David Boreanaz

Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m., a new television drama and mystery series will air on FOX. "Bones" is "darkly amusing" according to FOX officials, drawing from the real-life experiences of forensic anthropologist and novelist Kathy Reichs, an adjunct anthropology professor at UNC Charlotte.

Reichs is one of 50 forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, working for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and for the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec.

Reichs was first attracted to forensic anthropology when police began to bring her cases pertaining to the field. She retrained, became board-certified, earned her doctorate at Northwestern University and is currently working on her ninth novel. All of her novels relate to her own experiences in solving crimes through skeletal remains, and she recently returned from a tour promoting her eighth book, "Crossbones." Throughout Reichs’ science fiction novels, she uses character Temperance Brennan as the main muse in unraveling inexplicable cases with an unrivaled knack for her work.

Reichs has a gift for her career as well, balancing teaching with fieldwork. Although currently on leave, not everyone can teach, write and assist in getting a TV show underway all at once.

As for her involvement in the series "Bones," Reichs said, "I had input. But I love the choices made by 20th Century FOX Television Studio," including the cast.

Based not only on her sixth novel "Bare Bones," but a blend of Reichs and Brennan, "Bones" will follow Brennan, played by Emily Deschanel ("Boogeyman") as she cracks complex cases by day and writes novels about heroine Kathy Reichs by night. The show will also star Michaela Conlin ("The D.A."), Eric Millegan, TJ Thyne and David Boreanaz.

Reichs said the story and the characters will grab the attention of the viewers more than anything else, which shouldn’t be difficult with executive producers Barry Josephson ("Hide and Seek") and Hart Hanson ("Joan of Arcadia," "Judging Amy") at hand.

In comparison to present sci-fi mystery shows on TV, such as "C.S.I.," "Law and Order," "The Agency" and "Alias," Reichs said "Bones" will stand out because it "will be a more character based show. With some humor."

To add to the success of her novels in the U.S., Reichs’ books are also being published in 30 languages. Reichs owns a copy of each and loves to compare the covers.

For information on where to find Reichs’ books, go to www.kathyreichs.com/welcome.htm. For a brief summary of the new series "Bones," visit www.fox.com/bones/.