Adventures Off the Beaten Path
Owl Encounters, Book News, and a Real Life Backyard Ranger!
Crossing the Line: Boundaries in Life vs. Fiction
On a family vacation to Aruba last month, we spent most of our time exploring the island. We took our rental car off the main roads. Untethered from schedules, fascinated by the ecosystem of this arid island (a Caribbean dry forest biome), we followed our curiosity. We encountered the Arikok National Park, a secluded beach with abandoned makeshift shacks, and a donkey sanctuary, among other delights. Yet sometimes we’d run into cautionary signs: important reminders that this place was not a playground, that animals lived there too, and that going too far off the beaten path might plunge us over eroding cliff edges or into dangerous waters. I appreciated the signs. I believe it’s important to tread lightly when we travel in other countries and out in nature. I’m also a rule-follower at heart. If I see a sign saying there’s danger past a certain point, or a protected area, I’ll respectfully retreat.
One day, an impulsive detour took us to the Spanish Lagoon, a coastal bay and wetland area on the west coast of the island that is also part of the Arikok National Park. We explored the ruins of a gold mill being overtaken by cacti and admired the blue whiptail lizards scuttling across the hot stones. When we followed animal tracks to mudflats, we saw clusters of lush trees, and a swath of brown water, and realized we’d arrived at the lagoon. This unique area nurtures reef fish, shellfish, and mangroves. It also offers breeding and habitat areas for numerous birds, including the Shoco: Aruba’s beloved burrowing owl.
The Shoco, an endemic species, is endangered. These owls’ challenges include habitat destruction and indirect poisoning from rodenticides, just like owls face in the United States. These are tiny owls, so they also face predator dangers, including invasive boa constrictors, which were introduced to Aruba through the exotic pet trade.
Conservation groups are actively protecting and monitoring Shoco nests across the island, I was happy to learn. So when we saw the Keep Your Distance sign at the lagoon habitat, we dutifully stopped. We stood well behind an additional rope that had been strung up as a barrier. Still, we could see the opening of a hole in the hard red dirt. Suddenly, a little brown head poked up and looked around. Then another. A pair of burrowing owls!
It was a profound moment to stand there and witness these owls in the wild. I slowly took out my phone, zoomed in (I’m actually quite far away in this photo) and took a few pictures, none of which came out great. That was okay, I decided. Having written an entire book about the harm that can be caused by flushing owls out of their nests and roosts — how our desire to get closer and take pictures can stress owls — I was going to be the most respectful owl visitor ever. I stood as still as the cactus in the background. I imagined I was the cactus.
That’s when the unthinkable happened. A burst of hot wind snatched my sun hat off my head, and tossed it into the owl habitat. It landed a few yards away from the hole.
I instinctively lunged forward and grabbed for the hat. The owls flapped their wings and scuttled around. I retreated from the rope barrier. What to do? Suddenly I wasn’t a distant observer. I was in the scene. I was part of a problem.
My husband advocated crossing the rope to get the hat. Move fast, get it over with. I urged restraint. I hoped the wind gusts would blow it back to me. Instead, the wind dragged it ever closer to the owls, who now hopped and flapped away and hid behind some tall grass. I debated just letting the hat go. But then I would have introduced litter into the environment. Plus, the midday sun was brutal. My skin was beginning to feel like the sun-baked mud flats behind me.
Eventually, the wind lost interest and nudged my hat back toward the rope. My husband quickly stepped over the rope and took the hat, handing it to me. That action, while swift, still disturbed the owls, who flew out of the habitat to a stand of trees. Hat back on my head, I stepped away, lingering just long enough to reassure myself the owls weren’t too traumatized. They eventually returned to the roped-off habitat, though grumpily. One stood behind some grass and stared at us. The other hopped closer to the barrier and repeatedly hissed. I got the message. I slunk away, feeling guilty and uneasy about the whole encounter. Did the owls really need my presence that day? Had my curiosity caused harm?
Later, I realized this same tension—respecting rules vs. breaking them—is partly what drives a a story, especially a mystery.
In real life, boundaries exist for a reason. Trespassing has consequences, and curiosity can cause actual harm. But in fiction, crossing a line is often necessary. If a sleuth always plays by the rules, nothing exciting happens. Taking risks—physically, emotionally, or ethically—drives the story forward, reveals truths, and forces characters outside their comfort zones.
Yet even in fiction, crossing a line comes with a price. Just as I questioned whether my curiosity had harmed the owls, protagonists in stories can subsequently wrestle with the consequences of pushing too far. Did they make things worse? Did they put someone or something in danger?
A good mystery isn’t just about solving a crime—it’s about the cost of uncovering the truth. What happens when a sleuth’s pursuit disrupts lives, relationships, or justice itself? And once they’ve stepped over that line, can they ever go back?
Have you ever crossed a line, violating a rule or boundary for what you thought was a good reason? What happened? Or can you think of any mysteries or other types of fiction where the protagonist made a bold choice that changed everything? Feel free to share in the comments!
Book News! Green Earth Book Award Long List!
THE OWL PROWL MYSTERY has made the long list for the Nature Generation’s 2025 Green Earth Book Awards in the Children's Fiction category! I'm thrilled and honored to see my middle grade eco-mystery recognized alongside these incredible books celebrating environmental stewardship. Fingers (and talons) crossed that we make the next cut! GEBA winners will be announced on Earth Day. You can learn more about the Nature Generation and check out the complete long list at natgen.org. 🌿📚
The Owl Prowl Mystery Goes to the Zoo!
Last weekend, Zoo New England invited me to help them celebrate National Read Across America Day! At the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA, I reconnected with some of my zoo friends (human) and made some new ones, including Owlfredo the screech owl (pictured here), Valkyrie the barn owl, and two 6-month-old Blandings turtle hatchlings, Shelley and Pebbles—who share names with the turtles in Trouble at Turtle Pond, a book inspired by Zoo New England’s turtle conservation program!
It was a bracingly cold day, but that didn’t stop some brave families from coming out to chat with zookeepers, meet turtles, owls, and authors, and learn about conservation efforts. We hung out in a cozy indoor space—an animal event room with heat. It also had some poison dart frogs, which was a bit unsettling, but they were behind glass! For three hours, we talked to families who came by to warm up, check out some reptiles, do animal-themed activities, and learn about conservation-themed books.
The best part? I got to meet a REAL LIFE BACKYARD RANGER! I mean, if someone could have walked out of the pages of one of my Backyard Rangers books, it would be Avalea Mulcahy, who is a “Backyard Nature Ranger” from New Hampshire.
In addition to having a very professional table set up, Avalea sported an eye-catching vest with badges and patches showcasing her advocacy work for animals and their habitats. The rangers in my book make their own vests too, so I was excited to have her model this stunning garment! Any of these badges can spark a fascinating conversation about the causes she champions and the places she visited to learn more about creatures that we need to protect. She even has a Jane Goodall badge.
As much as I like to write stories that inspire environmental stewardship in kids, meeting people like Avalea—on school visits or out in the community—reminds me that it’s really the reverse. So many young people are already doing this important work of environmental stewardship. They inspire me!
Tripawd Awareness Month: Trevor Update!
My dog Trevor just marked the one-year anniversary of losing a leg to bone cancer, and he is thriving on three legs! One of my biggest fears had been that he would lose his favorite pastime, going out on conservation land with his dog friends and his beloved dog walkers. Well, here he is hitting the trails with his sweetheart, Dakota, and out with his favorite pack. This unstoppable tripawd keeps forging ahead however he can, and leaning in to his community. In these chaotic times we’re living in, maybe we can do the same!
What a great post! I love the sign with the donkeys. Great to see the owls and I like your comparison of wanting to stick to boundaries in real life while wanting to push them in fiction. It's brilliant that Trevor is thriving with ony three legs .