Kicked, Cornered, Bitten and Chased

March Madness is Almost Here!

2012-02-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about March Madness yet? The amazing #wipmadness peeps--LS Taylor, Denise Jaden, Angelina Hansen, Anne Hale, Deb Marshall, Jaye Robin Brown and Shari Green--are hosting this incredible blogfest where you set writing goals, cheer each other on and even enter for chances to win prizes during the month of March.

Here's the description from Denise Jaden's blog:

If you’ve been looking for a challenge to get your writing in gear, you’ve come to the right place! Through the month of March we will be cheering each other on to meet challenging goals with our writing. Also, this year we've decided to open up the challenge to Readers, Bloggers, and Illustrators. Anyone who wants to challenge themselves regarding books and win prizes for it!

March Madness officially begins tomorrow, and this is how it will work.

1. You set a goal on Denise's blog (anything writing, reading, blogging, or otherwise book related). It can be as small and simple of a goal as turning off your Internet while you write during the month of March. Or it can be as large as writing or revising an entire book.

2. You check in daily through the month of March at designated check-in points. Let us know how you're doing with your goal. Share your victories and struggles. Encourage others. The key is support and camaraderie.

3. We give you prizes just for stopping by and letting us know how you're doing, and for encouraging others!

Sounds easy and fun, right?! The following will be the check-in points for the month of March. We plan to have check-in posts up and running by 9AM PST (noon EST) each day.http://yascribe.blogspot.com/

Mondays – LS Taylor will host at http://lstaylor.blogspot.com/
Tuesdays – Denise Jaden will host at http://denisejaden.blogspot.com/
Wednesdays – Angelina Hansen will host at http://yascribe.blogspot.com/
Thursdays – Anne Hale will host at http://www.annehale.com/
Fridays – Deb Marshall will host at http://www.debamarshall.com/
Saturdays – Jaye Robin Brown will host at http://jayerobinbrown.blogspot.com/
Sundays – Shari Green will host at http://sharigreen.wordpress.com/blog/

There are tons of prizes, and there are plenty of interesting writers participating, so this is also a great opportunity for anyone looking to network and meet like-minded bloggers. (Writers can also check in any time on Twitter using the hashtag #wipmadness.) Learn more information on Denise's blog, and I hope to see you there!

In Which I Come Home...

2012-02-28T18:30:00.001-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Tallent Show

It's been a crazy couple of months. Lots of developments, lots of changes, lots of exciting stuff happening all over the place. I will give you guys a proper update very soon, but in the meantime, I've decided I'm officially back to the world of blogging. In a real-life way.

I have absolutely loved compiling my Wildlife Wednesday posts and "Ask a Zookeeper" questions, but I have officially decided I'm going to give the series a break for awhile. The rest of my life has been so ridiculous and busy that they've kind of become a band-aid for me--a way to put up a post without really having to do anything, you know?

As a result, my real blog posts--you know, the ones where I say, "This is Lisa, and I actually have something to tell you"--have kinda fallen by the wayside. And I certainly haven't been visiting your blogs nearly as often as I should. I'm having serious withdrawals!

So, that's that. I may not post quite as often, but I will certainly do a better job when I'm actually posting! And I'm excited to get back the reason I started blogging in the first place: to interact with all of you!

Wildlife Wednesday: Promiscuous Birds

2012-02-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Wildlife Wednesday! Today's article comes from DiscoveryNews.com, and it piggybacks on my romantic animal post from last week. Kind of a funny concept, but very telling as well. I've posted the first few sentences here; click through to read the rest of the article on Discovery's website!

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

IN SHIFTY CLIMATES, BIRDS SLEEP AROUND

By Emily Sohn
Thu Feb 16, 2012 05:00 PM ET

When climate is shifty and unpredictable, birds are more likely to sleep around.

The findings, which suggest that birds may seek out diverse genes for their offspring when they are unsure what the future will hold, might help predict what will happen as climate changes in the coming decades. If weather conditions become more variable in certain places, as some models predict, birds might adapt by becoming more unfaithful. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“The overall message of the paper is that there is a lot of hope because females can still employ all of these mechanisms they use to find the best partner available,” said Carlos Botero, an evolutionary ecologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

The research could also offer insight into why people sometimes stray from their mates....

(Want to read more? Here's the full article: In Shifty Climates, Birds Sleep Around)

Thanks for tuning in, and please join me next week for Wildlife Wednesday. (I promise I will get back to my "Ask a Zookeeper" questions soon; life has been a little wacky lately!) Have a wonderful week!

Wildlife Wednesday: Animal Romance

2012-02-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, today's Wildlife Wednesday post is great article by Roger Di Silvestro and Ernest Thompson Seton entitled Valentines Day: A Holiday for Real Animals. Check out a sample here, and then make sure to click through to the National Wildlife Federation's full article for more fun!

Elk, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

VALENTINE'S DAY: A HOLIDAY FOR REAL ANIMALS
from Wildlife Promise

Dressing Up

Going out on a Valentine’s Day date? Chances are you’ll dress up to look top-notch for the one you’re courting. Similarly, nature gussies up many of her species for courtship purposes.

Consider the antlers of buck deer or bull elk or the mating plumage of male songbirds, ducks and peafowl. All of these points are important to attracting a mate, plus they can scare off competitors. Like a pricey power suit, bright plumage, antlers, bright spots on a bird’s bill or a lizard’s throat, say to potential mates, “Look at me and be awed. I’m strong and healthy enough to put energy into growing these doodads. I’m powerful and skilled.”

More generally, species-specific colors and appendages—a robin’s red breast, or a male mountain gorilla’s silver back—say, “Make no mistake about it, I’m a member of such and such gender, and I’m a dazzling example of our species, so what’s not to like?”

Gorilla, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Individual members of many animal species learn from infancy that appearance is important. In fact, through a process called imprinting, individuals come to identify with the look of the creatures that raise them, which usually means their parents and ensures that they seek mates and companions from their own species. But you can take a newborn animal and mess with its head: Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz once raised a rook (a European member of the crow family) so that it became imprinted on him; as an adult the rook, interested in mating, tried to stuff worms into Lorenz’s ears as part of a (misdirected) courtship feeding ritual.

Rook, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Bearing Gifts

Valentine’s Day is a prime gift-giving holiday, part merchandizing ploy and part courtship. But giving gifts to prospective or actual mates is not uniquely human.

Bonobo (a.k.a. pygmy chimpanzee) males sometimes offer fruit to females with which they want to mate. Many male spiders present dead insects to prospective mates, in part to keep the indiscriminately predatory females from eating the suitors. In some spider species, males wrap an insect gift in silk webbing so the female will be preoccupied with unwrapping it, further enhancing the males’ odds of escaping the mating process alive. (The males of at least one spider species give females just a wad of empty silk—ladies beware).

Bonobo, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Some male birds are champion gift givers, offering complete nests to females. The bowerbird of Australia and New Guinea is a famed example, the male building elaborate nests decorated with small, often shiny objects that attract female attention. As with gaudy plumage, the nest tells females, “Hey, I’m a male in excellent physical condition, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to gather all these bits of bone, shell, fruit et cetera so I can offer you this delightful house with a rain-forest view.”

Bowerbird, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Among red-winged blackbirds, the males that lay claim to the best nesting sites get females first. In European storks, the legendary bearers of babies, the nest is a really potent gift. The birds mate for life, but their fidelity is to the nest, not the mate. Male and female return yearly to the same nest—not to each other—which has the effect of making them mates for life.

Red-Winged Blackbird, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

May I Have This Dance?

Birds, like this peacock, commonly use their feathers for challenging rivals and attracting mates... Dancing occurs in most human cultures. In some cases, men and women even perform separate, gender-specific dances they watch one another do, the perfect chance to get a measure of one another’s physical fitness. Birds are riding that bandwagon, too...

Peacock, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

(Wanna keep reading? Visit the National Wildlife Federation's website for the conclusion of this article: Valentine's Day: A Holiday for Real Animals)

Thanks so much for tuning in to my weekly Wildlife Wednesday series, and make sure to tune in next week for my answer to a nature-related "Ask a Zookeeper" question!

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day, everyone!

On a Mission (Yet Exhausted!)

2012-02-11T10:55:00.002-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Tulipanka, Vi.sualize.Us

It's been a crazy week. My day job (as the Director of Education at a nature center in Denver) has kicked back into high gear, with spring field trips, spring break camps, Fireside Chats and summer camps just on the horizon, not to mention a huge new Earth Day event--which I am leading almost single-handedly.

But I've also been crazy inspired this week, and that has translated into these mad, late-night writing sessions, where I've routinely hit 2,300 words in just a few hours. It's difficult to balance, but it has left me dizzy and electrified--kinda like that Gwen Stefani quote: “Sometimes it’s so hard to find what it is I’m trying to say. People might think you can turn creativity on and off, but it’s not like that. It just kinda comes out: a mash-up of all these things you collect in your mind. You never know when it’s gonna happen, but when it does, it’s like magic.”

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

It has been like magic this week, and I intend to write this thing out, even if it means I have to sacrifice sleep for awhile.

Has anyone else been feeling inspired this week? Maybe it's something in the air...

Wildlife Wednesday: Mankind's Love Affair with Horses

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's Wildlife Wednesday time! (I post nature-related articles the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, and I answer "Ask a Zookeeper" questions the first and third Wednesdays of the month.)

Today's article comes from Discovery News, and it tracks the unique evolution of the domestic horse--an incredible process that has shaped human history. Enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

HUMANS TAMED HORSES ALL OVER THE WORLD

By Emily Sohn

Mon Jan 30, 2012 03:00 PM ET

The domestication of wild horses had a profound effect on human history -- offering nutrition, transportation and a leg up in warfare, among other advantages. But there are still many unanswered questions about when and where our species began its long love affair with horses.

A new genetic study offers some clues. Through the first complete analysis of equestrian mitochondrial DNA -- a kind of genetic material that is passed directly from mother to offspring -- an international group of scientists was able to trace all modern horses to an ancestor that lived about 140,000 years ago.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

After horse domestication began about 10,000 years ago, the study also discovered, horses diverged into at least 18 distinct genetic lines. Those findings suggest that, unlike cows and other animals, horses may have been tamed independently in many different places around Europe and Asia.

The new research could help scientists decode the genetic secrets of modern horse breeds and top racehorses.

“Horse domestication had major cultural, socioeconomic, and even genetic implications for the numerous prehistoric and historic human populations that at different times adopted horse breeding,” said Alessandro Achilli, a geneticist at the University of Perugia in Italy. “Thus, our results will have a major impact in many areas of biological science, ranging from the field of animal and conservation genetics to zoology, veterinary science, paleontology, human genetics and anthropology.”

Cows, sheep, and goats had simple beginnings as livestock, with evidence suggesting that a small number of animals of each species were domesticated in just a few places between about 8,000 and 10,000 years ago. Today, genetic diversity among these creatures remains low.

Horse DNA tells a different story, according to a new paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. After analyzing mitochondrial DNA from a wide range of horse breeds across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, and then using the known mutation rate of this kind of DNA as a sort of clock, Achilli and colleagues were able to connect all modern horses to a common ancestor that lived between 130,000 and 160,000 years ago. By comparison, modern humans first evolved about 200,000 years ago.

Previous research focused only on limited regions of mitochondrial DNA in horses. But by looking at the entire mitochondrial genome, the new study was able to categorize horses into at least 18 different groups that evolved independently.

One possible explanation for those findings is that many different groups of people independently discovered the dramatic benefits of taming wild horses thousands of years ago.

“The very fact that many wild mares have been independently domesticated in different places testifies to how significant horses have been to humankind,” Achilli said. “It means that the ability of taming these animals was badly needed by different groups of people in different regions of Eurasia, from the Asian steppes to Western Europe, since they could generate the food surplus necessary to support the growth of human populations and the capability to expand and adapt into new environments or facilitate transportation.”

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Results also showed that horses managed to survive in modern-day Spain and Portugal during a glacial period more than 13,000 years ago, when horses, humans and other mammals disappeared north of the Pyrenees. The area has shown to be an important refuge during that time for people, who later went on to repopulate Europe when conditions improved. The new study suggests that horses may have followed a similar pattern.

The new findings offer another potential explanation for the origins of domesticated horses, said Alan Outram, an archaeologist at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Horses may have been originally domesticated in one area, he said, such as the central Asian steppe. Then, people could have transported tamed stallions to other cultures in other places, where they were bred with local, wild mares. That scenario would also create multiple distinct female genetic lines.

Either way, the new study adds important context to the puzzle of how horses infused themselves into people’s lives.

“One thing that is clear is that the domestic horse revolutionized human life, making us much more mobile, changing our trade patterns and modes of warfare,” Outram said. “Such changes affected the whole way in which societies were organized and interacted with each other.”

Wildlife Wednesday: Lisa's Dream Animals

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you for tuning in to my weekly Wildlife Wednesday series! I post nature-related articles the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, and I answer "Ask a Zookeeper" questions the first and third Wednesdays of the month.

Today's question comes from the amazing (and amazingly busy) Alex J. Cavanaugh, who somehow manages to balance writing (two published novels to date!), blogging and regularly commenting on what must be hundreds of lucky blogger's websites.

Somehow I ended up becoming one of those lucky bloggers, and Alex's question today is:

"What are your favorite and least favorite animals to deal with?"

The funny thing about this question is the fact that if you asked 100 different zookeepers and animal professionals, you'd likely get 100 different answers. Part of the fun of becoming a zookeeper or animal trainer is getting to figure out which animals are your most and least favorite to work with, and your answers are often surprising. (For example, you may turn out to hate working with an animal you've long considered your "favorite.)

When I first started working as a zookeeper at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, I was itching to find out which animals were my favorites to work with. Because, you see, among zookeepers, there's this crazy unspoken hierarchy. You have your marine mammal people, and you have your primate people. You have your big cat people, your elephant people, your bear people, your canine people, your hoofstock people, your bird people, your reptile people... The list goes on and on.

There are funny (and usually inaccurate!) stereotypes associated with each type of keeper. Certain types of keepers are considered extremely vain, certain types are considered rather bizarre, and certain types are considered adrenaline junkies.

I had no idea which type of keeper I'd be, but I was certain I'd fall in love with some really cool type of animal, like a polar bear or a snow leopard. Imagine my surprise, then, when I quickly realized my favorite animal in the world was this guy:

Photo Courtesy of Me

That's right. I fell in love with a camel. A Bactrian camel, to be exact, a young bull named Knobby who changed my life in so many ways that I can't even begin to explain it.

Knobby was... dorky. And awkward. He often farted when he sat down, and he slipped a lot when he ran. His double humps wiggled when he jumped, he was terrified of wind, and his favorite pastime was smelling his own pee and then staring proudly at the sky like, "Yes. I did that."

When my husband and I left Alaska in 2010, I truly felt like I was leaving my child behind. And to this day, I still tear up when I think about the afternoon I finally had to say goodbye to him. I love that big klutz more than words can describe.

Knobby taught me lots of things, one of which was the fact that I'm not a huge fan of working with big, scary carnivores. Don't get me wrong, camels can be extremely dangerous--a little known fact--and I had to treat Knobby with an incredible amount of respect. He weighed close to 1,500 pounds when I left, and I always had to keep that in mind. I often had to cut training sessions short when I felt like he was getting a little too excited, because he could have crushed and trampled me in a second.

But the point is, Knobby didn't want to EAT me, and I was a big fan of that. I was also a big fan of the fact that Bactrian camels are domesticated, which means the thought of hanging around with a human all day isn't the strangest idea in the world to them.

Knobby also taught me that I like awkward animals. (Maybe I see a little bit of myself in them? ;)) This led me to enjoy working with many other awkward animals, and now my list of dream animals I'd LOVE to work with (but haven't) includes:

ANTEATERS
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

SLOTHS
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

PREHENSILE-TAILED PORCUPINES
(Photo Courtesy of The Central Florida Zoo)

KINKAJOUS
(Photo Courtesy of Blue-n-Gold.com)

HEDGEHOGS
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

What can I say? Perhaps I am a little dorky. (Ya think??) And I'm definitely a bit of a chicken, because on the other end of the spectrum, you couldn't pay me enough to work with any of the following animals:

(Disclaimer: Many, many, many zookeepers would argue that these are the very best animals to work with. Those zookeepers just happen to be tougher than me.)

MANDRILS... Way too smart, and way too strong
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

GORILLAS... Ditto
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

CHIMPANZEES... Ditto
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

ALLIGATORS... Left-over dinosaurs
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

SALTWATER CROCODILES... Even scarier left-over dinosaurs
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

RETICULATED PYTHONS... Left-over dinosaurs with no legs
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

KOMODO DRAGONS... Left-over dinosaurs with crazy mouths
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

So, there you have it! Lesson learned: Lisa LOVES dorky, approachable animals. ;) Thanks so much for tuning in, and make sure to join me next Wednesday for an awesome, nature-related article. Have a wonderful week!

Boom. A Reinvention.

2012-01-31T04:38:00.002-07:00

Photo Courtesy of vi.sualize.us

Alright, so a new background template isn't exactly a reinvention, but I'm feeling inspired to keep things fresh lately. I started this blog nearly a year ago, so I thought it was about time to switch things up slightly. I also thought it was about time to update my profile pic to a photo that wasn't taken six years ago.

A puppy may not be quite as exotic as a dolphin, but it's still pretty adorable. And I'll keep my old profile pic hanging around there on the right in case I ever start missing it.

It's 2012, ya'll. Out with the old and in with the new. Boo-yah.

Storyboard Update

2012-01-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday! I've been working a bit more on my storyboard today, and I just figured out a fun and creative way to display it in my office (which also happens to be my guest bedroom). A few of you have expressed interest in figuring out exactly what I'm up to, so here it is:

Photo Courtesy of Me

I used tacks to secure the twine to the wall, and I used clothespins to arrange my plotted note cards. Each card is highlighted with a unique color assigned to each major character, and none of the cards are numbered--which allows me to rearrange/delete things as needed.

Photo Courtesy of Me

Very simple, and very straightforward, but a great way to keep myself inspired and organized. I hope this inspires you as well!

Wildlife Wednesday: Siku the Polar Bear Cub

2012-01-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

I found the most adorable pictures for this week's Wildlife Wednesday post. This is a recent article from Discovery News about a baby polar bear named Siku, and I was so excited to find it, because I'm currently in the midst of writing a YA novel starring a polar bear. And guess what my polar bear's name is? Siku as well.

I should have figured someone would claim it sometime... It means "sea ice," after all, so it's kinda perfect. My Siku is quite a bit bigger and quite a bit more aggressive than this little guy, but he has plenty of time to grow into a big adult himself.

And in the meantime, enjoy his cuteness!

Photo Courtesy of Søren Koch, Hilmer & Koch Nature Photography

CAN THIS BABY POLAR BEAR SAVE HIS SPECIES?
By Skandinavisk Dyrepark
Dec. 28, 2011

Siku, a polar bear cub born in captivity in Denmark, has taken the Internet by storm. It's not a surprise, he's so cute!

When Siku was born at the Scandinavian Wildlife Park November 22, 2011 his mother had not produced milk for three years.

"Instead of leaving the cub to die we decided to try to bottle feed it," according to the website for the Park. Siku is comfortable around humans and is feeding from a bottle. The site informs visitors Siku weighs just over seven pounds as of December 22, and is "thriving!!!!!" (the emphasis is theirs).

Photo Courtesy of Søren Koch, Hilmer & Koch Nature Photography

"Siku, means 'sea ice' in Greenlandic language," according to the Wildlife Park. the name was chosen because the polar bear is dependent on sea ice to live. The park hopes Siku will raise awareness to the destruction of the polar habitat as global climate change melts the sea ice.

The Scandinavian Wildlife Park is developing a new information program about climate change, sea ice in the Arctic Sea and polar bears. As the program evolves, Siku "will become an Ambassador for his wild cousins living in the Arctic," continued the site, "Because the Scandinavian Wildlife Park has some of the best and largest polar bear facilities in the world, we are convinced that it will be possible for SIKU to become a normal functioning polar bear within a few years."

Watch the adorable polar bear cub in this video.

And Now... A Storyboard!

2012-01-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Enkel Dika

To continue my trend of doing things I never do, I organized my work in progress, ESSENCE, into a storyboard today.

It was actually kinda fun and fantastic. I have a billion interesting scenes in my head, but I had no idea how I wanted to organize them, so I wrote down them all down as quick notes on index cards. I shuffled the notes together, and then I laid them all out on the ground. From there, it was fairly easy and logical to organize them into a loose story structure.

I'm leaving these scenes open to change--if something particularly interesting jumps in my head and takes over--but I feel so much more confident about actually writing with purpose now.

Wow. What a strange and productive weekend. Have you guys ever made storyboards before?

My Brand-New Inspiration Board

2012-01-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've never done anything like this before, but I just sat down and created my very first Inspiration Board. It's filled with scenic photographs and character models for my work in progress, a coming-of-age novel called ESSENCE. Here's a very grainy and not-super-pretty iPhone photo of it:

Photo Courtesy of Me

Wow, I'm actually super stoked about this. I'm an incredibly visual person, so I wonder why it took me so long to realize my photographs and maps needed a better home than my laptop?

Have any of you ever made Inspiration Boards before? And what else do you do to keep yourselves inspired during the novel writing process??

Memories of a High School Me!

2012-01-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be interviewed on Jaye Robin Brown's blog, "Hanging on to Wonder." She does these great bi-monthly interviews where MG and YA writers reflect on our own high school experiences, and today's my day!

So check it out, and prepare to enter the hallowed halls of Bay High School in Panama City, FL: Memories of a High School You -- Lisa Ann Chickos.

Oh, and one more thing. Do you see this creepy statue?

Photo Courtesy of ClassReport.org

Bay High School's mascot is the tornado, so this bizarre tornado statue graced my school's front lawn (and haunted my dreams) for many, many years. It was made by some students in the 1970's, I think, and when it was finally demolished and replaced by a tornado that actually looks like a tornado a few years back, I have to admit that my heart kind of broke. (How is it possible to become so attached to something so atrocious?)

But I digress. And I hope you enjoy my interview on Jay Robin Brown's blog!

Wildlife Wednesday: Animal Careers

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's Wildlife Wednesday again, and today's question comes from Maya Hassan, who writes:

"I'm sixteen, and I really want to major in and have a job that has a lot to do with zoos and working with animals. What advice can you give me to fufill this?"

Photo Courtesy of John Gomes

This is a great question, and it's one I've received quite a lot through the years. Many people feel naturally drawn toward animals, so when they see a zookeeper tromping around with an elephant or hitching a ride on Shamu's snout, it seems like a perfect career choice.

And it is a perfect career choice for many people, but it's also way harder--and way less glamorous--than it looks. That's why it's so important to have an accurate understanding of what a zookeeper actually does before taking the leap and deciding to become one.

Photo Courtesy of Me

StateUniversity.com sums it up perfectly: "Zookeepers do not have glamorous, high-paying jobs; they enter the field because of their love for animals. Much of their work requires physical strength, patience with the animals, and the ability to make detailed observations and keep accurate records.

"Captive animals require attention twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, so the hours can be long and exhausting. A special kind of dedication is needed to stay at a zoo through the night nursing a sick animal, or to get up in the middle of the night to meet a pair of rhinos arriving at the airport. Animal odors and the smell of cleaning fluids may be disagreeable to some people. Having to euthanize old or sick animals can be emotionally stressful. However, most people who enter the profession love animals and receive great satisfaction from helping and working with them."

(Here's a link to a recent post of mine, a list of nitty gritty zookeeper duties: You Know You're a Zookeeper If...)

Photo Courtesy of Me

Peter Dickinson also puts it in perspective: "Are you really sure that a zookeeping career is what you are after? It is not like other jobs because it is not simply work. It is a vocation, a way of life. Forget about making money, forget about becoming famous, forget about 9 to 5 and long holidays. Be prepared to face extreme cold or intense heat, rain, hail, snow, gales and lack of sleep. You are guaranteed to work long hard days when you have a hangover or headache and would have much preferred to have stayed at home in bed. It is highly likely you will have to skip holidays or days off at a moments notice. Don’t expect applaud or thanks or even sympathy because you will not get any.

"Still Interested? Then read on.

"What you will get is job satisfaction. The chance to contribute to our understanding of animals and an important role in ensuring that they remain on this planet for future generations to enjoy. You will have the chance to work outdoors in the best of weather too... You will become a member of a big zoo `family,` assured of a welcome wherever you go. Whereas there will be repetition in your daily routine, no two days will be exactly the same. You will not get bored. You will become party to one of the worlds best kept secret.... that zoo keeping is the world's best profession!"

Photo Courtesy of Me

Are you still with me? Awesome! In that case, let's move on and a little bit about how to become a zookeeper. Here's what WiseGeek has to say:

"Since there are more would-be zookeepers than zookeeper jobs available, it’s important to start working toward getting your ideal zookeeper job as soon as possible. If you live in a major city, it’s quite likely you have a zoo where you can volunteer. If you don’t, then work on volunteering at humane shelters, or look for private wildlife reservations where you can volunteer.

"Often zoos welcome volunteers in their early teens, though jobs with more responsibility may be held for kids who are 16 years or older. Some zoos offer one week summer camps to train those who would like to be zookeepers. If you can’t work at a zoo close to your home, consider saving up for one of these camps. Volunteering and experience with animals is an essential quality for getting hired at a zoo.

"Even before middle school and high school, begin studying and reading everything you can about wildlife. Subscribe to a few quality wildlife magazines... Also work hard in science classes and speech courses. As a zookeeper you will need to have a good background in animal science, but you may also need to make presentations to visitors to the zoo, so good speaking skills are a must."

Photo Courtesy of Me

"...College study to become a zookeeper should focus on animal science, zoology, marine biology, if you are interested in aquatic parks, and animal behavior and psychology. You might even want to ask a nearby zoo what qualities they look for in employees, and what type of employees they hire. This can help you direct your choice of college toward the schools best geared toward helping you fulfill your dream of becoming a zookeeper.

"While in college, don’t forget to keep volunteering at zoos or shelters. In fact, you may want to choose a college close to a major zoo, so you can get impressive volunteer credentials and superior training.

"In addition to lots of experience and a good education, a zookeeper must be physically fit. Your job will not involve a lot of sitting, so keep yourself in good shape, and practice some weight lifting. When feeding animals or cleaning cages, you may be required to lift as much as 50 pounds on a regular basis.

"Be prepared to work flexible hours. Zookeepers often work every day of the week, and may work a swing shift or midnight shift, since animals need around the clock care."

Photo Courtesy of John Gomes

Wanna learn more? Here's a huge list of great links (in addition to those listed above):

"Zookeeping as a Career, AAZK," American Assocation of Zookeepers
"How to Become a Zookeeper," University of Florida
"Zoological Park Careers--Animal Training," SeaWorld
"Marine Mammal Trainer," Vancouver Aquarium
"Frequently Asked Questions about Zookeeping as a Career," Woodland Park Zoo

If you are interested in working specifically with marine mammals, I would also HIGHLY recommend this book, Starting Your Career as a Marine Mammal Trainer, by Terry Samansky. (This was one of my first purchases, and it has a great directory in the back filled with species and contact information for every accredited marine mammal facility in the entire country.)

Photo Courtesy of OpenLibrary.org

I hope this answer was helpful, Maya, and best of luck as YOU start your career. Please let me know if you have any more questions; I can talk about this stuff all day!

Also, thanks to everyone for tuning in to this installment of my Wildlife Wednesday series, and make sure to check back next week for a brand-new nature article. Have a wonderful week!

Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge

2012-01-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

Badge Courtesy of GoodReads

Did any of you resolve to read more books during 2012? If so, GoodReads is hosting this great challenge called the "2012 Reading Challenge" where you can enter your reading goal and track your progress throughout the year.

It was a no-brainer for me to enter, as I already track all the books I read through GoodReads. (Have you found me on there yet? I'm Lisa Chickos, and I'd love to follow you!) I apparently read 32 books last year, so I've decided to shoot for 30 this year--with the idea that I can secretly shoot for 40 and surprise myself when I exceed expectations. (It's all about exceeding expectations, after all.)

You can also download this great widget (see my sidebar) that tracks your progress on your blog. What a fun way for us to become inspired and to inspire others to discover great new books this year!

Interesting in signing up? Visit GoodReads and search "2012 Reading Challenge" to join in on the fun!

(As of right now, there are more than 90,000 participants, and almost 6,000,000 books have been pledged! Doesn't that just make your heart swell??)

Wildlife Wednesday: Can Dogs Read Minds?

2012-01-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hello all, and thanks for tuning in to my newest installment of my "Ask a Zookeeper" series, which I am officially renaming "WILDLIFE WEDNESDAY!" In celebration of the New Year, I am also making this series a weekly occurrence, so make sure to check back next week for a new post.

I plan to balance all this craziness by providing bi-weekly "Ask a Zookeeper" questions on the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month, and by posting nature-related articles on the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month.

Next week, I will be answering Sumaya Hassan's question about how to obtain a career in zookeeping, but this week, I will post my first nature-related article: a great one from DiscoveryNews titled, "Can Dogs Read Minds? Not Exactly."

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

CAN DOGS READ MINDS? NOT EXACTLY
By Jennifer Viegas
Thu Jan 5, 2012 12:00 PM ET

Dogs often seem to be psychic, anticipating what we're going to say or do, and now research reveals one secret behind this canine ESP: Dogs intensely track our eye movements, which can be tied to intent.

Human babies also possess the ability, described in the latest Current Biology. The discovery might help to explain why so many people treat their furry pals like their kids.

"Dogs are receptive to human communication in a manner that was previously attributed only to six-month-old human infants," co-author Jozsef Topal told Discovery News.

"They read our intention to communicate in a preverbal, infant-like manner," added Topal, who works in the Institute for Psychological Research at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

For the study, Topal and his colleagues presented dogs with video recordings of a person turning toward one of two identical plastic pots while an eye tracker captured information about the dogs' reactions.

In one test, the person looked directly at the dog, addressing it in a high-pitched voice with "Hi dog!"

In the second test, the person gave only a low-pitched "Hi dog" while avoiding eye contact.

The study determined that dogs were more likely to follow along and look at the pot when the person first expressed an intention to communication.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

While dog-lovers the world over have likely suspected that their pets have such talents, the experiment is actually the first to ever use eye-tracking techniques to study canine social skills.

The researchers say that dog social skills reach the level of a two-year-old human, since the only talent that's missing is language.

"Although dogs might use a different cognitive architecture for processing human communication, they can play the role of being a child substitute," Topal said.

"These skills on the part of the dog help to make the human-dog bond stronger, which is actually unique when taking into account the biological differences between the two species."

Dogs were the first animals to be domesticated and for no apparent direct benefit, such as for food or herding, explained Topal. Dog social cognition has evolved over thousands of years, during which time wolf-like capabilities were transformed by the challenges of living with humans.

Topal and his team suspect that horses and domesticated cats may also be able to read human intent, since they too have lived closely with us for many years.

Dogs may be the most perceptive, however.

"Dogs are in a special way tuned in to humans," Topal explained. "They are interested in finding out how we think, and they are able to do it by reading our subtle communicative behaviors."

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

In a separate new study published in the journal Animal Behaviour, researchers discovered that dogs communicate with humans to request, but not to inform. Nevertheless, the process is still very focused and intense.

We show "how much dogs are tuned into the intentional dimension of human communication and how important certain signals are for them to know when communication is relevant and directed at them," said Juliane Kaminski, lead author of the paper and a researcher in the Evolutionary Roots of Human Social Interaction group at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Topal thinks it's possible that dogs are even sometimes better than adults are at reading human intent, given that they are so attuned to smells, sounds, and other cues.

"They can easily learn to associate even unconscious behavioral cues of their owner with particular consequences," he said. "This way, a dog can acquire an ability to anticipate the owner's behavior, and this may give a false impression of mind-reading."

Awards, Awards, Awards!

2012-01-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, everyone! I recently received two beautiful blog awards that I'd like to pass along to hopefully brighten your week.

The first is the Beautiful Blogger Award, gifted to me by the always clever and creative Jenny Phresh, whose blog is a true work of art. I'm serious. This is her profile pic:

Photo Courtesy of The Party Pony

How can this woman NOT be a creative genius??

When I received this award, I knew EXACTLY who I would gift it to right away: Lori Parker of GirlParker.com, who just gave her blog a beautiful facelift. It was lovely before, but the beautifulness has truly stepped up a notch. Well done, Lori! (And the most amazing news is that there are no rules associated with this award, so enjoy at your leisure!)

My next award is the Versatile Blogger Award, given to me by Yelena Casale, a new blogging friend who is an urban fantasy writer with an amazingly practical and helpful blog, filled with tons of great information for aspiring writers.

The rules for this award are a little more intense:

1. In a post on your blog, nominate 15 fellow bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
2. In the same post, add the Versatile Blogger Award.
3. In the same post, thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link back to their blog.
4. In the same post, share 7 completely random pieces of information about yourself.
5. In the same post, include this set of rules.
6. Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs.

Would you guys be opposed if I adapted this award slightly and just passed it on to five of you? I hope not, because here's my list:

1. Rebekah Crane, who has the dual job of writing an amazing paranormal novel and also talking me down from ledges whenever I'm afraid I've stolen an idea from an already-exisiting novel, even if I've never read it before. Versatile indeed, my friend!

2. Beth Christopher, who I will love until the day I die. Her blog, "On the Trail," follows her life as an active, nature-loving Coloradan, and she writes some of the most poetic blog entries I've ever read. (Also, I've been fortunate enough to read the first few chapters of her current WIP. Quite simply put, it's badass.)

3. Peggy Eddleman, who has one of the greatest "brands" I've ever seen on her blog. Its title, "Peggy Eddleman: Will Write for Cookies" pretty much sums everything up. Also, her first novel, THROUGH THE BOMB'S BREATH, will be published by Random House in September 2013!

4. Jaye Robin Brown, an animal lover and writer of the type of fiction I go crazy to read. She also hosts this great "Memories of a High School You" series... Definitely worth checking out when you're in the mood for a trip down Memory Lane!

5. Lora Rivera, who I respect and admire so much. A contest win brought us together, and I'm so, so, so happy to know her. Lora is a a writer of literary adult and children's fiction, a freelance book editor, and a Life Book writer for Aviva Children's Services. She's also just a wonderful person.

So there you have it! I was fortunate enough to receive this award twice before (must be the whole, "Are you a zookeeper or are you a writer" thing ;)), so here's a link to my first seven random facts: An Embarrassment of Riches, and here's a link to my second seven random facts, which are about the main character in my novel BELOW THE SURFACE (formerly titled THE MERMAID GENE):Versatile Blogger Award and Seven Facts About Kai Murphy.

This time around, I think I will give you--in no particular order--my seven favorite books of all time:

Photo Courtesy of GoodReads

Oh my gosh, is it just me, or is it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to lower down your favorites to seven?? I'm already second-guessing myself, but I think this is a good cross-section.

Have a wonderful week!

2012: The Year I Will Be "Present"

2012-01-08T11:21:00.001-07:00

Photo Courtesy of vi.sualize.us

Happy New Year, everyone! I am finally back in the world of blogging, after a nearly silent Christmas holiday. The truth is, I needed a little time to decompress after a somewhat stressful and uncertain 2011, and I now feel like I am finally ready to take on the New Year.

For those of you who don't know, the past eighteen months have been an incredibly challenging time for me--in those fundamental, life-altering ways that are sometimes good, sometimes bad, and nearly always irreversible. The ball began rolling in October of 2010, when my husband and I relocated to Colorado from our home in Alaska. This set in motion a chain of events that have successfully combined nearly every stressor imaginable, including moving, car accidents, goodbyes, hellos, deaths, births, financial uncertainties and career changes.

In short, 2011 has been a growing year for me. And I've realized something fundamental about myself: I need to work on being more "present" during 2012. During the chaos and challenges of 2011, I had a tendency to disappear inside myself. I would hole up with my computer and use my writing as a way to escape the things I didn't like about my life.

Escapism in and of itself isn't a bad thing, but I used escapism as a crutch. And instead of dealing with the issues I faced in my life, I found myself clinging to my writing like a drowning man on a life raft.

It became an addiction in some ways: "Everything will turn around once I get my first full request..." "...once I get an offer..." "...once I sign a contract..." "...once I go on submission..." "...once we go to auction..." "...once I sign a book deal..." "...once I get my advance..." "...once Hollywood starts fighting over movie rights..." "...once I buy a 100-acre ranch in the mountains and work in a beautiful studio overlooking a river..." "...once I'm the next -<INSERT NAME HERE>..." And on and on and on.

I've been fortunate enough to reach some of those milestones this year. But I haven't reached others. And I may NEVER reach some of them. And 2012 is the year, I've decided, that I will realize I'm okay with that.

Daydreaming is fun and fantastic and one of the reasons we all became writers in the first place, but this year, I resolve to view writing as one facet of my life, rather than the fix-all that will magically resolve all my problems. Because here's the thing. Writing doesn't have the ability to do that. And no matter how successful I may someday be--if I'm exceptionally dedicated, lucky, talented and persistent--I will still need to work every single minute to keep all the other facets in my life full and rich and fulfilling.

Because I've realized, finally, that writing should complement my life.

It shouldn't replace it.

Christmas Wishes to You!

2011-12-24T16:59:00.002-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Life in Color

I will keep this one short, but sweet... Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Ask a Zookeeper: Clever Capuchin Monkeys

2011-12-21T00:20:00.006-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Thanks for tuning in to my third installment of my "Ask a Zookeeper" series! Today's question comes from the lovely Mary Vettel (aka, Zooks), who writes:

"Can Capuchin monkeys see in the dark?

And do they see colors?"

"Rut-ro."
(Photo Courtesy of FilmOnAir.com)

Before we get started, let's chat a little bit about what a Capuchin monkey actually is. Probably best know for their mischievous roles in movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Night at the Museum, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Hangover 2, Capuchin monkeys are considered the most intelligent of the New World monkeys. They are often kept as pets (like Ross's "Marcel" on Friends), and they are also the quintessential street performers.

"Where's my peanut?"
Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

In recent years, Capuchin monkeys have become quite popular and successful as service animals, and specially-trained Capuchins are often placed with individuals who are paralyzed or who suffer other severe mobility impairments. (Learn more about service Capuchins at Helping Hands, a non-profit organization that provides Capuchin placements.)

"Got ya coverd!"
Photo Courtesy of Helping Hands

Native to Central and South America, Capuchin monkeys are tree dwellers, and they usually live in large, polygamous family groups of up to 35 individuals, typically led by one alpha male. They are omnivores, and they feed primarily on fruits, nuts, seeds, buds, insects, spiders, birds' eggs, and small vertebrates. They will also eat crabs and shellfish by cracking their shells with stones. (An excellent example of tool use as a measure of intelligence, which we discussed in my literary crow post!)

But getting back to your fabulous question about vision, Mary. What's interesting about Capuchins is that they are diurnal--or most active during the day--just like we are. At night, they sleep wedged between branches in an effort to evade an array of potential predators--including jaguars, cougars, jaguarundis, coyotes, tayras, snakes, crocodiles, and raptors.

Because they typically aren't active at night, nature hasn't blessed Capuchin monkeys with particularly powerful night vision. Most scientists agree that in many respects, Capuchin eyesight is similar to human eyesight. We have about the same ability to distinguish fine details, and our eyes react similarly to the presence of light after long periods of darkness. (Probably less swearing and grumbling from the monkeys, though.)

"That's really bright!"
(Photo Courtesy of photo.jacko.com)

On to the color vision! Research has recently shown that Capuchin monkeys--just like humans--have a huge range of variation in their color vision.

Normal human vision is considered "trichromatic," which means that our retinas contain three types of color receptors (called cone cells) for conveying color information. (Basically, we can see in colors. Lots of colors.)
Some humans, however, have "dichromatic" vision, which means one of our three basic color mechanisms is absent or not functioning. According to Wikipedia, there are various kinds of color blindness found in humans:

Protanopia is a severe form of red-green color-blindness, in which there is impairment in perception of very long wavelengths, such as reds. To these individuals, reds are "perceived" as beige or grey and greens tend to "look" beige or grey like reds.

Protanopia Test:
Can you see the very vague 37 in this picture?
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

Deuteranopia consists of an impairment in perceiving medium wavelengths, such as greens.
Deuteranomaly is a less severe form of deuteranopia. Those with deuteranomaly cannot see reds and greens like those without this condition; however, they can still distinguish them in most cases.

Deuteranopia Test:
Can you see the very vague 49 in this picture?
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

A more rare form of color blindness is tritanopia, where there exists an inability to perceive short wavelengths, such as blues. Sufferers have trouble distinguishing between yellow and blue. They tend to confuse greens and blues, and yellow can "appear" pink.

Tritanopia Test:
Can you see the very vague 56 in this picture?
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

Most mammals are dichromatic in some way, but many New World monkeys are a notable exception. Scientists now believe male Capuchins are dichromatic, but up to 60% of female Capuchins may be trichromatic! Their peak sensitivities lie in the blues, greens and yellow-greens--which makes sense, considering where they live--but their color vision may not be all that much different than ours.

"Your tie clearly doesn't match your shirt."
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

Why, you may ask? According to The Evolution of Color Vision in Primates, "Diurnal primates generally eat fruits and young leaves, and it has been argued that trichromatic color vision is an adaptation for discriminating the most nutritive, colorful items.

"However, in dim light, trichromats have exhibited a slight disadvantage for discriminating fruit from foliage. In many situations, dichromats have a foraging advantage when food is camouflaged or similar in color to the background. Since almost all New World monkeys are known to search for food cooperatively, the entire group can benefit from the advantages of trichromacy and dichromacy."

Boom! So, there you have it. Discriminating, intelligent and cooperative. And pretty darn cute, too.

"With our powers combined..."
(Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons)

Thanks for tuning in to my bi-weekly "Ask a Zookeeper" series, and thanks again to Mary Vettel for such a fantastic--and difficult!--question. (Not gonna lie, I had to call in some help from my primate keeper friends for this one. ;)) Please let me know if you have any questions for a future post, and please join me in two weeks for my next post. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Deja Vu Blogfest: The Product of Post-Crash Insomnia

2011-12-16T07:00:00.005-07:00

In honor of the Deja Vu Blogfest (brought to you by DL Hammons, Creepy Query Girl, Nicole Ducleroir and Lydia Kang), I am re-posting a favorite blog post of mine that I think needs to see the light of day one more time.

The purpose of this Blogfest is to prevent great posts from fading away into the ever-expanding blogosphere without one more shout-out. It's also a great time to check out the posts from others that you may have missed. Here's the list of the other participants: The Deja Vu Blogfest.

Without further ado, here's a re-post of one of my favorite posts, "The Product of Post-Crash Insomnia." I originally posted this on March 9, 2011, and it's by far the most meaningful thing I've ever written. I will post it again here in its entirety:

Al-Can Highway, October 2010, Photo Courtesy of Me

I survived a pretty intense car accident in October 2010, and--like most people, I suppose--I now separate my life into two segments: pre-crash and post-crash. My husband and I were driving through a very remote section of northern British Columbia near the Yukon Territory on our way from Alaska to California, and our car flipped six times before finally coming to rest in a drainage ditch. Although we both survived, we almost lost one of our dogs, and the accident itself was unfortunately just the first of our struggles.

After we finally arrived safely in the Lower 48 (nearly two weeks later), I couldn't sleep for weeks, and I found myself haunted by the ghostly images of what we could have become: a cluster of faded crosses buried and forgotten in waist-high snow. It amazed me to think that we could have simply ceased to exist. All the threads of our lives--our goals, our dreams, our connections and our relationships--could have slammed to a stop, and life would have continued on without us.

There is nothing more humbling than realizing the sun will someday set without you.

At the height of my post-crash insomnia, I realized the only way I could purge my experience was to write it down, and here is the result. (I apologize in advance for the language and the general choppiness; I've tried my best not to embellish, and I've recorded everything as best as I can remember.) By putting it on paper and then putting it out here, I think I'm finally ready to let it go...

OCTOBER 23, 2010

The hard left swerve of the first fishtail.

The paralyzed feeling of helplessness as I bolt awake to see our truck sliding into the lane of oncoming traffic.

Ice. Obsidian patches of water. Ribbons of dirty snow swirling across the spruce-lined highway like dim grey snakes or threads of tape ripped from the underbelly of a cassette.

Beautiful. Looks like dancing.

Michael. My Michael, my dirty, adventurous mountain man. The love of my life.

Tensed at the wheel, cobalt eyes wide in panic.

Attempting to correct us, he flings the wheel hard to the left, then hard to the right. His knuckles are clenched, white as paper, stretched too thin around our sun-faded steering wheel.

A ship’s captain in the throes of a thunderstorm.

Relax. Don’t panic. This has happened once before. Everything will be fine.

Fleeting thoughts of a harmless skid back home in Anchorage, that afternoon we drove from the Hillside two winters ago. Watching with a mixture of dread and fascination as our brand-new-to-us Toyota Tacoma did a ballerina’s pirouette and came gracefully to rest at the corner of Lake Otis Parkway and Northern Lights Boulevard. Didn’t leave a scratch.

Flawlessly executed. A judge’s Perfect Ten.

This time will be just like that.

Some sort of talking. Michael’s frustration and fear, my words of encouragement. Trying not to panic in the midst of a runaway train ride.

Don’t freak out. It will just make him freak out more.

A decision.

Angling toward the ditch. Wide and soft-looking, with blades of golden prairie grass folded to the ground by the winter’s first snowfall.

Launching off the asphalt, realizing the road is a few feet higher than the shoulder. Watching the ground rise to meet us and clutching the “oh-shit” bar without even realizing it. Socked feet—the same pair of Wigwams I’ve been wearing since we crossed into British Columbia two days ago—braced against the floor’s grey rubber mats.

This. Is. Happening.

Just noise now. Shattering glass, the screeching of metal upon metal. Plastic and steel and tires tearing into the earth, ripping through the ground like a heaving, angry claw.

The smell of dirt, the chill of ice. Lights and darks, and the realization that we’re flipping now. Over and over and over. Tiny and insignificant, like lottery balls tumbling in a wheel.

My head is suddenly hanging out the window. Resting sideways on the door frame like that time I drank too much Bushmill's the night we got engaged.

But this time I’m mad.

Furious. Mind-bendingly, unflinchingly, unfiltered in my rage.

STOP!

STOP FLIPPING!!

THIS ISN’T FAIR… YOU CAN’T DO THIS… LET ME GET MY HEAD INSIDE THE WINDOW FIRST…

GODDAMNIT, LET ME GET MY HEAD INSIDE THE WINDOW!!!

There’s dirt everywhere. In my mouth, in my eyes. It tastes raw and silty, dark and fertile. It’s good soil.

In the midst of the chaos, I feel something hard against my chest—Michael’s arm?—and I hear a voice yelling. Screaming, actually, and I understand with a start that it’s my voice I’m hearing.

Weird.

Didn’t even realize I was speaking.

One. Two. Three. I lose count of the truck flips after four, realizing with detached amusement that my obsessive-compulsive tendencies aren’t even filtered by car wrecks.

And then suddenly, there’s silence.

Distant, detached, uncompromising silence.

Mother Nature doesn’t really give a shit about you.

We’ve stopped. The truck is right-side-up, and our twisted front bumper is angled downward into a drainage ditch. We’re teeter-tottering in mid-air like kids on a seesaw.

Thank God for this drainage ditch.

Pausing for only an instant, I swirl sideways to take stock of the truck’s passengers.

There’s Michael. Eyes wide. High cheekbones drained of color and face skewed with shock. He’s okay.

Check.

Looking backward into the truck’s extended cab, I lock eyes with Bridger. Our floppy-eared, vulnerable pound dog Bridger. Black bandit’s mask and that beautiful tan face. His eyes are wide, but he’s sitting up, and those lanky sled dog legs are fully intact. He’s okay.

Check.

“Where’s Naia?”

The question tumbles from my mouth as I lock eyes with Michael again. It’s the first words I’ve spoken.

Naia. Our radiant, vivacious, ebony German Shepherd mix. Our heart and our soul, and the glue that keeps us all sane and balanced. The most fearless member of our blossoming young family.

She’s gone.

Michael and I move quickly, nodding in silent understanding as we turn from each other. Our hands and arms move on autopilot, unbuckling seatbelts and flinging open car doors we later won’t remember opening.

I’m outside before I know it, leaping with socked feet into the waiting drainage ditch. Bands of ice shatter beneath my toes, and I shudder as my legs sink into a freezing, muddy creek. Sulfur, vaporous and rotten, surges into my nostrils.

Shit. Now my feet are all wet.

Feeling like I’ve stood in the creek for days, but realizing it has probably only been an instant, I clamber up the embankment on my hands and knees, scuffing my palms and tearing the knees of my favorite pair of jeans. Those way-too-expensive Seven for All Mankind jeans I bought last year at Nordstrom because Michael said they made my butt look cute.

Up the hill, our belongings—suitcases, clothes, gasoline cans and blankets—are scattered through the prairie grass like leaves in the wind.

And then there’s Naia.

Tossed amongst the luggage like a crumpled rag doll, she’s awake, and her golden eyes are trained on us. Her silly, oversized bat ears stand erect like satellite dishes.

Michael has almost reached her—with Bridger bounding like a terrified jackrabbit behind him—so I make a beeline for the highway, waving my arms as a minivan pulls to a stop on the road’s shoulder. My vision seems to be flickering as an older truck slides in behind the minivan, and then Naia is suddenly howling.

She’s running with her tail down—short, compact and panicked, her legs beautiful in their musculature. Her stance is the same one we saw two days ago at that rest area in the Yukon Territory, the one where she chased pebbles and bounded through the black spruce forest with the speed and grace of a panther. Clipped and measured in her movements.

Like a police dog. Like a big girl.

She isn’t even three yet.

She’s bolting into incoming traffic now, and I’m yelling something about not panicking, but Michael already has her, and he’s leading her back across the asphalt. He’s holding her by that beautiful, “girly, but not too girly” purple collar he picked out last year for her birthday.

His injured hands are spilling blood all over it.

There’s a family—a wholesome, bacon-eating Canadian family—and now they’re rushing us inside the minivan. Two wide-eyed daughters stare from the backseat as the mother spreads a bedspread over the middle seat for us.

It’s cute. Pink and cartoonish. Fluffy and decorated with maybe the Powerpuff girls, but I hear myself saying, “I can’t… I don’t want to get blood on your blanket…”

I’m inside now, and Bridger is cowered on my lap. Naia is crumpled in knots on the floor, and Michael is staggering back from the truck. He’s clutching my wallet and the new Canon camera I bought last year so I could “take a picture every single day of 2009.” The base is swinging crazily from its straps, winding in figure-eights like the loose seat of a swing set. The lens cap is missing.

What a funny thing to save.

The van door closes, and now we’re pulling away from the accident, swirling back toward Fort Nelson, where we stayed at that chain hotel and ate Dominos pizza last night. Looked at our map of Canada and studied that battered copy of our Milepost magazine. Tried to figure out our itinerary for this crazy move from Alaska to Colorado.

I watch our truck fade in the distance, its nose face-down in the drainage ditch and its back wheels suspended in mid-air like a child’s Tonka truck. Our camper shell has been ripped off, and our things—all our things, each one lovingly packed in preparation for this trip—are scattered in tangles like the wake of a tornado.

That’s our LIFE out there.

I catch a stray word and repeat it—“Totaled?”—feeling the wheels inside my head laboring to process the notion.

But that’s not possible. That’s our truck. We’re driving to Colorado in that truck.

Michael’s hands are on mine, and I realize I’m covered in blood, too. Dark blood, thick and viscous, spills from wounds on my hands and face.

“You’re bleeding.” His eyes are wide, and they glimmer with sapphire light, bright and clear as a glacial lake. “I’m… so… sorry.” He pauses on each word for emphasis, running his hands up and down my sides to check for injuries. “I’m so, so sorry. Are you okay?”

I don’t know. Am I?

Dragging my fingers through my hair, I pull free tiny bits of glass—beautiful, raw diamonds that shine like stars in the morning haze. My right hand is beginning to swell grotesquely, and my left jaw is aching, but I think I’m remarkably healthy.

“I’m fine. How about you?”

I touch his arms, his face, that sandy beard he insisted on growing special for the trip. His grey Mountain Hardware beanie is smudged with streaks of dirt and blood, but I can still see those two campfire ash stripes he accidentally wiped across its brim during our weekend trip to Seward last spring.

“I’m fine.”

Turning to Bridger, I repeat my inspection, cradling his bony shoulders against my chest and feeling my heart break as I watch his back legs tremble.

Naia is crying, howling out in pain whenever she twists herself on the floor of the minivan. We can’t find any wounds—not even the one I thought I saw on her hamstrings just before she ran into oncoming traffic.

Internal injuries.

The thought strikes me with the weight of a wrecking ball, and I do my best to convince myself I’m mistaken. “She’s probably just sore,” I say, patting Michael’s knee in encouragement after I palpate her spine and the bones of her back legs. “Everything seems to be intact, and she’s letting me touch her everywhere. That’s a good sign.”

But what the hell do I know? I’m not a vet tech.

As we drive, we thank the Canadian couple more times than is reasonably necessary, asking them their names over and over only to feel their answers drifting away moments after they form.

Duane is the dad; I try my hardest and finally commit him to memory, feeling my mind battling the word like an out-of-control kite in the midst of a hurricane. Duane. Duane is beefy and good-natured, with a gap between his front teeth and meaty, flushed sausage fingers. Duane. Remember the name Duane.

Duane and Duane’s wife—who I will later only remember as an ash-blonde blur—were on their way to Fort St. John this morning. They’ve been living in Fort Nelson for the past five years, and Fort St. John is the next town over; it’s a three and a half to four hour drive, and one of Duane’s daughters will be getting her braces tightened there Monday.

“We’ve been driving behind you the whole way south from Fort Nelson, about 40 kilometers,” Duane says. Same speed. Following at a safe distance. These straight roads will get you, he says. Your tires get away from you on that ice, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

“Forty kilometers is a long way to backtrack,” Michael says.

“I feel terrible we’ve ruined your day,” I say, watching the windows fog up from the heater and wondering why Duane hasn’t fixed that hairline crack spreading like a spider web across his front windshield.

“You’re all alive,” Duane’s wife says—or was that Duane? “If you weren’t, that would have ruined our day.”

“It would have ruined ours, too,” I say, smiling because I’m being clever.

Get it? Because we would have been dead.

Ha! See? I’m still funny, even in the midst of a tragedy.

####

“I’m sorry ma’am, you can’t bring your mutts in here,” the nurse says when we arrive at the Fort Nelson hospital, staggering out of Duane’s minivan as his wife calls the police and says help is on the way.

“We don’t have anywhere else to go,” I answer, clutching Bridger’s collar and tracking wet, socked footprints across the linoleum as Michael sways in behind me, holding Naia to his chest with wide eyes and bloodied hands.

I bet we look like those people you always hear about. The crazies.

A room suddenly opens for us in an unused portion of the hospital, and we spend the better part of the morning sitting on the floor in stunned silence, giving a police report to an officer named Katie and force-feeding Naia and Bridger dry crackers and lukewarm water.

It will cost $500 per person to be seen by a doctor, so we forego medical exams for now. And Fort Nelson doesn’t have a veterinarian—what the fuck kind of town doesn’t have a veterinarian?—so Michael and I skip deliberation and make the only decision we feel is reasonable.

Give us a rental car, because we need to get Naia to a Fort St. John vet hospital right now.

####

Fast-forward four hours, and Michael and I are in the middle of nowhere on that same God-forsaken two-lane highway in the middle of a snowstorm. I am sitting in the back seat of our rental Kia Sorrento, and Naia is crumpled in a little black heap at my side. She shifts to get comfortable amongst the avalanche of belongings we’ve stacked to the ceiling around her, and this tiny movement sends a stab of pain coursing through her already weak body.

“How’s she doing?” Michael asks from the driver’s seat.

I don’t know how he’s doing this; driving through this snowstorm in the middle of this fog, dodging stray elk and flicking on and off his high-beams during those heart-stopping moments when visibility drops below twenty feet.

It’s pitch-black out here, black as an abyss, a wormhole stretching across the frozen void of space. The steady stream of snow tapping our windshield ironically reminds me of that Windows screen saver that makes you feel like you’re flying through the solar system.

Only now I’m afraid we’re going to spin into another accident, and this time, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep myself together afterward.

It’s a statistical improbability, a mathematical unlikelihood. I probably have a better chance of being attacked by a shark and then being trampled by an elephant. But there’s always that one little anomaly, that one weird guy in Texas who’s been struck by lightning more than 60 times.

Some times these things just happen.

Why not twice in one day?

Naia’s golden eyes are rolling in her skull, and her breathing is raspy. I’m trying to get her to drink water, and I’m doing every trick I can think of to distract her from her panting.

“Got your tongue. Hahaha, look at me, I’m gonna get your tongue if you don’t put it back in your mouth… I’m gonna get your eye googies next. I know you have this gross little habit of always wanting to eat them after I’ve wiped your eyes clean. Don’t you want to pause for a second to eat your eye googies?”

I watch Naia struggle, and I suddenly feel my chest closing. Those golden eyes are so beautiful, and her ridiculous bat ears are perfect.

She’s going to die. Naia is going to die right here sitting on my lap, and there’s nothing I can do to help her.

A swell of anger spills itself into tears, and I clench my eyes shut, fighting the pain and clutching Naia so tightly that I imagine my arms have the power keep her together.

The power to keep her here.

This isn’t fair. This isn’t the way things are supposed to happen.

We’re supposed to move into a new house together. We’re supposed to have babies, and Naia is supposed to be their nanny. She’s supposed to snuffle their ears and sleep beside them every night.

We can’t say goodbye to her yet. We can’t leave her here in this god-forsaken place, broken and extinguished like a snuffed candle. She isn’t even three yet.

This isn’t how this is supposed to happen.

Oil refineries tantalize us for hours, gleaming red and warm in the distance, camouflaging themselves as the town of Fort St. John only to mock us when we approach. Their wicked flame smoke stacks glow like beacons, and we feel like we’re traveling through time as we steer past them into the abyss.

####

We have been on the road for more than five and a half hours by the time we finally reach North Peach Veterinary Clinic, a square metal box illuminated by street lights and outfitted with a squeeze cage in the front for handling large livestock procedures.

My socks are gone now, so I carry Naia barefoot through the snow as Dr. North waves and pulls her glass door open for us. She’s small and athletic, coffee-haired and tan-faced, with kind eyes and rock climber hands, and she can’t believe we’ve come to her vet hospital before seeing a doctor ourselves.

Her office is warm, and the air smells like antiseptic and metal as Michael and I struggle to place Naia on an exam table. She cries out in pain, and her insides heave. A trickle of blood begins dripping in dark rivulets down the base of her tail.

I take one look and suddenly think I’m going to vomit.

Her insides. Her insides have turned into mush, and there’s nothing I can do to help her.

A wave of heat rips through me, and I collapse in an exam chair, tearing off my favorite chocolate vest and that pink American Eagle hoodie I put on this morning because I knew Michael would think I looked pretty.

It’s ripped. I ripped the sleeve of my pretty pink hoodie, and Naia’s going to die here.

The flecked tile floor feels cold against my back as I slump to the ground, and Dr. North brings me a water-filled mug. It’s old and white, stained with coffee and chipped at the handle, but the water tastes good, so I share with Naia.

“It’s good if she wants to drink, right?”

“Maybe, but we don’t want her to drink too much in case we need to sedate her.” Dr. North attempts a smile, explains that she’s going to take her now and do x-rays. We should make ourselves comfortable in her waiting room.

####

Bridger and I pass the time by walking laps through the fluorescent-lit reception area while Michael sits slumped in a corner, eyes watery and hands shaking, dried blood caked around his knuckles.

I decide to make up a new game.

1…. 2… 3… 4…

20… 21… Twenty-two steps to make it from one end of the room to the other. Gotta beat that pace next time.

1… 2… 3… 4…

Six steps to get all the way around the corner.

1… 2… 3… 4…

18… 19… Only twenty steps to get all the way back. Let’s try it again a little faster.

Eukanuba, Science Diet... Dry treats, chewy treats, cute little cans of cat food…

Bridger loves keeping pace with me. This whole thing is his idea, actually. He’s named Bridger Pacey Boop Chickos thanks to his propensity for walking laps around our bedroom at 4:00am, his black and clear toenails click-click-clicking against the lacquered wooden floors when he needs to go to the bathroom.

“He’s a morning person,” we would laugh, grumbling as we unfurled ourselves from our nest of blankets. “The rest of us are night owls, but Bridger Pacey Boop Chickos is a morning person.”

Dr. North returns to the reception area, peering at us with a tentative smile. Her words are blurs, and the x-rays she presents only serve to accentuate how beautiful Naia is, even when she’s just bones on a screen.

“See that?” Dr. North asks. “That’s her bladder. I was afraid it may have ruptured when she started bleeding earlier, but it turns out her kidneys are just badly bruised.” She points to the bones, the wispy, smoke-colored bones all lined up like Lego blocks on the flimsy plastic sheet, and she smiles again, explains that everything looks great, and that Naia probably only has a hairline fracture on her pelvis.

“A hairline fracture,” she repeats, “so she’ll probably be a good candidate for arthritis when she gets older.”

I’m stuck on the word, and a surge of tears suddenly pours down my cheeks as I lean into Michael for support. Dried brown blood coats my fingernails like clay, and I pat Bridger on the head as I repeat it: “Arthritis? Naia is going to get arthritis? Michael, did you hear that? Naia is going to get arthritis because Naia is going to get old. Michael, Naia is going to get old.”

Air whooshes from my lungs, and a swell of pure joy fills my ribcage, warm, golden and inviting as a sunrise.

Memories spring to life and dance like a film roll before me—wrestling matches, hikes in the sunshine, fire lit nights—and then suddenly I’m seeing pictures of things to come. Dancing in the kitchen, Christmas trees, blanket-wrapped babies and a little black, bat-eared nanny. Dog bones, snowflakes, soccer games in the park… Bridger, Naia, Michael and me fighting for space on our always-too-small queen-sized bed.

The four of us. Our blossoming, young, four-member family.

We all get a second chance.

Ask a Zookeeper: The Dynamics of a Bear Attack

2011-12-07T07:00:00.021-07:00

Brown Bears, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Thanks for tuning in for my second installment of my brand-new "Ask a Zookeeper" series! This post comes from two sources:

Lydia Kang, who writes: "How would a bear kill a person? Like, what happens in a mauling? Are we talking torn out throats, or disemboweling... Sorry, I know it's gruesome, but I wanted to know for one of my previous WIPs and I never quite got the answer."
Donna Perugini writes: "Some of the questions you get really make me curious. I think you could even open up psychological profiling here along with the zookeeper section. Seriously! Not all bears (black, brown, grizzly, etc.) are the same regarding their aggressiveness."

Excellent questions and ideas, ladies! You're in luck, because I occasionally taught Bear Awareness classes in Alaska, and my husband and I follow the rules VERY closely when we go camping in bear country. (Let the record show, however, that I wasn't always up-to-date on my bear knowledge. Growing up in Florida, I didn't even enter brown bear territory for the first time until a trip to Glacier National Park on my honeymoon. During that trip, I was so petrified that I rarely made it far on our hikes, and a chance encounter with a deer on one nearly sent me into hysterics.)

Upon my arrival in Alaska, I took it upon myself to learn absolutely everything there was to know about bear attacks, thinking it was the only way I'd ever convince myself to enter the woods again. I also became obsessed with my zoo's brown and black bears (Jake, Oreo, Zayk and Mavis), and I watched them as often as I could--memorizing the way they moved, the way they reacted to things and the clues they gave off when they seemed excited or irritated.

Jake the Brown Bear, Photo Courtesy of Me

What impressed me most about the time I spent working around them (and the time I later spent helping raise the orphaned brown bears the zoo would occasionally receive) was the amount of intelligence the bears displayed--especially in regard to problem-solving. It was staggering, but it was also intensely helpful, because intelligent animals tend to act in predictable ways, and this is paramount when dissecting something as complex as a bear attack.

Many people split bear attacks into two categories: black bear attacks or brown bear attacks. (Brown bears and grizzly bears are essentially the same thing; the phrasing differences are mostly semantics.) I think, however, that it's infinitely more helpful to split bear attacks into two different categories: DEFENSIVE attacks or PREDATORY attacks.

Brown Bears, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

DEFENSIVE attacks are the ones we are FAR more likely to encounter in the wild: we've stumbled upon a bear, startled it, blocked its access or threatened its food, gotten between a sow and her cubs, etc. These attacks are typically not as life-threatening as predatory attacks, because the bears will generally stop attacking us as soon as they feel like we are no longer a threat. (Slightly heartening, I suppose, but still not delightful-sounding by any means.)

Defensive attacks by brown bears are far more common than defensive attacks by black bears (though still uncommon in the grand scheme of things), because black bears evolved in habitats with lots of trees. When black bears feel threatened, they typically just scoot up the closest one. Brown bears, on the other hand, evolved in more open areas, so they are more hard-wired to stand their ground.

If you ever encounter a startled bear, remain calm and do not run. Here are some tips from BearInfo.org:

Speak in a low monotone voice so the bear can identify you as human.
A bear may charge in an attempt to intimidate you – usually stopping well short of contact.
If contact is made, or about to be made, drop to the ground and play dead. Protect your back by keeping your pack on. Lie on your stomach, clasp your hands behind your neck, and use your elbows and toes to avoid being rolled over. If the bear does roll you over, keep rolling until you land back on your stomach.
(In response to your question, Lydia, when bears attack to kill, they typically swipe at the chest or back and then finish their prey off by biting its neck or head. At that time, they usually go for the entrails. Gross, right?)
Remain still and quiet. A defensive bear will stop attacking once it feels the threat has been removed.
Do not move until you are absolutely sure the bear has left the area.

Black Bear, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

PREDATORY attacks are incredibly rare, but they are exactly what they sound like: attacks where a bear is purposefully seeking us out and intending to kill and eat us. This is the stuff nightmares are made of, so it's obviously important to react differently.

Here are some more tips from BearInfo.org: Any bear that continues to approach, follow, disappear and reappear or displays other stalking behaviors is possibly considering you as prey. Bears that attack you in your tent or confront you aggressively in your campsite or cooking area should also be considered a predatory threat.

If the bear does not respond to aggressive actions such as yelling or throwing rocks and sticks, you should be prepared to physically fight back if it attempts to make contact.
Try to be intimidating: look as large as possible. If you are in a group, stand close together to give the illusion of size.
If you have bear spray, emit a deterring blast, preferably before the bear is within twenty-five feet. This gives the animal time to divert its advance.
If the attack escalates and the bear physically contacts you, fight back with anything that is available to you. You are quite literally fighting for your life.

(Ironically, black bears are responsible for the majority of predatory attacks, not brown bears. This is why popular wisdom suggests only fighting back during black bear attacks and playing dead during brown bear attacks. Who knew?)

Zayk the Black Bear, Photo Courtesy of Me

Lastly, here are some great ways you can AVOID bear attacks all together, courtesy of HikingDude.com:

Keep your eyes open for signs of bears. Footprints, droppings, trampled vegetation, clawed up tree trunks, overturned rocks, ripped up rotting logs.
Invest in some bear spray before entering bear country. Know how and when to use it.
Hike in groups. This gives you people to talk to, making noise is important to warn bears of your approach.
Feel the wind. If you are hiking into the wind, your scent will not reach bears ahead of you and the chances of encounter are higher. Be aware and consider making more warning noise.
Feel the land. Hiking across open meadows, ridges, or hillsides provides the opportunity for spotting bears at a distance. Hiking in gullies, thick forests, or along streams masks noise and scent and increases possibility of encounters.
Dispose of garbage in bear-proof containers, if they are available.
Hang all food, garbage, and smellable items in secure bear bags. Locate two trees about 200 feet from your campsite and at least 20 feet apart. Hang your smellables between them at least 12 feet from the ground.
Never eat or even bring smellables into your tent. This includes toothpaste, perfume, snacks, gum.. anything with an odor. This also includes the clothes you cooked in - put on different clothes for sleeping.
Cook at least 200 feet downwind from your tent. Even better, stop and cook your meal a mile before stopping to camp. Don't even open your food or garbage bag in camp.
Clean all dishes immediately. Do your washing 200 feet from camp.
Make sure you leave a spotless campsite. Remove all reason for a bear to visit this location looking for food.

Last but not least, don't forget that bears are very reclusive animals. They are hoping to avoid you just as much as you are hoping to avoid them. Just remember to let them know you're in their neighborhood, and behave like a well-mannered guest.

Black Bear Cub, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Thanks for tuning in for the second edition of my "Ask a Zookeeper" series, and please let me know if you have any questions for future posts. My next question is about Capuchin monkeys, and I will be posting it in two weeks!

The Sky is Everywhere = Oh. My. God.

2011-12-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Have you guys read The Sky is Everywhere yet? Lydia Kang was generous enough to give me a copy during her recent blog give-away, and I cannot express to you how much I'm now in love with this book. (Thank you SO much, Lydia!)

Photo Courtesy of Goodreads

Here's the Amazon.com description:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

Jandy Nelson has a BA from Cornell, an MFA in poetry from Brown, and another MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She's a literary agent, a published poet and a devout romantic. The Sky Is Everywhere is her first novel.

Here's the official Book Trailer from Penguin Young Readers:

Nelson's poetic roots are so clear in this novel, because it almost reads like a work of poetry. Her metaphors and similes are so fresh, beautiful and... right... that they nearly fly off the page. The characters are crazy three-dimensional (and bizarre), and the love story--stories, actually--are absolutely stunning. The way she describes a first love is so realistic and all-consuming that it leaves you breathless.

My favorite part of the novel, however, is the adoration and heartbreak Lennie feels toward her deceased big sister, Bailey. It inspired me to jump on the phone and tell MY big sister how much I love and appreciate her. I'm sure you will feel the same way if you have siblings.

In short, FIVE out of FIVE stars from this girl. The Sky is Everywhere not only entertains you; it also inspires you to become a better writer--and sibling.

Two Fantastic Recent Reads

2011-12-01T18:19:00.003-07:00

I've been reading like a madman lately, and I just finished two awesome YA books--the kind of YA books that you devour in just a few days. Have you guys read these yet?

Photo Courtesy of Maureen Johnson Books

Here's The Name of the Star's Amazon.com book description: The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Such a fun and original read; I honestly didn't know what was going to happen until the very last page!

Photo Courtesy of TheDivergentTrilogy.com

Here's Divergent's Amazon.com description: One choice can transform you. Pass initiation. Do not fail! Thrilling urban dystopian fiction debut from an exciting young author. In sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior's world, society is divided into five factions -- Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) -- each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue, in the attempt to form a "perfect society." At the age of sixteen, teens must choose the faction to which they will devote their lives. On her Choosing Day, Beatrice renames herself Tris, rejects her family's group, and chooses another faction. After surviving a brutal initiation, Tris finds romance with a super-hot boy, but also discovers unrest and growing conflict in their seemingly "perfect society." To survive and save those they love, they must use their strengths to uncover the truths about their identities, their families, and the order of their society itself.

I'm not usually a huge Dystopian fan, but Divergent sucked me in right away. I can't believe I have to wait until May 2012 for the sequel!

Thanks to the wonderful Lydia Kang's recent book giveaway, I am now reading The Sky is Everywhere. I also just picked up Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and I am already delightfully creeped out by all the weird pictures.

Have you read any good YA novels recently?

P.S.- Oh my gosh, I just found out that the lovely and incredible Jenny Phresh is hosting a huge book giveaway on her blog as we speak. A great place to find some amazing new novels: Book Giveaway Extravaganza!

Ask a Zookeeper: Literary Crows?

2011-11-23T07:30:00.004-07:00

I'm so excited to answer my very first "Ask a Zookeeper" question! (I'm going to try to run this series every other Wednesday until I get the hang of it, and then I may increase to every week.)

This question comes from Jaye Robin Browne of Hanging on to Wonder. She writes MG and YA books, is represented by Steven Chudney at The Chudney Agency and also volunteers for her local Humane Society. She writes:

Q: "Could a crow be taught to read?"

A: Short answer: "Absolutely!" Long answer: "Define 'read'..."

Northwestern Crow, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

I love this question, because I didn't realize how intelligent members of the Corvid family--which also includes ravens, jays and magpies--were until a few years ago. I was working at a marine park in Florida at the time, and our Bird Department's pride and joy was a young African pied crow named Russell. (Get it? Russell Crow? *Pauses for obligatory chuckles.*)

Russell was a star pupil, and our trainers successfully trained him an assortment of ridiculously complicated behaviors, including one where he buzzed the crowd in our theatre to the soundtrack of Top Gun. He retrieved donations and deposited them into an oversized piggy bank, and he "put himself to bed" at the end of every show, even shutting the door behind him.

African Pied Crow, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Later, at my zoo in Alaska, I met a magpie named George who possessed the apparently not-so-unique Corvid ability to mimic human speech. She loved to blow kisses to her adoring fans, and she also said, "How are you doing?" and "Hi, George!" (Yeah, so we blew it with the gender thing. By the time we figured out she was a girl, she was already calling herself George.)

Black-Billed Magpie, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

My most amazing experience with Corvids, however, was the pair of ravens I also took care of in Alaska. Sam and Poe were both crippled with wing injuries, but that didn't stop them from maintaining a booming social life. They always vocalized and interacted with the wild ravens outside their enclosure, and I often caught them picking through their dinner, setting aside the good bits and passing the rest of their food out to their friends between the bars. This happened especially frequently during cold winter months when food was scarce.

I was floored by this, and I couldn't initially wrap my head around why on Earth Sam and Poe would engage in such an altruistic and selfless behavior. And then it occurred to me. Sam and Poe had developed a mutually beneficial relationship with the wild ravens. They provided the food, and the wild ravens provided the enrichment. It was a match made in Heaven.

Common Ravens, Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

But I digress. This realization inspired me to do some research, and I was stunned by the wealth of knowledge available on Corvid intelligence. Not only can Corvids manipulate tools, mimic human speech, display social reasoning and demonstrate extraordinary feats of spatial memory, but they have also been proven to "recognize and ascribe numerical meaning to symbols," which suggests they may be able to “read” numbers and simple icons.

Here's an excerpt from a recent article by Sunanda Creagh of The Conversation Literary Group:

In the latest edition of the journal Animal Behaviour, Japanese researchers describe an experiment in which eight jungle crows were presented with two containers, one with “2” written on the lid and one with “5”. The “5” container had food inside, while the “2” did not. The crows soon learned to pick the “5” container at a 70% success rate.

Other experiments tested whether the crows could differentiate between containers marked with non-numerical symbols such as shapes. The birds scored a 70 to 90% success rate picking the food-filled container for 19 out of 20 non-numerical symbol tests.

...Dr Stephen Debus, a bird expert and honorary research associate in zoology at the University of New England, said the results were interesting but not surprising because crows were renowned for their superior intelligence.

It is unclear why the birds evolved such smarts, he said “but I gather that it is probably related to their complex social organisation and also, being omnivorous in complex environments, they need to be able to find food in novel situations and solve problems in obtaining that food.”

He said he expected the study of crows to reveal more of their skills in future.

So yes, Jaye Robin, I would DEFINITELY say a crow could be taught to "read" on some level, and they can certainly discriminate and retain the differences between symbols. Pretty wild, huh??

Thanks for tuning in for my first edition of my "Ask a Zookeeper" series, and please let me know if you have any questions for future posts. I have a short list of great ones already, and I can't wait to hear more!

(Wanna learn more about Corvid intelligence? Check out this informative--and very, very funny--article from Cracked.com, called "Six Terrifying Ways Crows Are Way Smarter Than You Think.")

What Would YOU Ask a Zookeeper? (+ Shout-Out to Lydia Kang!)

2011-11-20T23:53:00.003-07:00

Have you guys discovered Lydia Kang's blog yet? She's a brand-new member of the Lucky 13's Blog of 2013 debut authors, and her YA sci-fi, THE FOUNTAIN, debuts in Spring 2013 from Dial Books for Young Readers.

In addition to being a writer, Lydia is also a doctor, and she generously shares her medical knowledge every Monday during an ongoing series she calls Medical Mondays. During this series, she takes reader questions about medical-related issues, and this is a GREAT resource for aspiring writers. Here are some examples of past questions:

"Can you explain how a person might go blind after a severe trauma, rather than by disease?"
"What kinds of effects can prescription drugs of abuse can a person have, and what are the withdrawal symptoms if they go off the drugs?"
"What's the turnaround time for tests to prove illegal steroids were being used?"

Do you have a medical-related question in your work in progress? Take advantage of Lydia's expertise by emailing her at: MedicalMondays (at) gmail (dot) com!

I've been enjoying Lydia's "Medical Monday" posts so much lately that I feel inspired to try my hand at my own series. After thinking about it for a little while, I think I may have come up with something.

As many of you know, I'm a zookeeper and animal trainer by background, so I definitely have my share of random animal knowledge. And occasionally, one of my writerly friends will have an animal-related question about the novel he or she is writing. (i.e., "What does dolphin skin feel like?" ... "If my protagonist killed an adult brown bear, could he carry the pelt by himself, or would it be too heavy?" etc.)

In the spirit of knowledge sharing, I'd love to start a new series on my blog called "Ask a Zookeeper," where I take any of those random questions you have about the animals in your stories. (I've worked with primarily North American animals and some Asian animals, but I know lots of others who can help with additional animals.) And look, I've even designed a pretty badge, using a pic I took of Lyutik the polar bear at the Alaska Zoo:

Do you have a question? Shoot me an email at lisa.chickos (at) hotmail (dot) com or leave a comment, and please feel free to spread my post to others you think may be interested in participating. I look forward to reading your questions!

Bella vs. Katniss?

2011-11-15T17:02:00.003-07:00

I just read a really interesting article in the Atlantic called 'Twilight' vs. 'Hunger Games': Why Do So Many Grown-Ups Hate Bella? (Spoiler Alert: This article gives away both endings, so don't read it if you don't already know what happens in both series.)

Photo Courtesy of scrat.hellocotton.com

Regardless of our personal stances on the pros and cons of each series (and I know we all have a favorite!), I think the article brings up a lot of interesting points. And whether or not we agree with all those points, it also gives all of us aspiring young adult writers something to think about. In particular, what do we want readers to take away from the values, attitudes and goals of our main characters?

Thoughts?

Just a Little Zen... Starling-Style

2011-11-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Have you ever heard of a starling? It's a non-descript, little black bird--fairly common and rather forgettable for the most part. I bottle-fed these guys all summer at the wildlife rehab center, and the only thing I found remarkable about them was their uncanny ability to escape from their pens and dive-bomb me during feeding time.

I was so unimpressed with starlings, in fact, that I recently smirked when I received an email with the subject line: A Murmuration of Starlings. (What can I say, my friends are animal nerds, too. This is what we do for fun.) Imagine my surprise when I followed the link and found myself spellbound by some truly gorgeous starling footage.

Common starlings, apparently, sometimes congregate in huge flocks called "murmurations." These murmurations move in massive, coordinated, airborne dances, and scientists still struggle to explain exactly how these dances are possible.

I won't bore you with scientific theories (which you can find here, if you like). Instead, I will simply leave you with this beautiful video, which was taken recently by two kayakers in Ireland. Turn up your speakers, relax and enjoy this beautiful, little moment of Zen.

How cool is Mother Nature??

And the Winner Is...

2011-11-06T21:28:00.001-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Random.org just generated the winner of my 200-Follower Giveaway, and that winner is...

Rain Laaman of "Rain-On Sentence!!"

Thanks so much to everyone who entered; I love To Touch a Wild Dolphin so much that I just may be giving more away in the near future! Stay tuned, Rain, for your shiny, new copy, and I hope you love it as much as I did! :)

In other news, who's on Twitter and Goodreads? I know I'm following some of you, but I'm fairly new to the Twitter phenomenon, and I'm not exactly proficient yet. I've been on Goodreads for awhile, but I mostly just rate the books I'm currently reading, and I could definitely expand my mind there as well.

I'd love it if you found me:

Twitter: @LisaAnnChickos
GoodReads: Lisa Chickos

Hope to see you there!!

200-Follower Celebration & Giveaway!!

2011-11-03T17:56:00.001-06:00

I remember cruising to an AbsoluteWrite member's blog early this spring and noticing that she had just hit the "200-Follower" mark. She wrote a post to celebrate the occasion, and I read it with amazement and envy, thinking to myself, "How in the world did she ever find 200 like-minded people to follow her??" (I meanwhile, had a whopping nine followers at that time, so you can certainly understand my awe.)

Now, here I am, seven months or so later, and I can't believe I have actually hit this amazing mark myself. Thank you SO much to everyone who has taken the time to hit that little "follow" button this year. You guys have cheered me through so many milestones, and you've enriched my life in so many ways. I cannot imagine the fun and fantastic chaos that would occur if we were all somehow able to converge together on one spot. Best conference / frat party ever!

In celebration of my "200-Follower" mark, I'm really excited to host my very first blog giveaway, where I'm giving away a copy of one of my very favorite books of all time: To Touch a Wild Dolphin by Rachel Smolker. Here's the cover, followed by Amazon's book description:

Photo Courtesy of OpenLibrary.org

"In 1982, Rachel Smolker traveled to Monkey Mia, a remote spot in western Australia where she’d heard wild dolphins regularly interact with people. She had no intention of staying long; she simply wanted to see if the rumors were true. That initial trip changed Smolker’s life; it commenced a fifteen-year scientific obsession that has culminated in this fascinating scientific adventure story–the first-ever intimate account of dolphin life in the wild.

"To Touch A Wild Dolphin is a seminal work that radically alters our fundamental understanding of these enigmatic creatures. Learning to identify scores of dolphins by their dorsal fin, Smolker and her team of scientists were able to conduct close and consistent studies that revealed the dolphin to be even more intelligent than we’d previously suspected. And while they were every bit as playful as we’ve known them to be, they also proved to have a dark and alarmingly violent side. But more than just a document on dolphins, this book is a touchingly personal look at the life of a scientist, at the rigors and sacrifices but also the wonders and joys of unending days in the field. Written with prose poetic and pristine, this book is nothing short of a landmark."
(Alright, it's a little random... Would you expect any less from me?? :))

I discovered this book in 2005, and it literally altered the course of my life, catipulting me from admiring dolphins from afar in a Disney-esque way to studying and working around them at marine mammal rehabilitation centers. I even give Rachel Smolker a cameo shout-out in my young adult novel BELOW THE SURFACE, and I highly recommend this book if you've ever wondered what's behind a dolphin's beaming smile or daydreamed about working with them. (And if you're worried that this book is too technical or science-heavy, no worries! It reads a lot like a travelogue, and you don't need any existing knowledge to appreciate Smolker's research and discoveries.)

If you'd like to enter my giveaway, please leave your email address in my comment form. I will keep comments open until Saturday, November 5, and then I will randomly generate a winner from Random.org. The winner will receive a sparkly new copy of To Touch a Wild Dolphin!

Thanks again to all of you for taking the time to stop by and support me this year. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Dolphins Team Up to Get the Girl

2011-11-03T08:25:00.000-06:00

I've been following wild dolphin research for years, and I remember feeling like my world had been rocked the first time I realized Shark Bay's male dolphins formed alliances to team up and get the girl--many times without any of the tenderness or affection we often associate with them. This article from Discovery News confirms what scientists have been saying for years: The importance of a good wingman can never be underestimated.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Dolphins Team Up To Get the Girl
Male dolphins who formed an alliance of wingmen fathered more babies than those who worked the seas solo.
Wed Nov 2, 2011 11:57 AM ET
Content provided by ABC Science

An alliance of four male dolphins, dubbed The Beatles have shown that when blokes co-operate, they have more sexual success.

The research by a team at Macquarie University is published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. The study found that male dolphins who form an alliance fathered far more babies than those who worked in smaller groups or alone.

The researchers studied a population of 70 male and 64 female Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins living in Port Stephens, New South Wales. They collected skin samples from males and calves and looked for genetic markers which would reveal the paternity of the calves.

They found that 14 different males had sired 32 calves. However, nearly half of the calves -- 13 individuals -- were sired by a single alliance of four dolphins known as The Beatles.

Three calves were sired by a three-male alliance and five calves were sired by another three-male alliance.

The remaining 11 calves sired by pairs or lone males.

Males are known to form alliances in a number of species, including lions, chimpanzees, horses and, some would argue, humans.

"But there has not been any evidence to show why an alliance might be preferable," says co-author Dr Jo Wiszniewski.

"This research shows that male dolphins need to cooperate with each other to maximise their reproductive success."

Up to 80 per cent of males form alliances to seek out and reproduce with females during the spring/summer breeding season, says Wiszniewski.

"Males in alliances have better control of the females - we often see the males swimming around the females one on each side, sometimes one at the back. The female can't get away from them," she says.

"They basically herd the female - they try to keep her away from other males. They would swim by her and when she was feeding, they would feed too."

"These kind of herding events can last just from a few hours up to a few weeks at a time," says Wiszniewski.

Female dolphins only have a calf every two to five years, so in any particular year there are very few females available and ready to mate with.

"That's why there's so much pressure for males to form alliances, to become more competitive," she says.

Previous research from Western Australia also found that male dolphins who form alliances breed more successfully. But in this case, forming cooperative alliances was less surprising, Wiszniewski says, because those dolphins were related.

"If one of those males helps another reproduce, he still gets benefits because his genes still get passed on," she says.

But in Port Stephens, the cooperating dolphins weren't related.

"That's what's so fascinating. By helping another male, they are actually risking the chance that they won't reproduce with a female. So they really need a high level of cooperation and trust so then the male knows that by helping another male, he's also going to get helped."

Wiszniewski points out that one of The Beatles - John - doesn't seem to have fathered any calves.

"We have a feeling he was not a full part of the alliance. He was what we call the odd male out -- he wasn't really 'in' with the group."

QueryTracker Success Story + an Awesome Giveaway!!!

2011-10-30T12:57:00.000-06:00

Photo Courtesy of vi.sualize.us

I have been drooling over the Query Tracker "Success Stories" ever since I began querying my novel, and I'm beyond thrilled that I now get to post a success story of my very own! (Apparently, I was Success Story #640; I will remember that number forever!)

Here's a link to my newly-posted success story: An Interview with Lisa Ann Chickos, and thanks again SO much to all of you who have been so instrumental in keeping me sane and positive during this crazy experience. YOU ARE AMAZING!!

Speaking of amazing, I'd like to take a minute to plug my good friend Allen Walker, who I mention in my interview as one of my beta readers / the best editor EVER. I've known him since the third grade, and my novel literally (literally, literally) wouldn't be here without his incredible editing advice. He's been with me every step of this process, from that very first phone call where I said, "You know what might be fun? What if this girl joined this beluga whale research team in Alaska, and then some crazy stuff started happening...?"

He helped me through the terrible Act Two lull, talked me out of making my secondary characters into cartoons (specifically Snidely Whiplash, in at least one case), and helped me through every single step of revision until I got this thing as perfect as I could. More specifically, he helped me become a better writer, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

Allen is in the process of setting up an online editing service (Blue Fox Studios), and he's agreed to do some free line-editing work for my writerly friends in exchange for some quick testimonials on his brand-new website. (But ONLY if you like his work... If not, there's no pressure. No strings attached, I promise.)

So... If you mention this blog post and tell him I referred you, he will give free line-edits to the first five people who email him the first 25 pages of their novels. (This is a GREAT deal. Seriously. Try him out, and I am CONFIDENT you won't be sorry!)

Thanks again for the amazing support all of you have shown me during this crazy submission process; I am SO lucky to have you!!

UPDATE: 10/31/11 @ 12:11pm: Wow! That was quick! Allen has already received emails and samples from five interested folks, so his free critique giveaway is officially closed. Stay tuned, as we may offer this promotion again in the near future, and thanks so much for trusting my recommendation and putting your faith in him. He can't wait to get started, and I can't wait to hear how you like your critiques!

Come on In, the Water's Freezing

2011-10-23T23:32:00.000-06:00

Just found a beautiful article from the UK's Daily Mail and couldn't resist sharing... :)

Come on in, the water's freezing: Amazing underwater photos show beluga whales meeting divers at Arctic rehabilitation farm
By Lizzie Smith
Last updated at 1:16 AM
19th January 2010

They don’t get visitors in these parts that often.

That’s because these beluga whales live under three feet of ice in the freezing waters of northern Russia’s White Sea.

But when some underwater photographers arrived, they certainly weren’t shy--as these stunning images show. The whales are not endangered but under threat from pollution and loss of habitat.

Photo Courtesy of DailyMail.co.uk

They are thriving, however, at this whale sanctuary, where a natural bay under the ice provides a haven from the strong currents of the wider ocean.

The 'natural farm' acts as a nursery for breeding whales, as well as acting as a rehabilitation centre for former performing animals before they are set into the wild. The whale sanctuary was designed and built by marine biologists from St Petersburg University.

Occasionally, guests at the local Arctic Circle Dive Centre can swim with the friendly giants, and get close enough to touch.

Arctic diver and photographer, Franco Banfi, 58, who captured these shots said: "When a whale comes up to us and swims by, it looks you right in the eyes. Obviously we don't know what they think, but they are very curious creatures. Sometimes, I'm sure they're trying to figure out what we are and where we came from."

Photo Courtesy of DailyMail.co.uk

But while the beluga, or white whale, is built for these harsh surroundings, the diving team face extremely tough conditions to get close to the gentle creatures.

Before each dive the team have to create holes in the three-foot-deep ice using a hand saw, just to get through to the sea below.

Once they're in they have to swim around in heavy layers of clothes to keep alive in the -10C waters.

Photo Courtesy of DailyMail.co.uk

And it's definitely a case of choosing the short straw for one volunteer who gets to stay above ground in -30C winds, making sure the ice hole doesn't freeze over and trap the group.

"Photographing a story in very cold water can turn into a logistical nightmare," admits Franco. "But, if we are well trained, the underwater part of things is not really as harsh as you might think.

"When we come out on land, temperatures can get down to -10C or -20C and things will instantly freeze, so we can barely move. Cold itself will not hurt the equipment, but it may slow down some of its functions as well as our own.

Photo Courtesy of DailyMail.co.uk

"Because of the ice-layer and snow cover, there is not sufficient light to shoot with ambient light and batteries lose their charge more quickly in cold weather."

Franco added that he was keen to show the beauty of the undersea world to those who can't face the icy deep themselves.

"As photographer, I've always been driven to bring photographs of animals one hardly ever sees to a printed page," he said. "I want to see these amazing animals in a way that only a few people have seen and I want to share it with others."

Pay It Forward and 7x7 Link Award!

2011-10-15T22:39:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to participate in the Pay It Forward Blogfest, courtesy of Dawn Kurtagich's awesome blog shout-out. If you haven't visited Dawn yet, I highly suggest stopping by to say hello. She's an aspiring YA author, represented by Weronika Janczuk, and her life truly reads like an adventure novel. (Think, elephant stampedes at close range and baboons stealing her underwear. I'm not making this stuff up.) Plus, she's just so friendly, approachable and nice. You will love her; I am confident!

Now to the blogfest. The purpose is to introduce others to three bloggers you find awesome. Then attack the list and explore! Find some cool new friends, and discover some great new bloggers to follow.

Here is my list:

1. Rebekah Crane actually lives in Colorado, and we just spent the most hilarious evening drinking wine and cocktails, laughing about the craziness of this submissions process, and generally just laughing. Oh my gosh, it was fantastic, and Bekah is so much fun. She has gotten like 15 full and partial requests for her YA novel so far, and she is perked on the cusp of great things.

2. Dan Brennan is "a mystery, an enigma, and a riddle rolled into one. He’s also a tiny bit pretentious, sorry about that." (Haha!) He's also one of my favorite writerly friends around, and his newest foray is an attempt to simultaneously seek traditional and self-publication (with different projects). His Infinite Circles series is his experiment in self-publishing, and he plans to post his novel, BURNING DAYLIGHT, chapter by chapter on his blog. Chapter One is currently up, and it's really (really, really) good.

3. Peggy Eddleman just got an agent!! She is now represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger, and she absolutely deserves to bask in this happiness. She's thoughtful, she's positive, and every time I visit her site, I am overwhelmed by a burning desire to eat cookies!

(Recipients, feel free to pay others forward on your blog if you'd like, or just sit back and enjoy your new visitors!)

On to my new award, which is the 7x7 Link Award, presented to me by the lovely Girl Parker, who is an aspiring writer, an aspiring photographer, an incredibly sweet and supportive friend, and freaking amazing cook. (Seriously, just read this post: Date Night, German Chocolate Cake Style. Are you drooling yet?)

The purpose of this award is to ask bloggers to identify their own blog posts in certain categories (to breathe new life into some oldies but goodies). Here are mine:

1. Most Beautiful Post: The Quirks and Idiosyncrasies of Dolphins... Nothing in the world humbles me more than a pod of dolphins, and I posted some fantastic footage of them from Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, in this post. (Okay, this is kind of misleading, because "Most Beautiful Post" implies that I actually wrote something beautiful. But hey, how am I going to compete with a pod of dolphins?)

2. Most Popular Post: Announcing My New Agent... Yeah, not too surprised about this one. The day Jamie Brenner (and Brianne Mulligan) entered my life was definitely a life changer, and I am so thankful for all the support and words of congratulations everyone shared when I announced my big news.

3. Most Controversial Post: The Hotdog... I love my hometown in Florida more than words can say. But like most kids from small Southern towns, I didn't always feel this way. I posted this older essay about myself as a teenager because I'm proud of the risks I took while writing it. But I also posted it with a great deal of trepidation, because the years (and life and wisdom) have pretty much erased every negative feeling I expressed while writing this.

4. Most Helpful: RMFW Lesson #1: Time Management for Busy Writers... This is my first--and currently the only--post in my "Lessons from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers" series. Life got crazy busy right after this, but I can't wait to continue adding nuggets of wisdom from all the incredible authors I got to meet during my first-ever writers conference.

5. Most Surprisingly Successful: Dolphin Tale Premiers September 23rd!... I think I have excellent timing to thank for the success of this post. I simply wanted to shout-out that adorable dolphin I remember from my time in Florida, but I didn't expect so many random readers to stumble upon my blog through their Google searches. (And let's face it, Winter is fantastic. Once again, how am I going to compete with a dolphin?)

6. Post That Didn't Get The Attention It Deserved AND 7. Post I Am Most Proud Of: The Product of Post-Crash Insomnia... Okay, so I cheated and combined these last two. But I am proud of this post on so many levels. I survived a pretty intense car accident in October of 2010, and I quickly realized the only way I could purge my experience was to write it down. It's gruesome and violent, and I posted it way back in March before I really had any followers, so I'm not surprised it has gone relatively unnoticed until now. I also understand that many people probably don't want to join in on my car crash, but the writing, the editing and the reading was the only catharsis that actually worked, so I've never been prouder of anything.

And HERE are the five bloggers I would like to bestow with their very own 7x7 Link Awards. (Recipients, right-click the award to save it and post it in your own blogs if you'd like. Then feel free to pass it on to five more worthy bloggers.)

1. Deana Barnhart is hilarious, and she makes such an effort to support other writers by posting interviews, hosting blogfests, and researching great information for all of us to enjoy. I am very excited to hear which posts she likes best.

2. Jenny Phresh... Okay, I have to admit, I'm posting this selfishly. I just can't imagine which post the lovely Party Pony would put under "Post I'm Most Proud Of." If you don't know why I'm so excited, go visit her blog, and then you will know why.

3. Beckah-Rah is dark and hilarious. Check out this random sample of the first few words that just happen to be on her blog today: "Last night, I dreamed that my sister talked me into going swimming with her at this strip club’s indoor pool, which turned out to have a chemical in it that dissolves your clothing. Then, of course, we saw the pervs watching from the underground pervert rooms. We got out and were promptly man-handled by creepy homeless-looking strip club patrons, and then we got kidnapped by Santa Claus."

4. Audra has a really unique site called "Rediscovering Domesticity," where she shares all sorts of great tips for home life, from fun and easy recipes to budgets to children. A great resource, and I'd definitely be interested to hear which posts she thinks are most helpful.

5. Perri's "Lesser Apricots" blog is fantastic, because she always posts random song clips, great pictures, and really unique posts. (i.e., These are the subjects that are "near and dear" to her heart: one-hit wonders, lesser apes, rural Florida and other relevant oddball bits.) Can't wait for a "Best-of" list!

That'll do it, folks! Have a wonderful night!

Movable Type Management & My OTHER New Agent!!

2011-10-05T18:52:00.000-06:00

So much news to share! First of all, I am so excited to finally be able to officially announce that my new literary agency, Artists and Artisans Inc., has officially merged with Movable Type Literary Group. The new company has formed two operating units: Movable Type Management, with Jason Allen Ashlock as president, and a performance division, Movable Type Media, with Artists and Artisans' Adam Chromy as president. The media division will develop in-house film, television, and digital contracts. Jamie Brenner, Brianne Mulligan and Michele Matrisciani will all serve as senior literary managers.

Here's the official news release, and you can check out Movable Type Management's brand-new website here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jason Allen Ashlock, Movable Type Management
Phone 646/484.6419 | Fax 647/810.5757
mtm@mtmgmt.net | www.mtmgmt.net

ARTISTS AND ARTISANS AND MOVABLE TYPE LITERARY GROUP AGREE TO MERGE, CREATING NEW MANAGEMENT FIRM FOR AUTHORS

NEW YORK, NY (October 4, 2011) Artists and Artisans and the Movable Type Literary Group announced today a definitive merger agreement to create a new bicoastal management company, Movable Type Management (MTM). The new firm will manage more than 200 authors in a variety of categories and genres, and develop properties for distribution across platforms, devices, and territories. With five senior literary managers, the company will keep offices in New York and Los Angeles, and perform in-house film, television, and digital development.

Jason Allen Ashlock, founder and principal of Movable Type Literary Group, will serve as President of Movable Type Management, developing book and digital properties. Adam Chromy, founder and principal of Artists and Artisans, will serve as President of Movable Type Media, the performance arm of MTM.

Chromy founded Artists and Artisans a decade ago, and has led the company to hundreds of book deals at major publishing houses, many of which have become international and New York Times Bestsellers, among them James Howard Kunstler’s The Long Emergency and most recently Steven Adler’s My Appetite for Destruction. He has set up a number of performance packages with Mosaic Media Group (Please Fire Me), Valhalla Pictures (Your So-Called Life) and a pilot deal at USA Network with Berman Braun for David Ellis Dickerson’s memoir House of Cards. At Movable Type Literary Group, Ashlock lead the company to more than 60 deals in its first two years, and has overseen a number of digital rights initiatives, including a multi-author partnership with INscribe Digital, the production of enhanced ebooks with Vook, and sales of innovative digital properties such as the serial ebook anthology Shock Ring to Random House Digital.

"This is a move that accelerates our strategy to offer authors inventive and expansive management, and to offer publishers properties of utmost value," said Ashlock. "Combining two successful and highly complementary companies allows us to focus the efforts of each of our members, and create customized strategies for each of our authors. At a particularly challenging and exciting time for the publishing industry, this combination vaults us into a leadership role with our clients and our partners."

Chromy said, "The increasingly competitive marketplace has made brand awareness ever more critical to the success of an author’s career, and there is no greater platform for building that awareness than film and television adaptations of their work. The new organization will allow me the opportunity to more aggressively pursue clients’ performance exploitations in Hollywood while also mining its rich creative community for talent.”

The company's Senior Representatives will include Jamie Brenner, Brianne Mulligan and Michele Matrisciani. Brenner, who will focus primarily on literary and commercial fiction, worked in online bookselling at Barnes and Noble and publicity at Harper Collins prior to becoming an agent. Mulligan, who will manage mostly middle grade and young adult authors, has worked in editorial at Razorbill, Gotham, and Broadway. Matrisciani, who will handle primarily prescriptive and narrative nonfiction, was for the last five years editorial director of HCI books, after working in editorial at McGraw-Hill and Hyperion.

International rights will be handled by Baror International (www.barorint.com)

Movable Type Management can be found on the Web at MTMgmt.net and at PublishersMarketplace.com/companies/MovableType/

For additional information, contact Jason Allen Ashlock at Movable Type Management: 646/484.6419 mtm@MTMgmt.net.

My other exciting news is something I have been painfully sitting on while I waited for the companies' mergers to be made public. I have somehow stumbled into the amazing fortune of becoming one of Movable Type Management's very first new clients. To celebrate the companies' integration, my contract is actually being handled by TWO literary agents: Jamie Brenner AND Brianne Mulligan. (How did this happen? And how on Earth did I ever get so lucky??)

Photo Courtesy of Movable Type Management

You've already heard me gush about Jamie Brenner, so I'd like to take a few moments to gush about Brianne Mulligan. (You can also read her full bio here.) She has an editorial background, and she has worked at Random House's Doubleday Broadway imprint, Penguin's Gotham Books and Razorbill, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. At Razorbill, she acquired numerous teen and middle grade novels and series, including Will Hill's Department 19, Darwen Arkwright & the Peregrine Pact by A.J. Hartley, and she worked with a diverse list of authors including New York Times bestselling author Nancy Holder.

(And she's just so darn nice! We have been working on revisions for the past week, and I continue to feel like I'm walking on air!)

Sea Lion Rescued After Crossing Highway 101 in Burlingame

2011-10-02T14:19:00.000-06:00

Here's a crazy story from the San Jose Mercury News about a sea lion that was rescued by The Marine Mammal Center after it crossed a busy highway in Burlingame. (I volunteered for The Marine Mammal Center during the fall of 2005, and it was my very first hands-on marine mammal experience. An AMAZING organization run mostly by volunteers... Check out their website here!)

Photo Courtesy of San Jose Mercury News

Sea lion rescued after crossing Highway 101 in Burlingame
By Patrick May
Posted: 10/01/2011 10:52:14 AM PDT
Updated: 10/01/2011 10:48:03 PM PDT

Sluglike, the beast lumbered across Highway 101, vaulting the median barrier, coming to rest on the shoulder of the Broadway exit, dazed and confused and now eight wide traffic lanes away from the bay it apparently emerged from early Saturday.

Not a good place for a sea lion.

Burlingame police got the call shortly before 7 a.m.

Fast Lane Freddy or Bayshore Betty -- take your choice, since the marine mammal's sex remains undetermined -- had somehow scooted up and across the freeway, a beautiful 150-pound blob of Zalophus californianus, now sitting in eucalyptus leaves, wondering to him/herself: "What the heck did I just do?''

"We got between a half-dozen and a dozen calls from motorists saying 'A sea lion just crossed 101!' " said Burlingame police Cpl. Laura Terada. "By the time we got there, he was heading down the ramp actually exiting into Burlingame. Then he sat on a tree stump, just chillin'."

While police discouraged the animal from leaving the scene of a crime (and we have to assume jaycrawling across 101 violates some law or another), volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County rode to the rescue. They scooped up the creature with a huge net, then used herding boards to nudge the scofflaw into a carrier crate for the trip to Marin.

The California Highway Patrol shut down the exit for two hours to prevent motorists from injuring the animal and vice versa.

The veterinarians would try to mend the mammal -- it was stressed, and there was apparently damage to its jaw, though police said the sea lion had not been struck by a vehicle.

"I'm thinking it already had a broken jaw and that's why it came out of the water," Terada said. "Maybe he couldn't chew his food, so he came out of the bay and ended up on 101."

Jim Oswald of the Marine Mammal Center said the veterinarians would try to figure out what caused the animal to become disoriented in the first place. He said "they can do an EEG" -- a test that measures and records the electrical activity of the brain -- "and see if there are any signs of epileptic seizures. They can be indicative of toxic algae poisoning, which can disturb the brain and interfere with their navigational skills."

Fortunately, Freddy/Betty undertook his/her highway crossing at an opportune time; rush hour could have been far more problematic, Terada said.

"Luckily, it was early Saturday morning," she said. "I mean, he managed to cross eight lanes of traffic, so it couldn't have been that busy."

Announcing My New Agent!!

2011-09-23T21:45:00.000-06:00

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh... This past week has been crazy, and I am beyond excited to officially announce that my new literary agent is...

Photo Courtesy of Artists and Artisans

Jamie Brenner of Artists and Artisans Inc.!!!!

I am literally speechless, and I can't believe I actually got to pick. The agents who offered were amazing, and this has been madness. But Jamie is INCREDIBLE. We had the most amazing phone conversation, and she completely gets the manuscript and is passionate about selling it. We've already talking about imprints, editors, branding and new ideas for future works, and I'm literally walking on air right now.

I absolutely can't believe this is happening, and the crazy thing is the fact that she seemed as excited to get me as I was excited to get her! Somebody please pinch me!!!!

Just Got an Offer!!!

2011-09-20T17:39:00.000-06:00

Photo Courtesy of Arnold Bocklin, Wikimedia Commons

Okay, I will make this short, but sweet...

Stay tuned for more info once everything has been finalized, but I just wanted to let all of you know the most amazing news: I just got an offer of representation! It looks like Kai, Noah, The Mermaid Gene, and I will all have a home by next Monday!!

OMG, OMG, OMG! Time for happy dances!

RMFW Lesson #1: Time Management for Busy Writers

2011-09-17T20:32:00.000-06:00

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

For my first installment of "Lessons from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers," I'd like to share some great information I learned during Becky Clark's "The Faster I Go, the Behinder I Get" time management class.

I know very few writers out there who DON'T struggle to find time to write. We're spouses, parents, workers, cooks and friends, and it's exceedingly difficult to juggle all our roles while still finding time to squeak out 50,000-100,000 words through multiple drafts, query and revise, self-promote and network.

The conference's closing speaker, Allison Brennan, had the best quote of the weekend, I thought, when she said, "I can't tell you how many times someone comes up to me and says, 'I would write a novel myself if I could only find the time.' I've gotten to a point now where I simply look at them, nod and think, 'What a dumbass.'"

She went on to say that if you are really a writer, you WRITE. Not because you have time or even because you always want to, but simply because you can't imagine doing anything else.

This is where Becky Clark's lesson comes into play. She often struggles to juggle all the roles in her life, so she has come up with a great system to help her prioritize what's important and what isn't. Here are some of the tips she shared with us:

A timer is your best friend. Use an egg timer or a stopwatch, and tell yourself you deserve this time. Don't compromise by focusing on anything else.
Respond immediately to emails that will take you less than two minutes. If an email requires longer, schedule specific time later in day.
Set your Yahoo groups or Google Alerts to a weekly digest.
Only check your phone messages at designated times and make sure your kids/spouse/parents know when that time is. Unplug when you are writing.
Don't play Facebook games (they'll suck the life right out of you), and set your timer to make sure you only stay on Facebook for a specific amount of time.
Bribe yourself when you hit a writing milestone. Desserts, pedicures, bubble baths... Anything you can look forward to while you're writing.
When writing, make it easy to pick up where you left off. A great idea is to stop writing midsentence when you stop for the day/lunch. That will keep your head in the game until you return.
Start anywhere. Lots of writers start with a scene or with the ending. Just start.
Reframe your thinking about writing. Yes, it's difficult to write a novel, but it's not TOO difficult, because people do it every day.
Determine your top priority for the day--the one thing you'd sacrifice everything else to achieve--and focus on it. If your "To Do" list won't lead you there, cross items off or re-schedule them.
Tackle your hardest job first and save your favorite tasks till the end so you look forward to them.
If you feel like you are being pulled in a million writing directions (writing, blogging, querying, networking, etc.), prioritize your tasks like they do in business. Ask yourself which task makes you money. If the tasks seem equal, ask yourself how long will they take. What's the return on your time investment? When's the deadline?
Learn selective perspective. Which things really need to be perfectly (query, synopsis, manuscript) and which can be good enough (housecleaning, store-bought cupcakes for bake sale)?
Multi-tasking is a myth. Don't confuse multi-tasking with doing a lot of stuff. Multi-tasking is trying to do all those things at the same time.
Your brain simply can't focus on two separate things unless one of them is completely mindless. People multi-task because they're worried. Seems better to work on everything so 100% of your tasks are 50% done. But you'd feel much more in control if 50% of your tasks were 100% done and you know you have a plan to finish the other 50%.
Don't confuse activity with accomplishment. Focus on one job till it's done or your time is up. Then focus on another one.
Your first defense against interruptions is education. Set aside time when people have unconditional access to you, and set aside time when you will be unavailable. Give your loved ones a head's up by saying something like, "I'm going to shut my door and write starting in about 10 minutes. Do you need anything before I go?" Be consistent and firm, and set your timer.
Don't interrupt yourself, either. When you are writing, never stop to look something up, check your blog or check your email. Don't give up momentum.

Many thanks to Becky for so many great ideas. I've already started stopping my writing in mid-sentence, and--although it drives me crazy--it DEFINITELY helps keep my head in the game.

Now, it's your turn. How do YOU juggle your time when writing??

Updates from the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference!

2011-09-14T14:02:00.000-06:00

Oh my gosh, I just returned from my very first writers conference, and I was blown away by all the fun and learning Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers packed into just three days of their annual Colorado Gold Conference. I was also blown away by how many amazing, talented and 100% approachable writers live in Colorado.

(I was also wigged out to actually see several of the agents on my list in real life. Who knew they were so little, petite and not-terrifying in reality?)

I've decided I'm going to spend a few blog posts disseminating some of the incredible knowledge I picked up so you guys can benefit from all the crazy tips, tricks and lessons--as the workshops literally blew my socks off. (Okay, not literally. I was actually wearing ballet flats all weekend, but you know what I mean.)

But first, I'm going to tell you about a few authors I met, starting with Mark Stevens, who quickly became one of my conference BFFs after I randomly sat down beside him during a pitch workshop. He was generous enough to help me fluster through the pitch script I was frantically preparing for the following day (which was a success... yess!), and we ended up buddying up and attending many of the same workshops and lectures together.

Mark writes environmentally-focused mysteries about a female hunting guide named Allison Coil. His work has been compared to Nevada Barr's "Anna Pigeon" mysteries (which I LOVED), and all his stories are set in the Rocky Mountains. Here is the cover art and jacket description for his first book, Antler Dust, which is available on Amazon.com. (His second, Buried by the Roan, is available on Amazon as well, and he is working through his third as we speak.)

Antler Dust begins with a bang. Two bangs.

On the opening day of the hunting season in the Colorado Flat Tops wilderness, two men go missing. The first is a hunting guide. The second is an animal rights protestor who believes his creative suicide will galvanize the animal rights movement.

Hunting guide Allison Coil hears a distant rifle shot and sees just enough through the swirling snow to believe somebody knows something-and isn't coming forward. But what exactly did she see?

Outfitter George Grumley fends off the formal investigation and works to discourage the informal and persistent inquiries by Coil. Grumley knows no limits in the effort to protect his guide service, which caters to fat-cat clients. Who needs hunting regulations when technology can produce the quickest and most thrilling hunt that money can buy?

The next author I want to introduce you to is Robin Perini. She's a debut author, and I scored an advance copy of her first novel, In Her Sights, which will be available on Amazon.com on November 29, 2011. Robin taught my very favorite class of the weekend, "Layering Complexity, Texture and Theme Using Sub-Plots, Secondary Characters and Villains." She's a crazy plotter (like me!), and if her book is anything like her workshop, it will be mind-blowing. Here's the cover art and jacket description:

Jasmine "Jazz" Parker, Jefferson County SWAT's only female sniper, can thread the eye of a needle with a bullet. But she carries a secret from her past that she thought she buried for good at the age of fifteen. Two years ago she even drove away the one man she believed she could love--ex-Army Ranger turned reporter Luke Montgomery--to keep her past hidden. Now, in a fleeting second, the time it takes for one clean shot, one perfect hit, to save the life of the governor's daughter, Jazz's world begins to crumble around her.

Luke splashes her face and name across the front page of the newspaper, reawakening her past with a vengeance. A vicious enemy is now bent on destroying her life, forcing Jazz to turn to the one man she can never have in order to stop a killer before she and everyone she cares about pays the ultimate price. Full of explosive action and almost unbearable suspense, In Her Sights is a relentless, steamy thriller surprisingly infused with soul and poignancy.

Finally, I'd like to introduce you to Mario Acevedo, who is a bit of a local legend in Denver thanks to his hilarious, sexy and bizarre series about Felix Gomez, a private investigator who happens to also be a vampire. He taught a lot of panels, and he has an incredible sense of humor, which is apparent in some of his titles. With books like X-Rated Bloodsuckers and The Undead Kama Sutra, how can you possibly go wrong?

I walked away with a copy of The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, and--although I will be a little embarrassed if anyone catches me reading it on a street corner--I am definitely stoked to get started. Here's its cover art and jacket description:

Felix Gomez went to Iraq a soldier, and came back a vampire. Now he’s a private detective hired by a trusted friend to penetrate the murderous conspiracy cloaking an outbreak of nymphomania at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant.

Hahaha, definitely NOT a book I'd write, but that was what was so fun about this conference. I met writers from all walks of life, and we were able to socialize and brainstorm, hone our craft and network.

I walked away with that dizzy feeling of inspiration that we as writers so often crave, and I've been pouring myself into my new WIP, which now has a shiny new name to go along with its fantastic polar bear antagonist: The Purest Shade of White. Watch my progress meter on the left sidebar as I continue plugging away, and stop by soon for Part One of my conference lesson notes and tidbits!

A Novel Idea

2011-09-03T22:02:00.000-06:00

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Oh my God, I have a new idea.

I'm sure some of you super writers out there are smirking. I've met so many amazing folks during the past few months who literally have two or three or seven manuscripts up their sleeves--completed, polished and just waiting for the right agent.

But I'm not like that.

I'm seldom struck with "new story" inspiration, and when I am, it's usually just a dream that seems brilliant at the time but is either illegible or is just plain stupid upon my night scribble re-reading.

I'm serious. Here is a real-life idea I came up with in the middle of the night and later realized made absolutely no sense: "Girl and ex-boyfriend time travel to 18th century island (or other planet) and begin rescuing people from tyrant... Girl falls for new boy, and they promise to rescue everyone and go to other planet (or time) for safety, but ex-boyfriend doesn't tell anyone the time machine is actually broken."

WTF?? What IS that?? It was a dream, I think, and I remember being so inspired by the beautiful, tropical water and sense of danger. But in retrospect, it's just kinda... stupid.

Here's another late-night jewel: "Two fifth-grade sweethearts reunite and begin dating, but they soon realize things have changed since they were kids, and they have to struggle to overcome their differences."

Alright, that one's not quite as bizarre as the first one, but it's just kinda... trite. And boring.

This really shouldn't come as a surprise to me. I am, after all, the girl who dreams about arranging pool chairs and driving to work. I can't remember the last time I had a really awesome, creative dream--although I did used to dream that I got to fly around with Peter Pan when I was a kid. Life has just kinda... gotten in the way, I guess.

So now you can fully appreciate the excitement I feel about this brand-new idea. Which is not a sequel to the novel I'm currently shopping to agents (although I'm still working on that one, and I'm still stoked about it). Nope, this is a brand-new idea, and it's raw and immediate, with alternating viewpoints, alternating chronology, and fun digressions into memories and tangents.

AND it's about polar bears.

What more can I say? :)

Dolphin Fish-Eating Trick Catches On

2011-09-02T12:35:00.000-06:00

So many great articles from DiscoveryNews lately that I feel totally inundated--and nerdy. Did I mention nerdy? ;)

Photo by NASA, Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Dolphin Fish-Eating Trick Catches On
Analysis by Jennifer Viegas
Wed Aug 31, 2011 08:09 AM ET

Humans may have invented the spork, often seen at fast food joints, but a very clever group of bottlenose dolphins in Australia has created its own new combo tool that both captures fish and functions as a food bowl.

Use of the tool, described in a Murdoch University press release, is called "conching." Dolphins first trap small fish in large conch shells with their rostrums (beaks). They then bring the shells to the surface and shake them. Like a strainer, this causes the water to drain out and sends the fish right into the dolphin's mouth.

This isn't the first time dolphins have converted a natural item into a useful tool. For example, you might recall the journal paper from a few years ago describing how dolphins use sponges to protect their beaks and to help with fishing.

What's particularly interesting about this latest news is that the conching tool and technique appear to be spreading throughout a population of dolphins at Shark Bay, Australia. Scientists first observed dolphins engaging in these behaviors in 2007 and 2009.

Now many people are seeing dolphins conching.

"In the last four months alone, the research team have seen and photographed the behavior no less than six times, possibly even seven," Murdoch Cetacean Research Unit researcher Simon Allen was quoted as saying in the press release.

"If -- and that is a big if -- we are witnessing the horizontal spread of this behavior, then I would assume that it spreads by an associate of a 'conching' dolphin closely observing the behavior and then imitating it," he added. "It is a tantalising possibility that this behavior could spread before our very eyes -- over a field season or two -- and that we could track that spread."

No one has ever before documented the spread of a learned behavior through a population of these marine mammals over a short period of time.

The researchers also hope to learn more about how the dolphins actually use the shells.

"As yet, we don't know if dolphins simply pursue fish into the' refuge' of the large, empty conch/bailer shells or whether they actually manipulate the shells prior -- perhaps turning them over so that the opening is facing up in order to make them 'appealing' to fish as a place to hide from the jaws of death," Allen explained.

He continued, "If we were to set up a few shells -- opening down -- in a known location and either witness dolphins turning them over, see evidence of them having been turned over when we weren't around, or better still get some video footage of dolphins manipulating them in some way, then that would be priceless, since that implies forward planning on the dolphins' part."

"I wouldn't be too surprised to find such cunning and devilish ploys being adopted by Shark Bay's bottlenose dolphins."

You Know You're a Zookeeper If...

2011-09-01T20:21:00.000-06:00

Rose Kerr, an amazing friend and mentor I met while volunteering for the Marine Mammal Center of Monterey Bay in 2005, just forwarded me this hilarious "You Know You're a Zookeeper If" list. Credit apparently goes to Ashley Gordon, a zookeeper at the San Diego Zoo, and the list is fantastic. (Although I haven't experienced EVERYTHING here, I have to admit--for better or worse--that many of these points hit home. Kinda disgusting, I know... ;))

Knobby the Bactrian Camel and Me (October 2010)

Your pets greet your shoes and not you.
After work, all you attract are flies.
Your tan lines wash off.
You never shake hands without brushing your hands on your pants.
All your pants have stains where you wipe your hands.
You walk with a limp because of all the tools on your belt.
Your snot is black and not clear.
You get really excited about a good solid poop.
You spend all your vacations visiting other zoos.
Half your kitchen equipment and a good portion of your kids' toys end up at the zoo.
You will eat most anything from the animal cooler as a snack.
You don't even notice that you smell until you get into the car with the windows rolled up to go home.
You think nothing of pulling off ticks while in line at the local fast-food place.
You have two closets...one for work and one for the real world.
You have more photos of your animal kids than of your friends.
You wash your hands thoroughly BEFORE using the toilet.
You politely decline to shake hands because you know WHERE your hands have been.
The word "shit" is not a bad word.
New rakes and shovels are more exciting than diamonds.
You can be bribed to do anything for chocolate cake.
You sit on a clothes dryer for warmth.
You lock any and every door behind you.
Your most cherished gift is a Leatherman Super Tool.
You shop the toy section in Wal-Mart. You don't have kids; you have monkeys.
A three day weekend means the ground-in dirt on your hands is gone.
You leave a trail of hay everywhere you go.
You check to see which way the wind is blowing before dumping anything.
You can make water run uphill, because architects believe all drains should be in the highest corner.
Taking off your boots at night is better than...well, just about anything.
Your pants and shoes are tan instead of white.
Perfume is offensive, while bodily smells are not.
You are not phased by a fecal sample in the fridge next to your lunch.
You have no pictures of you without animals in them.
You can identify which species a fecal originated from by smell.
You are routinely tested for internal parasites.
Your favorite smells are bleach and disinfectant.
Your pets aren't the only ones who receive a rabies shot.
You look better when you wake up than when you get off of work.
You have scars to prove it.
You use an ice chipper as a prying tool and a lock as a hammer.
Your radio doubles as a handy hose-rest.
Hair-ties are also good temporary rubber washers.
Friends and family get concerned you are in an abusive relationship because of the number of bruises you have all over your body and the fact that it takes so long to try and remember how you got them.
If your hose stays kinked for more than two seconds, you go postal!
It's normal for you to have to wash your clothes at least twice to get them clean.
You look forward to rain and snow days, but you dread the day the sky clears.
You can name more animals than friends.
You aren't intentionally showing your underwear; your radio and tools on your belt just happen to pull your pants down.
You have eaten things off the floor in your area, after you have logically thought about it and used the 10-second rule.
You have tasted the food your animals eat.
You sometimes wear a face mask but you aren't in the medical field.
You use duct tape for EVERYTHING!
You have more uses for hay string than duct tape.
You have extra socks at work for when the hose springs yet another leak.
You don't need to work out because your job is hard enough.
You can carry a full five-gallon bucket of water without spilling a drop.
You have sledded on the shovels at work.
You have been electrocuted by at least one hot wire.
It is normal to get bitten or chased by an animal...sometimes daily.
You ask people if they want to see a picture of your baby, and they look at you funny when it is something furry, feathered or scaly.
You can hold your tongue (and laughter) when visitors ask some of their questions. (i.e., “When are those mice going to lay their eggs?”)
You find yourself saying “10-4” instead of "thank you", "yes", or "okay" in your everyday conversations.
You sometimes feel like MacGyver because of all the stuff you have built from odds and ends.
While you wait in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, a nurse you have never met asks what animal tried to eat you this time.

"Dolphin Tale" Premiers September 23rd!

2011-08-31T20:06:00.000-06:00

I have been on the look-out for something uplifting this week. I have needed something uplifting this week, so news of Dolphin Tale's movie premier is a much-needed bright spot during an otherwise stormy time. (See "On Losing My Best Friend...")

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

According to the official synopsis, "Dolphin Tale is inspired by the amazing true story of a brave dolphin and the compassionate strangers who banded together to save her life.

"Swimming free, a young dolphin is caught in a crab trap, severely damaging her tail. She is rescued and transported to the Clearwater Marine Hospital, where she is named Winter. But her fight for survival has just begun. Without a tail, Winter's prognosis is dire. It will take the expertise of a dedicated marine biologist, the ingenuity of a brilliant prosthetics doctor, and the unwavering devotion of a young boy to bring about a groundbreaking miracle--a miracle that might not only save Winter but could also help scores of people around the world.

"The real Winter, who plays herself in Dolphin Tale, today serves as a symbol of courage, perseverance and hope to millions of people--both able and disabled--who have been touched by her remarkable story of recovery and rehabilitation."

Here is one movie trailer:

And here is the other:

How's that for uplifting? News of Dolphin Tale's premier on September 23rd leaves me asking myself one huge question: How in the world did I NOT know this movie was being made?

As many of you know, I consider myself to be a bit of a dolphin nerd. And the crazy thing is... I actually know Winter. Okay, I don't know know Winter, but I know of Winter, and our friends travel in similar circles. ;)

I began working as the Director of Education at Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, FL, in February 2006--two months after Winter was rescued and brought to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, in Clearwater, FL. Because the marine mammal rehab world is so small, our staff watched Winter's rehabilitation and recovery like she was our own. Winter finally got her new tail in 2009, and although I had already moved on to my position at the Alaska Zoo at that time, I still celebrated like crazy.

The years passed. Life got busy, and I lost track of Winter for awhile. And low and behold, she was busy becoming a MOVIE STAR the whole time. (With Morgan Freeman, of all people, as her co-star! I mean, seriously, that's kind of the penultimate, isn't it?)

Here's a link to Winter's home, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. And here's a link to the movie's official site: Dolphin Tale Movie.

Like most Hollywood movies, the storyline isn't exactly accurate, but the overall feeling of hope and inspiration definitely rings true. Here's a rundown of the real escue ("Winter the Dolphin's Rescue off Volusia has Hollywood Ending"), and here's a great article from CBS News that details plans for Winter's 2009 tail introduction ("'Bionic' Dolphin Getting New Tail").

Finally, here's a picture:

Photo Courtesy of Winter the Dolphin at Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Perfect, isn't she?

On Losing My Best Friend...

2011-08-29T16:05:00.000-06:00

Bridger Pacey Boop Chickos: August 14, 2007-August 21, 2011

Sunday, August 21, 2011 turned out to be one of the worst days of my entire life.

My husband and I unexpectedly lost Bridger--our affectionate and vulnerable four year-old Alaskan husky--to a freak accident with a soft toy. Unbeknownst to us, he swallowed a few bits of fluff and string, and the string worked its way through his intestines and caused irrevocable damage.

I wish I felt articulate enough to write a blog post that captures Bridger's importance in my life--his awkward kisses, the way he leaned into my legs when he felt insecure, his floppy ears and massive neck, the way he trotted like a Tennessee Walking Horse, his terrible vision, the way he hid bones from his sister and often forgot where he put them, his steamroller hugs, his curly tail, his affinity for rugby balls and the way he lit up my life by just existing in it.

My husband and I rescued him during the fall of 2008 when he was just over a year old. He was an abused stray--dropped in the night box without so much as a note--and his vertebrae, spine and hips grotesquely protruded from his frame: 65 pounds of dog starved into a 42 pound body. We took him in, fattened him up and gave him what I desperately hope was three years of an amazing life: hiking, snowboarding, playing in the ocean, wrestling and sleeping right between us in our always too-small queen-sized bed. We also taught him about love, and trust, and my husband showed him that not all men want to hurt him, and I showed him that he would always have food and water and shelter and comfort.

And now he's gone. And I'm absolutely devastated.

My husband and I don't have kids yet, so Bridger and his sister Naia have literally been our entire lives. And his ABSENCE is suffocating. All-consuming.

I feel like I'm drowning.

I was doing some internet research today, and I found a good article in the New York Times called "Mourning the Death of a Pet" that begins to scratch the surface of the depth and intensity of pet loss. The author, Tara Parker-Pope, had this to say:

Last year, researchers from the University of Hawaii’s animal science department conducted a study to determine the level of grief and stress that a pet owner experiences when a pet dies. Among 106 pet owners interviewed from a veterinary clinic, 52 percent had lost one or more pets from natural causes, while 37 percent had lost a pet to euthanasia. Although many pet owners experience significant grief when a pet dies, about 30 percent reported grief that lasted six months or longer. Severe grief that resulted in major life disruption was less common but was estimated as high as 12 percent of those studied.

It’s not only animal researchers who are taking note of the grief that occurs when a pet dies. The journal Perspectives in Psychiatric Care noted that the bond between people and their pets can affect both physical and mental health, and that the grief reaction that occurs after a pet’s death is “in many ways comparable to that of the loss of a family member. Unfortunately, the loss of a pet is not recognized consistently by friends, acquaintances or colleagues as a significant or authentic occasion for bereavement.

Here's some advice from "Grieving the Loss of a Pet: Understanding and Coping with the Grief of Losing a Pet" on HelpGuide.org:

Grieving is a personal and highly individual experience. Some people find grief comes in stages, where they experience different feelings such as denial, anger, guilt, depression, and eventually acceptance and resolution. Others find that grief is more cyclical, coming in waves, or a series of highs and lows. The lows are likely to be deeper and longer at the beginning and then gradually become shorter and less intense as time goes by. Still, even years after a loss, a sight, a sound, or a special anniversary can spark memories that trigger a strong sense of grief.

The grieving process happens only gradually. It can’t be forced or hurried—and there is no “normal” timetable for grieving. Some people start to feel better in weeks or months. For others, the grieving process is measured in years. Whatever your grief experience, it’s important to be patient with yourself and allow the process to naturally unfold.

Feeling sad, frightened, or lonely is a normal reaction to the loss of a beloved pet. Exhibiting these feelings doesn’t mean you are weak, so you shouldn’t feel ashamed.

Trying to ignore your pain or keep it from surfacing will only make it worse in the long run. For real healing, it is necessary to face your grief and actively deal with it. By expressing your grief, you’ll likely need less time to heal than if you withhold or “bottle up” your feelings. Write about your feelings and talk with others about them.

Sorrow and grief are normal and natural responses to death. Like grief for humans, grief for animal companions can only be dealt with over time, but there are healthy ways to cope with the pain. Here are some suggestions:

Don’t let anyone tell you how to feel, and don’t tell yourself how to feel either. Your grief is your own, and no one else can tell you when it’s time to “move on” or “get over it.” Let yourself feel whatever you feel without embarrassment or judgment. It’s okay to be angry, to cry or not to cry. It’s also okay to laugh, to find moments of joy, and to let go when you’re ready.
Reach out to others who have lost pets. Check out online message boards, pet loss hotlines, and pet loss support groups. If your own friends, family members, therapist, or clergy do not work well with the grief of pet loss, find someone who does.
Rituals can help healing. A funeral can help you and your family members openly express your feelings. Ignore people who think it’s inappropriate to hold a funeral for a pet, and do what feels right for you.
Create a legacy. Preparing a memorial, planting a tree in memory of your pet, compiling a photo album or scrapbook, or otherwise sharing the memories you enjoyed with your pet, can create a legacy to celebrate the life of your animal companion.
Look after yourself. The stress of losing a pet can quickly deplete your energy and emotional reserves. Looking after your physical and emotional needs will help you get through this difficult time. Eat a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep, and exercise regularly to release endorphins and help boost your mood.
If you have other pets, try to maintain your normal routine. Surviving pets can also experience loss when a pet dies, or they may become distressed by your sorrow. Maintaining their daily routines, or even increasing exercise and play times, will not only benefit the surviving pets but may also help to elevate your outlook too.

I'm trying to take all this advice, but mostly, I'm just trying to survive right now. And I'm now on a rampage against soft toys, so please, please, please read this article from PetMD.com about the symptoms, treatments and preventions of canine intestinal blockages: Intestinal Obstruction in Dogs.

I'm really, really, really missing Bridger.

Sacred Dolphin on Brink of Extinction

2011-08-20T17:04:00.000-06:00

Another great article from DiscoveryNews.com...

SACRED DOLPHIN ON BRINK OF EXTINCTION
Analysis by Jennifer Viegas
Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:06 PM ET

Photo Courtesy of Irrawaddy.org

The Irrawaddy dolphin, considered sacred to many people in Cambodia and Laos, has declined to just 85 individuals in Southeast Asia's Mekong River, according to a World Wildlife Fund assessment. Leading researchers now conclude that the population is at high risk of dying out altogether.

"This low number, combined with very low calf survival rates, means that these dolphins are frighteningly close to extinction," WWF spokesperson Caroline Behringer told Discovery News.

Li Lifeng, director of WWF's Freshwater Program, echoed the concern about calves in a press release statement.

He said, "Evidence is strong that very few young animals survive to adulthood, as older dolphins die off and are not replaced."

Li and his colleagues used a technique called "photographic mark-recapture" to count the dolphins. This involves identifying specific individual dolphins through unique markings on their dorsal fins. The method, adjusted to focus on other unique identifying features, has previously been used to estimate whale, tiger, horse, leopard and other animal populations.

Eighty-five is actually a higher amount than expected, but that's likely just due to improved surveying efforts.

"With a larger dataset and recent analytical advances, previously unidentifiable dolphins which had few marks on their dorsal fins have been included," Li explained.

Three populations of Irrawaddy dolphins exist: in the Mekong River, the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, and the Mahakam River in Indonesia. This latest survey only covered the Mekong population, but all three populations are critically endangered. Gill net entanglement remains a constant threat.

"These dolphins are at high risk of extinction by their small population size alone," said Barney Long, WWF's Asian Species Expert. "With the added threats of gill net entanglement and high calf mortality, we are seriously concerned about their future."

A secondary problem affects people in the areas where the dolphins live. Because these marine mammals are sacred, many locals and tourists want to see them. Lucrative dolphin and whale-watching ecotourism therefore thrives in the area, with many using it as their primary source of employment and income.

No dolphins would mean few associated ecotourist dollars.

Since one part of the dolphin population surveyed -- numbering just seven or so individuals -- is located on the Cambodia/Laos border of the river, conservation efforts must involve at least these two countries working together to protect the animals.

"Our best chance of saving these dolphins from extinction in the Mekong River is through joint conservation action," said Rebecca Ng, head of WWF's Mekong program. "WWF is committed to working with the Fisheries Administration, the Dolphin Commission, and communities all along the river to reverse the decline and ensure the survival of this beautiful species."

WriteOnCon Update + Blog on Fire Award!

2011-08-18T20:41:00.000-06:00

Whew, what a crazy week! The WriteOnCon online conference has been a whirlwind, and it's been great learning from pros, chatting with other writers and honing the craft. And holy crap, was anyone else part of the madness that was the opening of the live YA MG Pitch Forum Event with Carlie Webber and Christina Hogrebe? I literally had to stop on the side of the freeway to get my Twitter pitch posted!

I also recently scored a blog award I've been oogling for ages: the Blog on Fire Award, from the lovely and talented Cherie of Ready. Write. Go. Not only is she a great blogging buddy, but she looks EXACTLY like the main character in my novel The Mermaid Gene. I'm serious. It's freakish. Check this out:

Cherie

"Kai" Weird, right??

The purpose of the Blog on Fire Award is to stoplight up and coming bloggers who deserve acknowledgement for all the hard work and dedication they put into their craft. There actually aren't any rules associated with this one, so I'm just going to pick five great bloggers and call it a night. Feel free to pay this award forward if you like, or you can just enjoy the fun!

1. Kalen O'Donnell... He's too nice too brag, but the guy literally has FOURTEEN full manuscripts out right now. He's also written like 300 books, so he's pretty much set for life at this point.

2. Lori M. Lee... Both of our main characters are named Kai, and Lori just scored a request from a big-time agent during one of today's WriteOnCon live events. The best part? The manuscript isn't even ready yet--and she told the agent that--but the agent loves it enough that she's willing to wait!

3. Jenny Phresh... is one of those people you don't want to go on a double-date with, because she's so damn snarky and hilarious that both dudes would totally pick her over you.

4. An Alleged Author... She is a fantastic writer, and I'm so glad Deana Barnhart's GUTGAA blogfest brought us together. She's also been ripping up WriteOnCon, and she is definitely one to watch!

5. Michelle Fayard... gives fantastic editing advice, and her website is one of the best resources I've found for aspiring writers.

There you have it! Have a wonderful evening, everyone!

A Home for "Splintered!!"

2011-08-16T19:37:00.000-06:00

I'd like to tell you about this great YA novel, Splintered. Actually, I'd like to tell you about an incredibly talented woman named Anita Howard who wrote this great YA novel, Splintered.

"Alyssa," Splintered's Heroine
Photo Courtesy of A Still and Quiet Madness

When I first began this literary submission thing, the first writing website I began visiting regularly was Query Tracker--a fantastic resource (if you haven't checked it out already) that allows you to keep track of your agent submissions, view agent stats and get connected with others who are querying the same agents as you. One of Query Tracker's greatest amenities is a series of message boards for each agent--a place where you can post your stats and celebrate/commiserate with others as you receive rejections, requests and offers of representation.

When I initially joined Query Tracker, I was more of a silent stalker than an active poster. Why would I want to share my information with all these strangers, anyway?? But then I started noticing something. Or someone, really. A user by the name of raven1 who began appearing everywhere. She already HAD an agent (Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency), but there she was anyway, posting congratulations and
messages of support to everyone. And she was just so damn NICE that I finally felt compelled to make contact.

A quick email introduced me to the woman behind the curtain, and that is how I first met Anita Howard. And since that day, she has quickly become one of the women I admire the most in this industry. She's always supportive, encouraging, positive and thoughtful; she gave me my very first blog award, and through her blog, A Still and Quiet Madness, I have met loads of like-minded writers and partners in crime.

This summer, Anita and her agent been shopping for a publisher for her YA novel, Splintered, and today they made it official: Splintered has been picked up by Abram's Amulet imprint--home of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Shine! Not only did Anita get to go to auction, but she also got a two-book deal!

Her first novel will be making its hardcover debut in the spring of 2013, and I am so excited for Anita that I just can't stand it. I can't WAIT to buy my hardcover copy!

Splintered, by the way, is a dark and whimsical take on Alice and Wonderland. Check out some fun background info on her main character, Alyssa, here, and watch this amazing book trailer she made:

Last but certainly not least, check out her official announcement here: Overwhelmed, Ever-Grateful, Blessed and Humbled. And check out the rest of her beautiful blog; this is a woman who is going places!! :)

Contests, Conferences & Pitches, Oh My!

2011-08-14T21:34:00.000-06:00

Autumn is shaping up to be a very busy season, and I have just completed a marathon evening of conference and contest registrations. Are you an aspiring writer as well? If so, I encourage you to check out some (or all) of these fantastic events. Perhaps I'll see you there!

This is it. My first "Big Girl" writer's conference, and I'm so nervous/excited I just don't know what to do with myself! Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to supporting, encouraging, and educating writers seeking publication in commercial novel-length fiction. To that end, the organization strives to provide an environment of support and encouragement among members, stimulate interest in and appreciation for the art of writing, act as a dissemination point for information concerning commercial fiction writing, and bring together authors, editors, agents, and other related professionals for the mutual benefit of all

RMFW hosts the Colorado Gold Writers Conference each September and sponsors an annual contest for unpublished authors. It also sponsors critique groups, publishes a newsletter, hosts monthly meetings on the craft and business of writing, and periodically publishes an anthology of short fiction showcasing the talents of its members. This year's conference, "Lifting Off," will take place September 9-11 in Denver, and I just completed my official registration. I also signed up for an agent pitch session--something I've never done before--and now I need to crazily figure out exactly what that is!

She Writes is a community, virtual workplace and emerging marketplace for women who write, with over 15,000 active members from all 50 states and more than 30 countries. Leveraging social media tools and harnessing women’s collaborative power, She Writes is fast becoming the destination for all women who write.

She Writes' “We Love New Novelists!” contest is a writing contest open to emerging authors and members of She Writes with the first 2,000 words of a novel (complete or in-progress) ready to show agents and editors.

Through the “We Love New Novelists!” contest, She Writes is using networks, connections and platforms to provide five first-time women authors immediate and exciting access to major literary agents and editors, as well as the opportunity to share their work with the She Writes community at large.

The winners will be selected on the basis of the merit of their entries, which will consist of a cover letter and a 2,000-word excerpt (preferably the first 2,000 words) from a novel, completed or in-progress.

Through the first-ever “We Love New Novelists!” contest, She Writes has leveraged its relationships with publishing industry – specifically with passionate, talented agents and editors they respect and admire – to give five unpublished, un-agented first-time novelists the chance to skip the slush pile and sail straight to the top.

Want to learn more? Visit the contest information page here: We Love New Novelists! Contest Guidelines.

Last, but certainly not least, WriteOnCon is a free Online Children’s Writers Conference (rated MC-18, for Main Characters under 18 only) created by writers, for writers. The Conference is designed to give attendees many of the features of a live writer’s conference, but in an online environment. Thanks to technologies like blogging, vlogging, livestreaming, and chats, WriteOnCon connects writers with both industry professionals and fellow peers from the convenience of their own homes. Critique forums allow writers to receive feedback and exposure for their work, and the entire program is designed to be both informative and entertaining.

The conference is scheduled for weekdays, so that attendees won’t have to set aside an entire weekend to be glued to their computers. To accommodate day jobs, the schedule features more static elements during working hours, and most live events are saved for the evenings. Transcripts/replays for live sessions are also available for those unable to attend, and all of the conference content is archived on the website. Check out more information here: Gearing Up for WriteOnCon 2011 Registration.

Have you heard of any other interesting conferences or contests lately??

Interrupting your Saturday: The Greatest Dolphin in the Whole Wide World

2011-08-06T11:12:00.000-06:00

I'll keep this short, but I just found the cutest picture of my favorite dolphin, and I had to share it with you guys.

Photo Courtesy of Alex Mancini

This is Astro, a rough-toothed dolphin I had the honor of getting to know while I worked as the Director of Education at Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, FL from 2006-2007. He was rescued off the coast of Texas after he stranded in 2005, and he was deemed unreleasable after he was diagnosed with scoliosis of the spine. (Who knew dolphins could get it, too?)

He has some pretty sweet digs at Gulf World these days. He's a fully-functioning member of the park's seven member rough-toothed dolphin pod, AND he has his own personal chiropractor. He's a lovable staff favorite, I visit him every time I go back to Panama City Beach, and he still seems to remember me, all these years later.

This pic was recently posted on Facebook by a guest who visited the park, and Astro can be seen clowning around with his very own traffic cone--one of the many objects given to the animals on a rotational basis to enhance environmental enrichment and stimulate critical thinking.

Wanna know more about rough-toothed dolphins--my absolute favorite animals?? Check out this great background article from MarineBio.org: Steno bredanensis, Rough-Toothed Dolphin. Environmental enrichment information is also available in this break-through publication by Robert J. Young, Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals.

Feel like totally nerdin' out? I can talk about this stuff for hours!

Mariachi Band Serenades Music-Loving Beluga Whale

2011-08-04T21:15:00.000-06:00

Oh. My. God. Lora Rivera just shared the most adorable link with me. Check out this article from DiscoveryNews.com, and you gotta watch this fantastic video of a mariachi-lovin' beluga whale at Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium.

MARIACHI BAND SERENADES MUSIC-LOVING BELUGA WHALE
Analysis by Jennifer Viegas
Wed Aug 3, 2011 01:25 PM ET

A playful beluga whale named Juno recently interacted with a mariachi band that played at a wedding held at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.

Kelly O'Neil, senior trainer of beluga whales at the aquarium, told me that Juno was hanging out in his 750,000-gallon tank when the wedding festivities began. Juno shares the tank with two other female beluga whales.

The whales can choose to go up to the window, to watch any human happenings, or they can retreat to quiet, private areas, which include two back pools that are out of sight.

"Juno is extremely playful, so the mariachi band must have piqued his curiosity," O'Neil said. "The two females might have stayed away since he was hogging the window."

Beluga whales are known as the "canaries of the sea," due to their musical vocalizations. (You can listen to some in this beautiful clip.) O'Neil said the whales can hear outside of their tank, when they get up to the window, so there's little doubt that Juno was aware of the music.

He is also clearly aware of the mariachi players' movements, even dancing along with them as he mirrors their head bobs and sways.

O'Neil said Juno was previously trained to move his head up and down, as well as from side to side, so these motions are familiar to him. (No trainer was coaching Juno during the mariachi moment.) For enrichment outside of training sessions, the whales are additionally exposed to all sorts of different things, from bubbles to TV shows (I hope they're watching Discovery!) just to keep the whales engaged and entertained. They have active minds that need stimulation.

In the wild, beluga whales are "curious from afar" and "skittish," O'Neil said. It's no wonder. Our hunting of them and harming of their habitat has reduced their populations in the wild. The IUCN Red List classifies them as "near threatened."

Juno and his tank buddies, however, are doing their part to help turn the tide. Through public education programs at such aquariums and other conservation efforts, people like us are made more aware of these magnificent, intelligent animals.

I Won a Partial Request + Liebster Blog Award!

2011-07-29T23:01:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness, July has been CRAZY. Thanks to Deana Barnhart's fantastic "Gearing Up to Get an Agent" Blogfest, I have met tons of new blogging friends, I have tweaked my query letter, I have received fantastic feedback on my first five pages from author Lora Rivera, I have tweaked my first 200 words, and I just learned that literary agent Kathleen Rushall is interested in reading my partial manuscript based on my submission into Deana's final Blogfest contest! (Whew, longest sentence ever!)

Check out Deana's final "Gearing Up to Get an Agent" Blogfest post: Novel Contest Winners and a THANK YOU!!!. Is anyone else feeling GUTGAA withdrawals already??

In other news, this Blogfest has also introduced me to A.N. Villasante. Her young adult fantasy, The Farm, sounds fantastic (check out her first 200 words here: GUTGAA Week 4 First 200 Words), and she was generous enough to bestow me with the Liebster Blog Award. (That means "friend" in German; Google just told me that. ;))

The goal of this award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!

Because I have just met soooo many amazing bloggers, this award is EASY, and I can't wait to spread the love. Here are my five Liebster pics; check out their blogs if you'd like to meet some noteworthy up-and-comers!

1. Kate Larkindale is a writer, cinema manager, film reviewer and mother to two boys. She also just wrote a kick-ass YA contemporary, Chasing the Taillights, that I really, really can't wait to read someday.

2. Robin Weeks just wrote such a clever opening to her YA urban fantasy, GEAS, that I'm already hooked. Half-human pixies snagged by paparazzi while wearing gym shorts? Who would have thought it??

3. Angela Cothran gives great advice, and her novel, The Alabaster Refugee, has such a compelling opening that I can almost smell the grass and overgrown brush.

4. Christa has written this amazing book, Manhole, that bravely tackles the horrific and tragic subject of rape through the point of view of the rape victim's boyfriend. Gives me shivers just thinking about it, and it I think it's a book that really needed to be written.

5. Rachel Dillon's novel, The Lion Within, explores some interesting internal changes that take place when her main character Renna is bitten by a ravenous, blood-thirsty lion. Such a unique idea, and did I mention Rachel is also an amazing artist??

There you have it! Thanks again to everyone who made the GUTGAA Blogfest such an incredible success... I'm SO happy I participated!

My First 200 Words Have Made it to the Finals + Belugas, Belugas, Belugas!

2011-07-28T17:52:00.000-06:00

The final week of Deana Barnhart's amazing "Gearing Up to Get an Agent" Blogfest is drawing to a close, and the first 200 words of my young adult novel, The Mermaid Gene, have made it to the finals!

Wow, after last week's whirlwind, I am so honored to be included in the Top Ten again. The other finalists are amazing, and I can hardly wait for their books to take flight! Check out their entries here: Kathleen Rushall Interview Part 2 and Novel Contest Finalists, and also check out the great interview with one of this week's judges, literary agent Kathleen Rushall. Thanks again to Deana for organizing and being the maestro of this event; this has been so much fun!

Because my first 200 words are already listed on the post below, I will resist reprinting them in favor of waxing poetic about beluga whales for a few minutes. My novel's main character, Kai Murphy, is sent to Alaska to study them, and they just happen to be some of my favorite animals on Earth. (Convenient coincidence, don't you think??)

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Although Kai's research team is fictional, Cook Inlet's beluga whales are very real. They were listed as endangered in October of 2008, and I became obsessed with their struggles when I moved to Alaska in June of 2007. I volunteered on a beluga whale outreach team until I got my job at the Alaska Zoo, and I even submitted public comments during a scary NOAA public forum about the designation of critical habitat during the summer of 2009!

(I won't get political or preachy on you here, though. The beluga whales' struggles are complicated and multi-dimensional, and beluga whale management is a sensitive and sometimes polarizing issue. If you'd like to learn more about the belugas and form your own opinion, here's a great link to their struggles and backstory, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Conservation Plan for the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale.)

I will, however, give you a little background on why I love beluga whales so much. :)

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Recognized by their distinctive white skin, Cook Inlet’s beluga whales are a well-known Alaskan icon. Growing to lengths of 10-15 feet and weights of 3,300lbs, they are characterized by robust, stocky bodies. A thick layer of blubber insulates them against the cold, and the absence of a dorsal fin allows them to move just below ice sheets without obstruction.

Cook Inlet’s belugas have been separated from the belugas of the Alaska’s North Slope for thousands of years, and they have developed many key biological differences—like enlarged foreheads and highly advanced echolocation systems, which they use to navigate through the inlet’s murky waters.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Did you know??

The English name "beluga" comes from the Russian word belukha, which translates into "white." Belugas are also known as white whales. At birth, beluga calves are generally dark gray. They gradually lighten with age, and upon reaching maturity, attain the white coloration characteristic of adult belugas. This white coloration protects belugas from predators by camouflaging them among the icebergs and ice floes of northern seas.
A highly social species, beluga whales are extremely vocal. Long ago, scientists and sailors gave
beluga whales the nickname "sea canaries," due to the birdlike sounds these whales make.
Belugas are among the few whales that have un-fused neck vertebrae. This feature makes their necks quite flexible and gives their heads a wide range of motion.
Belugas can swim both forward and, unlike most other whales, backward.

Wanna know more? These four fun facts are courtesy of Sea World's ANIMAL BYTES, and you can learn more about beluga whales here: Sea World Beluga Whale Infobook. Happy Reading!!

My Query is the Winner! + Week Four of the GUTGAA Blogfest

2011-07-24T21:02:00.000-06:00

I am beyond excited that Lora Rivera picked my query letter as the grand prize winner during Week Three of Deana Barnhart's "Gearing Up to Get an Agent" Blogfest last week. I received so much helpful query advice from everyone, and Lora just finished my free five-page critique, so I feel jazzed, refreshed and ready to take on some agencies! (Check out Deana's blog announcement here: GUTGAA Query Winner! + Final Week Around the Corner.)

Lora's feedback was invaluable, and I am so appreciative for the time and effort she and Deana have put into making this Blogfest a success. I am also indebted to the talented writers who have stopped by to give me so much great advice. What a great opportunity to hone our skills, meet other bloggers, build our platforms and learn about all the other awesome stories in the works!

Week Four of the Blogfest has now begun, and this week, we are all posting the first 200 words of our manuscripts in order to receive feedback. Two winners will be announced at the end of this week, and each will receive either a query and 30 page critique from agent Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, or a 10 page critique from Monica Bustamante Wagner, YA writer represented by Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary.

Here are the first 200 words of my YA urban fantasy, THE MERMAID GENE, and thanks in advance for your help!

Photo Courtesy of Canadian Tourism Commission

The dolphin twists sideways in my arms. Eyeing me through one widened, gleaming black eye, she opens her blowhole and gurgles. Her voice sounds breathless and weak, and the tips of her flukes feel hot against my fingertips.

“What are you waiting for, Kai? Tighten up on her, or she’s gonna bolt.” My father’s warning booms from a nearby research vessel as I struggle for footing in the tea-stained waters of Tampa Bay. “Do it quick; she’s baiting you.”

The concern in his voice sends a fresh wave of anxiety grinding through me, and I wrinkle my nose in protest as I realize the truth of his words. Growing up watching him perform countless catch-and-release medical exams just like this one, I know researchers only have four, maybe five seconds to restrain a bottlenose dolphin before it fights back and escapes capture.

Wrapped around this animal’s tail, I should follow protocol by pulling her flukes into my chest and bracing myself for her inevitable thrashing. Instead, I find myself lost in her plaintive, lucid eye contact. Her pupils, shrunk into tiny circles in the sunlight, roll back and forth as she cranes her head, and a shallow scar splits the silvery bulge of her forehead.

Hesitating, I loosen my grip on her dorsal ridge and exhale. Poor thing’s exhausted. Isn’t even fighting anymore.

That's my first mistake.

My Shiny New Query Letter is a Blogfest Finalist!

2011-07-21T07:56:00.000-06:00

Thanks again to everyone who helped me tweak my query letter during Week Three of Deana Barnhart's "Gearing Up to Get an Agent" Blogfest. I just learned my letter is a Top Ten Finalist (!!), and I will find out tomorrow if I win a free query/first five page critique from Lora Rivera, writer of literary adult and children's fiction, freelance book editor and Life Book writer for Aviva Children's Services. (Read the other finalists' amazing query letters here: GUTGAA Query Winners Picked Today.)

Here's my shiny new query letter:

Dear Agent:

An arctic mermaid is the last thing seventeen year-old Kai Murphy expects to glimpse when she joins a beluga whale research team in Alaska.

An aspiring scientist, Kai dismisses Anchorage's mermaid myths until the late-night sighting of a silvery, speckled tail threatens her convictions. Teamed up with flirtatious twin deckhands Noah and Aidan Fischer, she decides to investigate.

Turns out a mermaid sighting isn't her research team's only mystery. There are also secret closets filled with hunting rifles, blood-filled plastic bins and shadowy poachers haunting the inlet's icy waters.

As Kai searches for answers and begins falling for Noah, she realizes even he isn't above suspicion. The fate of the research team, her beloved belugas and the mysterious creature in the inlet just may rest in her hands.

THE MERMAID GENE is a YA urban fantasy novel, complete at 98,000 words. I have worked as a zookeeper and educator at many facilities, including the Alaska Zoo of Anchorage, and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums published my article "The Dangers of Human Interactions with Marine Mammals" in its 2007 Ocean Literacy and Marine Mammals: An Easy Reference Guide. This experience sets THE MERMAID GENE apart and allows me to take readers behind-the-scenes into the thrilling and often-misunderstood world of beluga whale research.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Me

The most amazing news is that this query letter has already received some great positive reinforcement. I fired off a query to an agent in NYC at 11:30pm MT Tuesday night and received a full manuscript request by 5:45am MT Wednesday morning. Not a bad thing to see in your inbox first thing in the morning!

Thanks again to everyone for your help. Even if I don't win that free critique, I already feel like a winner!

Loch Ness Monster-Like Animal Filmed in Alaska

2011-07-18T21:38:00.000-06:00

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!!

Photo Courtesy of DiscoveryNews.com

LOCH NESS MONSTER-LIKE ANIMAL FILMED IN ALASKA
The alleged sea serpent has a long neck, a horse-like head,

large eyes and back bumps that stick out of the water.

By Jennifer Viegas
Mon Jul 18, 2011 03:29 PM ET
Discovery News

A video from 2009 shows something mysterious moving across the surface of the sea that resembles an Alaskan version of the Loch Ness monster.

Some are claiming that the animal is a "Cadborosaurus," a type of reptile or lizard that got its name from Cadboro Bay, in British Columbia. They say that what's in the video is a sea serpent that dwells in the North Pacific and possibly other regions.

Accounts generally describe it as having a long neck, a horse-like head, large eyes, and back bumps that stick out of the water.

The footage, shot by Alaskan fishermen in 2009, will make its public debut on "Hillstranded," a new Discovery Channel special that will air Tuesday evening at 10 p.m. E/P.

"I am quite impressed with the video," Paul LeBlond, former head of the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of British Columbia, told Discovery News. "Although it was shot under rainy circumstances in a bouncy ship, it's very genuine."

Sightings of "Cadborosaurus" have been reported for ages. In 1937, a supposed body of the animal was found in the stomach of a whale captured by the Naden Harbour whaling station in the Queen Charlotte Islands, a British Columbia archipelago. Samples of the animal were brought to the Provincial Museum in Victoria, where curator Francis Kermode concluded they belonged to a fetal baleen whale.LeBlond, co-author of the book "Cadborosaurus: Survivor from the Deep," said the animal is "the least unlike a plesiosaur," referring to carnivorous marine reptiles thought to have gone extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period.

The animal's remains, however, later disappeared. James Wakelun, a worker at the whaling station, last year said that he had seen the creature's body and "it wasn't an unborn whale."

Still, some throw caution to the sighting.

"People are working off of sketchy lay observations," said Jim Covel, senior manager of guest experience at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium. "We do, however, still find new species in the oceans, perhaps allowing some to entertain ideas like this, filling in the gaps with their imaginations. But it really underscores how more scientific exploration is needed."

Like other cryptids -- animals who some think exist, but which have not yet been recognized by scientific consensus -- "Cadborosaurus" has existed only in grainy photographs and eyewitness accounts.

The 2009 video, therefore, "adds to its authentication," LeBlond said.

While many have speculated that "Cadborosaurus" is actually a frill shark, a large eel, or some kind of fish, LeBlond countered that it cannot be a fish due to the way it moves.

"It must be a mammal or a reptile, since it oscillates up and down in a vertical plain, which eliminates sideways-oscillating fish," he said.

A possible new believer in "Cadborosaurus" is Andy Hillstrand of "Deadliest Catch" television show fame. He told Discovery News that he might have seen another one of the enigmatic animals while filming "Hillstranded," a new Discovery Channel special debuting tonight that features the 2009 footage.

Hillstrand and his brother Johnathan traveled to sites in Alaska where Cadborosaurus has been spotted. Referring to one location, he said, "We saw a big, long white thing moving in the water. We chased it for about 20 minutes."

"Spray came out of its head," he continued. "It was definitely not a shark. A giant eel may be possible, but eels don't have humps that all move in unison. I've never seen anything like it before."

Hillstrand speculates that whales, following salmon, might be pushing the animals closer to shore and into the view of humans.

While he understands the controversy and skepticism over such sightings and claims, Hillstrand believes the many fishermen who have reported seeing the animal "are not a bunch of fruitcakes. These are people who are familiar with the local marine life."

In order for a cryptid to gain scientific credibility, more physical evidence must be obtained. LeBlond said, "We cannot go out in the ocean poking everywhere, but we are always on the lookout for new accounts."

Hillstrand, on the other hand, isn't ruling out another "Cadborosaurus"-related trip.

"We live in Alaska, so we might investigate 'Cadborosaurus' again in future," he said. "We are always up for an adventure."

So I'm Running off this Mountain Yesterday, in the Middle of a Lightning Storm...

2011-07-17T20:40:00.000-06:00

... when all of a sudden, the space between flashes and cracks becomes non-existent. I'm screaming and cowering like a maniac when my husband finds an abandoned permafrost research trailer. Crawling underneath and huddling with our dogs, we push away all scraps of metal and rock upward on the balls of our rubber-soled Chacos, just in case.

A steady sheet of hail begins pounding into the ground around us, and we cower like children, shivering from chill and fear. Colorado is known for its unpredictable and fast-moving weather patterns, so we hang tight for about 40 minutes, listening to the lightning's rumble and crack as it spreads past the Rocky Mountains and begins advancing toward the Front Range.

Timing our exit to coincide with the storm's retreat, we hurry a few steps through the stillness before the distant blast of lightning at our backs informs us that a new storm has decided to follow in our storm's wake. Cursing my lack of fitness at 10,000ft above sea level, I wobble down the trail after my husband, slipping on some loose rocks and wiping out in a flurry of mud and flesh. My shins and knees, scoured and muddy, bleed in crimson rivers all the way back to our car--where we collapse, dizzy and aching, from exhaustion.

There is a certain madness borne of close-calls, so it's only a few moments before I find myself slipping into hysterics. Laughing at my bloody knees, laughing at our stench, laughing at our dogs and laughing at my husband's drowned rat hair. Laughing in relief, and laughing at my sudden craving for macaroni and cheese.

Which, upon our return to civilization, is exactly what we eat.

"Gearing Up to Get an Agent" Blogfest: The Dreaded Query Letter

2011-07-16T22:33:00.000-06:00

Alright, so I kinda missed the boat during Week Two of Deana Barnhart's fantastic "Gearing Up to Get an Agent" Blogfest last week, but I'm back and ready for action just in time for Week Three! This week's theme is query letters, so we are all posting our queries in order to receive valuable feedback from YOU.

I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't mind letting me know what you think about my query letter for my young adult urban fantasy, THE MERMAID GENE. (I realize the manuscript is a little long at this point, but I'm in the process of cutting it down as we speak.) Thanks in advance for your help, and I can't wait to read your queries if you are participating in the Blogfest as well!

Dear Agent:

An arctic mermaid is the last thing seventeen year-old Kai Murphy expects to find when she joins a beluga whale research team in Alaska.

She’s an aspiring scientist, after all—the daughter of a famous dolphin researcher and the type of girl who studies tide charts for fun and cruises Cook Inlet’s icy waters in a Zodiac, counting whales for a database. When the late-night sighting of a silvery, speckled tail threatens her perceptions, she teams up with flirtatious twin deckhands Noah and Aidan Fischer to investigate.

Turns out mermaids aren’t Alaska’s only mysteries. There’s also that warehouse closet crammed with hunting rifles, the blood-filled plastic bins and those shadowy poachers haunting the Port of Anchorage. Never mind the silvery creature in the inlet, which now seems intent on stalking her.

As Kai searches for answers and begins falling for Noah, she realizes even he isn’t above suspicion. The fate of her team—and the inlet’s struggling beluga whales—just may rest in her hands.

THE MERMAID GENE is a stand-alone, young adult novel with series potential, complete at 99,000 words. The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums published my article “The Dangers of Human Interactions with Marine Mammals” in its 2007 Ocean Literacy and Marine Mammals: An Easy Reference Guide, and I have worked as a zookeeper and educator at many marine mammal facilities, including the Alaska Zoo of Anchorage. This experience sets THE MERMAID GENE apart and allows me to take readers behind-the-scenes into the thrilling and often-misunderstood world of beluga training and research.

Thank you for your time. With your interest in ___(space for personalization)___, I hope THE MERMAID GENE will be a perfect fit for you.

Sincerely,

Me

"Gearing Up to Get an Agent" Blogfest has Begun!

2011-07-07T21:25:00.000-06:00

Deana Barnhart is kinda like Chuck Norris. When she's not raising kids, writing novels, spotlighting new authors or providing resources for aspiring writers, she's dreaming up brilliant ways for all of us to build our platforms, get connected and reach out to each other to make this blogging world a friendlier place.

Her latest brainchild is her "Gearing Up to Get an Agent" July Blogfest, which spotlights agent-grabbing elements (platform building, learning the craft, the novel and queries) in a unique and interactive way. Here is our topic for Week One, and check out her blog, DeanaBarnhart , for more information or to join in on the fun.

WEEK ONE: "I Just had to ask..."

What burning questions (about writing of course) do you have? It doesn't matter how ridiculous you think it may be, just ask. Post the question on your blog and we will hop around the blogs trying to help each other out. Discussions about topics on writing can really pump you up for your novel, plus you can make connections, follow one another, brainstorm platform building ideas...whatever. This will be our time to ease into the blogfest and get to know one another.

Here are my questions, and I would looooove to hear your feedback, whether or not you are participating in the blogfest:

1. How long is too long for a young adult novel? Mine is a young adult mystery / urban fantasy, and I'm pushing 100,000 words, which I feel may be a little long. According to QueryTracker, it seems like most young adult novels are approximately 70,000-80,000 words, but I once heard urban fantasies tend to run a little long, so I'm not sure if I should cut back my word count or not. What do you think?

2. Which avenues have been most effective to network and spread the word about your blog? I'm an active member of QueryTracker and GoodReads; I also occasionally post on SheWrites and AbsoluteWrite. I find a lot of new blogging buddies through existing blogging buddies' recommendations, and I usually troll around and read others' posts for good ideas. I'm not crazy about Twitter yet, and I've mostly kept my Facebook page to my non-writing life, but I'm definitely open to suggestions. How did YOU find the majority of your followers?

That's all for now, I think. Thanks in advance for your help!

Chile Bans Shark Finning!

2011-07-07T13:30:00.000-06:00

A brand-new article from Discovery News that heralds an amazing victory for Chile's Blue and Shortfin Mako sharks. One step closer to a worldwide ban on shark finning--which, in my humble opinion, is one of the most heinous and detestable wildlife practices in the entire world!

Photo Courtesy of Mark Conlin, SWFSC Large Pelagics Program, Wikimedia Commons

CHILE BANS SHARK FINNING: CONGRESS UNANIMOUS
Analysis by Christina Reed
Thu Jul 7, 2011 01:36 PM ET

In a move that has made the country a new leader in shark protection, Chile yesterday banned the practice of shark finning from its national waters. After months of discussions since the bill on the ban was drafted and presented by the conservation group Oceana to the Chilean National Congress in January, the vote to approve the bill passed unanimously.

The ban effects 30 shark species that cruise the Chilean coastline, which covers an extensive stretch of the eastern Pacific all the way to the Southern Ocean. Of those sharks, 15 are specific targets for finning, including the near threatened Blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and the vulnerable Shortfin Mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus).

"With the passage of this law, Chile becomes a leader in the protection of these animals that are so important to marine ecosystems. We knew that large quantities of shark fins were being exported from our country. This practice meant the deaths of thousands of sharks each year. With this new law we will have a critical tool to protect and recover these most exploited species," Alex Muñoz, Oceana Vice President for South America said in a statement.

The marine conservation group drafted the bill after revealing through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Chilean National Customs Service that 71 tons of dry shark fins from eight different species were exported between 2006 and 2009. Most of those fins were consumed in Asian sharkfin soup, a culinary dish that bases its texture on the rough skin of the sharks.

The Chilean ban does not prohibit shark fisheries, but makes it obligatory for fishers to land the sharks whole. Detached fins are prohibited aboard any vessel as is transferring fins from one to vessel to another. The consequences of keeping the sharks whole all the way to market allows for species identification, proper tracking of the number of sharks caught, and also reduces the number of sharks each vessel can catch before maximizing weight restrictions.