Flight Paths
Launching a book, Traveling to Tahoe, and Various Virtual Journeys!
THE OWL PROWL MYSTERY flew into the world on August 13! It’s the second in a four-book middle grade series, continuing the adventures of the “Backyard Rangers” we meet in TROUBLE AT TURTLE POND. I am proud of this book and excited to share it! It represents several years of research and writing, with the earliest drafts eked out during the pandemic. It is a community-inspired book that could not have been written without other people: I consulted with bird experts and wildlife biologists, shadowed saw-whet owl banders in New Hampshire, and dramatically leveled up my birding skills — thanks to helpful mentors—so I could write about birding with confidence. I also loved writing a fresh adventure for Miles, whose ADHD continues to be a sleuthing superpower even as it presents some new challenges for him socially and academically, at the start of fifth grade.
Anyway, yay! The book’s out in the world! Yet despite launch day being a newsworthy topic for my newsletter, I did NOT manage to finish and publish this newsletter on time to celebrate! How could that be?
I’ve been super busy doing some online things to get the word out — more on that later in this newsletter! — and I had the chance to go to Lake Tahoe to join my parents, my sister and brother-in-law and my niece, to celebrate my niece’s birthday.
A last-minute ticket booked on miles took me on an odd itinerary with a connecting flight in Minneapolis. Travel backlogs and delays caused by Hurricane Debby, roiling its way up the East coast, caused me to miss that connection. Despite my goal of avoiding a connection in Los Angeles, the airline insisted on re-routing me through there and sent my bag on ahead. I proceeded to miss that LA connection. A transfer to a different airline led to a nail-biting race through LAX. I even jumped on one of those golf carts. Thanks to that driver, I made it to the gate and got on the last flight to Reno, with just minutes to spare. (Someone please write a novel with that title: The Last Flight to Reno. Also, do you know who takes an 11 pm flight to Reno? It’s an interesting crowd).
I had intended to do some of my newsletter writing on my flights, but was either catching up on sleep, or acclimating to my last-minute rebooked seats that were near (or in?) the lavatory. Or I was transfixed by views like this one over LA: sunset through the haze of smoke from wildfires, as well as light pollution.
Once I landed in Reno and got to my sister’s cabin in Tahoe (close to 1 AM!), I had a marvelous time. A few days later, I sat down in my sister’s cozy cabin to finish and send a cheery book launch newsletter, when the power went out, and the wifi too.
We’d seen a helicopter flying overhead when we drove back from dinner, dumping what looked like flame retardant over some trees. (Note to my mystery-writing self: whenever I hear myself say, in that ominous voice, “what looked like,” I must edit that out: it was that. It was exactly what it looked like).
Since the phone worked, we were able to reach family in San Francisco, who could Google stuff. They informed us that a three-acre brush fire in the vicinity may have been the reason the power was proactively cut. We also learned that based on the evacuation zone number of my sister’s cabin, we were in the zone right next to an evacuation warning zone. This felt unsettling. As the sun set, and no power returned, we gathered like moths around a lamp powered by an electric vehicle in the garage, and contemplated our next moves. Generators at nearby cabins hummed. So did our mounting anxiety. We couldn’t smell or see smoke. Should we stay or go? Did we have a plan? What would be the best route out if we needed out?
At last our family in San Francisco confirmed the fire was safely contained — though the power remained cut for some time. As I got ready for bed, and listened to crickets singing, I felt relief, yes — but I also thought of all the forest creatures who could not pack go-bags when fires burned, who could not call relatives for advice about where to go, and when. And this little scare was just a mere taste of the disruption fires increasingly cause to humans and wildlife in many parts of our country.
It wasn’t until the next morning that we learned the real reason for the power loss. A concurrent fire farther away, outside of Reno, had caused considerable damage. Since Nevada controls the power in the California county where my sister’s cabin is, their region lost power during the height of the fire. We saw the blackened, blighted landscape on the way to the airport the next day, alongside a road that had been furred with green trees when we all arrived. The fire was sparked by an out-of-control car, the dry vegetation catching fire. 674 acres, gone so fast. No human lives were lost, but again my mind turned to how many plants, birds and animals were impacted.
I have an old photo that I keep near my desk. It’s of me, acting as an owl in a school play about protecting forests. I distinctly remember this play had two important messages: Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute (directly plagiarized from Woodsy Owl) and Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires (yep, Smokey the Bear - who still graces signs with his stern warning throughout the Tahoe National Forest).
I’m writing the Backyard Rangers books for the owl-girl in that picture, for the small person who loved a family cabin in a forest, and who cared about all the creatures there and wanted it all to last.
I’m also writing with another small person in mind: my niece Olive. She too is growing up with a cabin in a woods. She too is learning to identify all the plants and birds and animals. She carries a nature backpack borrowed from the local library, which the Backyard Rangers in my books would be proud to have. Olive, a modern gal, uses a phone app instead of a field guide. She’s also getting used to things like power cuts for fires, and the practice of clearing defensible space around their property — things I never had to think about when I was her age.
The Backyard Rangers books are for all kids who live on this warming planet. They’re meant to reflect the reality we live in, while also offering hope. What small changes might we make to look after nature? What larger changes might we make if we all band together?
Virtual Visits - and Revisiting Tokyo Heist
(A cautionary tale about things that can date your novel!)
Also while on the road in August, I zoomed (on Zoom) over to Knoxville, Tennessee. Kicking off my school visit season, I did virtual visits with three seventh-grade classes on their first day of school. They had all read my first novel, TOKYO HEIST, for their summer reading assignment. I must confess, I got a little nervous. I hadn’t done school visits for this novel in several years, and the book came out in 2012 . . . which suddenly felt long ago. I realized it was time to re-read the book. I didn’t want a class of super smart seventh-graders to trip me up on any tricky plot points!
It seems incredible to me now that I could actually forget plot points I’d labored over for years, but in the years since this book released, my head has been filled up with subsequent books, and lots of research about turtles and owls. Also, Life. Also, the lyrics of most songs of the 80’s and 90’s, which refuse to make space for other stuff.
I was pleased that MOST of my plot came back to me as I read. I’d just forgotten one teeny twist. Okay, maybe two. I was less pleased to discover that two whole characters felt distant to me, and one person’s name I’d completely forgotten! I also cringed at several references that now feel dated. For example, in the Seattle scenes, characters stage a stake-out from a now-defunct coffee chain (Tully’s), and shop at a now-shuttered vintage store that was once a local landmark. (Sigh. I miss Deluxe Junk!) More concerning, teen sleuth Violet and her friend Reika, fresh from their sleuthing success, get interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today show! Yes, THAT Matt Lauer, long before his fall from fame! Argh. WHY didn’t I just make up a morning show and a news personality? How hard would that have been?
And I winced at some of the technology, which is a little quirky by today’s standards. People in this book are doing some now-peculiar things like burning DVDs! They are slipping SD cards in and out of cameras! They are writing very long emails and typing unwieldy texts! In one scene, they race to a hotel business center computer terminal to set up an urgent Skype call, which they actually call a “Skype call.” Skype was popular but not a verb in 2012, and there was no Zoom. Let that sink in a moment. There was no Zoom. Zoom existed only in beta form. When people are zooming in Tokyo Heist, they’re literally running from place to place! I started wondering how different this book might have been if people had been able to Zoom and Face Time regularly, how entire scenes might have been rendered unnecessary with this technology at their fingertips. But that made my head hurt, so I stopped wondering and just logged into Zoom for my first classroom visit.
I took deep breaths and braced myself for lots of eye rolling from these savvy seventh-graders in Knoxville. But you know what? The questions they asked me were all about plot, characters, mystery decisions, Japan research, art and comics, the writing life, the path to publication — the kinds of questions I’ve been asked for years, the kinds of questions I love to answer. These questions always feel fresh and fun when they’re asked by brand-new readers of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them and loved going back into this story in their company! I was greatly relieved to find the book still mostly holds up despite time marching on. Despite having just launched a book on a completely different topic, it was fun to travel back to the book that launched my writing career.
Nevertheless, I mention all this as a cautionary tale to myself and to other writers. Sometimes time marches on and things change; there’s nothing you can do. But whenever possible, watch out for celebrity name-drops, brand names, company names, and technology, all of which can date your otherwise timeless book!
I still have some spaces in my fall and winter schedule for school visits. Please visit my For Educators page on my website for popular topics and my rates. Click here for my free teachers’ guides for THE OWL PROWL MYSTERY and TROUBLE AT TURTLE POND. And here’s a direct link to my author event / school visit interest form if you’d like to get in touch!
Virtual Journeys with The Owl Prowl Mystery
I had the pleasure of being interviewed for two podcasts recently. I loved both of these conversations — and they’re very different! I spoke with Jedlie on the Reading With Your Kids podcast (“Inspiring the Next Generation of Nature Lovers”); you can find this podcast on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or click here to listen to the episode!
I also chatted with Danielle Sullivan, host of The Neurodiverging Podcast. The episode is titled “Neurodivergent in the Natural World,” and you can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or, listen to it directly here . . . or here!
Some more lovely reviews have come out! One is from Mrs. Yingling, librarian blogger extraordinaire. Another is from Greg Partridge at Always in the Middle, a wonderful resource for middle grade books.
I chatted with the host of Dragonfly.eco — an incredible resource for eco writing for all ages, including an ever-expanding database! -- and you can read our conversation here.
I wrote a short, fun piece for CrimeSpree in their “Author Workspace” feature, on what it was like to write some of The Owl Prowl Mystery in an abandoned treehouse!
And I swung by my writing friend Elisabeth Norton’s blog to kick off her new feature, “Creator’s Corner.” I talked about my creative process, and the writer I’d most like to have a beverage with in person! (If only I could time travel . . . ) You can read the interview here!
Upcoming in-person book events!
Near Boston? The Owl Prowl Mystery is hitting the road! Here are some owl-ish live events coming up in September and October!
Tuesday, September 10, 7:00 PM, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore, Acton, MA - Book Launch party! In conversation with local children’s book author Elaine Dimopoulos, author of the REMARKABLE RESCUE AT MILKWEED MEADOW and THE PERILOUS PERFORMANCE AT MILKWEED MEADOW. (The Silver Unicorn is my “home” bookstore; if you can’t attend the launch but would like a signed / personalized copy, they will ship!)
Saturday, September 14, 4:00-6:00 PM, Hummingbird Books, Chestnut Hill, MA - Local Author Fair (tables, conversation, books for sale, fun giveaways!)
Sunday, September 22, 11 am, Belmont Books, Belmont, MA - In Conversation with local children’s book author Susan Edwards Richmond, author of NIGHT OWL NIGHT, BIOBLITZ!, BIRD COUNT, and more!
Saturday, October 19, 4:00 pm, lala books, Lowell MA - Author talk in partnership with Lowell Loves Wildlife (a percentage of books sales will benefit this local organization that is committed to helping raptors and other wildlife!)
Wrap-up: From Zooming to Inching Along!
So after a busy August of zooming around and a few erratic flight paths, I’m happy to be home. My feet and eyes are back on the ground and though I'm supposed to be finishing Book 3 (foxes!), I’m finding new backyard adventures. I’ve been monitoring monarchs on my milkweed. Four caterpillars. Two chrysalises. One violent storm. Drama! I’ll leave you with a brief video of “Cat 4,” enjoying a final meal before transforming into a chrysalis. This chrysalis is now quietly transforming into its next stage, in my three-season porch . . . suspended from a mesh habitat by cinnamon dental floss, Krazy Glue, and a safety pin. Long story, perhaps one for a future newsletter . . . and maybe more!
Whether you’re zooming around or inching along, I wish you a happy September!
Diana
I DO want to hear the story of the dental floss and Krazy glue holding the chrysalis aloft! Please, in a future newsletter. Your story telling is always so gripping. Keep me on the edge of my seat.
The forest fires are a terrifying vision of the future, glad you were okay and able to enjoy Tahoe.
I was interested in your comments about specific details dating your book. I actually enjoy reading books that have specific, accurate details from the era they're written in / about. What does annoy me is when novels that are set in an undefined future become dated really quickly. I've read 'futuristic' novels from only a few years ago that include cultural or technological details which are already not at all futuristic.