The author of “Remarkably Bright Creatures” will speak at the end of PBC’s “Reading Together.”

Sometimes a brilliant idea can start in an unlikely place.

For Shelby Van Pelt, she says, her genius idea started down the “YouTube rabbit hole.”

“Kind of a naughty octopus rabbit hole,” Van Pelt added with a laugh. “There are so many great videos out there.”

Van Pelt took that inspiration and created Marcel, the finicky octopus at the center of her bestseller “Extremely Bright Creatures,” which was selected by the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County this year’s Palm Beach County Read Together book..

The 14th annual One Book One Community campaign, which brings together readers from across the country to all enjoy the same novel, culminates with a final event at 6pm on November 18, where Van Pelt will be interviewed by Ann Bocock , host of the television series “Between the Covers” with South Florida PBS. The event will be held in the Duncan Theater at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth Beach.

Since its release in 2022, Incredibly Bright Creatures has become — no pun intended, for those who have read the novel — an all-time bestseller, selling more than 2 million copies, and a deluxe paperback edition will follow in 2025. . It won the 2023 McLaughlin-Estman-Stearns First Novel Award and was selected as a Read with Jenna by the Today Show Book Club.

All this for a debut novel that Van Pelt says she doesn’t think anyone will ever read.

“There’s a freedom in that, when you’re just writing for your own pleasure, for yourself, instead of thinking more about who’s reading this book? What will Goodreads say? Am I on brand?” she said. in a recent Daily News interview as she discussed her work on her next novel. “I literally had no brand when I wrote the first book.”

Remarkably Bright Creatures tells the story of Tova, a 70-year-old widow who cleans the aquarium where Marcel, a cheeky giant Pacific octopus, lives. “Extremely Bright Creatures” has been nicknamed “The Octopus Book”, so much so that the British edition of the novel has a slogan at the top of the cover.

The pair form a strong friendship, and Tova confides in Marcellus, and Marcellus in turn uncovers the truth about what happened to Tova’s son, who disappeared at sea when he was 18 years old.

The characters also resonated with readers, and reviews overwhelmingly cite those readers’ ability to relate to Tov and, yes, Marcellus, as a plus.

“I think with Marcel, a lot of people are surprised that they like him as much as they do,” she said.

When she talks to groups of readers, they tend to split down the middle between those who were excited to read a book with an octopus narrator and those who were more hesitant, Van Pelt said.

“But then they open it and get to know the character and say, ‘Oh, I think I actually have a bit of a crush on this octopus,'” she said.

The book’s themes of friendship, grief, aging and vulnerability also allow readers to connect deeply, she said.

“Grief is something that we really experience in different ways every day,” Van Pelt said. “It’s not just about losing someone or dying. It is something as universal as a feeling or an emotion.”

In “Extremely Bright Creatures,” both Tova and Marcel are facing big changes in their lives, “and they’re both very stuck,” she said.

This idea of getting stuck caught Van Pelt’s eye when she was developing the characters. “They have something in common. They’re both really either physically stuck in a tank or, more metaphorically, stuck in a rut or a place in life that will no longer serve them in the future,” Van Pelt said.

Tova is based on Van Pelt’s Swedish grandmother, whose name was Anna. As for Marcella’s personality, Van Pelt said she looked a little closer to home for inspiration.

While she portrayed him as the kind of grumpy old man found in many families, Van Pelt said she also looked inside herself.

“I feel like I might have been that grumpy old man in a previous life because the voice came so naturally to me,” she said.

Van Pelt has a sarcastic streak that she attributes to being born in 1980, which puts her squarely on the border between Gen X and a millennial.

“I’m generally a pretty upbeat person, but I definitely have a touch of sarcasm or dryness that I think comes out a little bit in Marcellus,” Van Pelt said.

She is working on her second novel, which she says has travel elements. Although she spent a lot of time doing scientific research to figure out the details necessary to embody Marcellus, her research for her next novel was based more on logistical details.

“I find myself doing a lot more research like this,” she said, adding that she asks herself questions like, “What’s the commute time here? What roads?”

“You just want to get those little details,” Van Pelt said. “I think it bothers people if you misunderstand them. So I find myself delving into Google Maps a lot more than I ever did with the first book.”

“I could be the best Amazon driver if I went to some of these regions,” she joked.

Van Pelt said she had just finished reading Color Television by Danzi Senna, a novel she enjoyed because part of the plot involves a female writer working on her second novel. “So I really identified with that part of the story,” Van Pelt said.

She also reads many books in advance to provide feedback and “recommendations” from the authors that are featured on the cover of a new book, Van Pelt said. She is very excited about the release of Kira Jane Buxton’s Tartufo, which will be released on January 28. The book has a lot of Buxton’s humor and wit, Van Pelt said.

According to her, she is looking forward to the finale of “Reading Together”.

“Interacting with the readers is probably my favorite part,” Van Pelt said. “It’s a dream job for so many reasons, but being able to attend events like this and interact with readers is definitely the most fun part of the job.”

Past books in the biennial Read Together campaign include The Arthur Truelove Story by Elizabeth Berg in 2022 and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead in 2020.

As part of the Read Together campaign, the Palm Beach County Library System and coalition partners are hosting book discussions and events in November. Reading Together Discussion Guide. available on the Literacy Coalition website, literacypbc.org. Remarkably Bright Creatures is available in hardcover and audio at local libraries and bookstores. Hardcover copies of the book are available from the Literacy Coalition for a $20 donation.

For more information go to literacypbc.org.

If you go

What: Read the Palm Beach County Finals together

Where: Duncan Theatre, Palm Beach State College, 4200 S. Congress Ave., Lake Worth Beach

When: 18.00 on November 18

Cost: free; suggested donations

Registration: Registration is required online at literacypbc.org

Christina Webb is a reporter for the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can contact her at [email protected]. Subscribe today to support our journalism.