might someday go pre-med …. I loved my physiology classes, but didn’t want to go to school for eight years.”

She took anatomy classes while pursuing her degree is communications/advertising. “It’s kind of funny because I ended up “selling” health and fitness for a living as a writer.”

Selene described how she got there.

“I was working in advertising and hating my life, so I kept sending resumes to Rodale press (now Hearst) and kept getting rejected,” she said. “One day a headhunter found those resumes and called me, I wrote a sample chapter on dental floss and got the job. I stayed three years, got certified as a trainer and bike coach and set out on my own to freelance in 1998. Never looked back.”

Selene said she isn’t really one for giving advice.

“I just really believe people shouldn’t wait to live their lives,” she said. “I meet people who want to try things or do things, but it’s always “I’ll do that when …. I lose 10 pounds, or I’m not so busy, or whatever..”

“Your life is happening. Might as well live it now!”

Selene said launching her podcast that has more than 2 million downloads ranks right up at the top of her favorite achievements.

“It’s been the proudest work of my life to help women feel empowered during midlife,” she said.

Hall-of-Fame Cyclist

A Hall-of-Fame cyclist who was inducted into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame this year, her wins include:

• First place, Female, 35-39 Ironman, Louisville 2008, which earned her a place to compete in Ironman World Championship in Kona six weeks later.

• First place, pro woman: Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic Stage race in 2010 (seven days).

• First place, pro women’s duo (with Rebecca Rusch) at the 2013 Brasil Ride Mountain bike stage race in Brazil (seven days).

• Second place, pro woman, 2018 Michigan Coast to Coast (214 mile gravel road race across Michigan).

• Second place, pro woman 2016 Leadville Mountain bike stage race (three days).

• Third place, female Mount Washington Hill Climb 2010.

• Third place, Dirty Kanza (now called Unbound) 200 (arguably the hardest one day race in the country) 2013.

• 2011 PA Masters State Champion in Cyclocross.

• 5x winner (and most winning athlete male or female) of Iron Cross (North America’s original gravel race).

“Winning that Ironman in Louisville because I’m not that good of a runner or a swimmer,” Selene said. “That also changed my life because I got picked up by a mountain bike racing team after that and was able to race around the world.”