I’m headed back to Costa Rica! I can’t wait. I’ll have photos and video to share with you. For now, I thought it would be fun to post an image from my 2010 trip. On that adventure, I took only a point-and-shoot camera since I traveled with just a backpack. This time, I’m taking some pro gear and a pro videographer friend. Wish us a good time and we’ll see you on the flip side.
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I was reminded recently of time spent on a wildlife cruise out of Seward, Alaska out into Resurrection Bay. The captain was a friendly young woman from northern Michigan. She told my husband and me a few stories, one in particular about an inmate in the local maximum security prison there, that inspired some events in my recent novel, Operation Grizzly Camp.
We left the dock at noon and I had my camera at the ready, but didn’t expect anything until we were further out and wasn’t thrilled about the noon light. But, as fate would have it, the captain informed us to look to for an otter who was off the port side. And there he was, crunching away on this snack. Never seen that before!
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The Poppy McVie, Saving Animals One Book at a Time Series Box-Set (Books 1-3) is now on sale at Amazon.com
For animals, there’s nothing she won’t do.
Feisty Agent Poppy McVie travels the world–from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the high seas of Norway to the deep forests of Alaska–fighting wildlife crime.
Box-Set includes Operation Tropical Affair, Operation Orca Rescue, and Operation Grizzly Camp.
Operation Grizzly Camp is now on sale at Amazon.com
With each release of a new book I get all excited and nervous and my brain turns fuzzy. Months of preparation. Zillions of ideas, picked through and organized into a plot. Writing a novel is quite the project. But the result is always a joy to share. So, enjoy!
I can’t imagine living in a place where the seasons don’t change with the bang that happens in northern Michigan. Autumn, in particular. On a macro or micro level, the changing of the leaves is not only an amazing biological wonder, it’s awesome to behold. Perhaps its ephemeral quality makes it that much more spectacular. If you’ve never experienced it, you must make plans to do so. Nature in all her glory. A must see.
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On our way home, as we passed through Grays Reef, I snapped this image of the abandoned lighthouse. Something about this old structure gives me hope. When I ponder the troubles we face due to overpopulation, global warming, mass extinctions, I can get overwhelmed by it all. I love the metaphor presented in this scene. The top of the old light looks like a bird cage, yet now that it has been vacated by man, the birds have taken over. Free. Uncaged.
Day 6
After picking up friends in Little Current, we head northeast to the famous fjord Bay Fiene with the plan to anchor in a protected natural harbor called the Pool. A long narrow bay, Bay Fiene is lined on the north side by the White Granite mountains. And they are. White granite dotted with pines. As we anchor at sunset, we see two otters splashing about, fishing. Otters are usually rather shy, but these two seem accustomed to boats being here.
The next morning I’m up before dawn, all bundled up with a hot cup of tea, listening to them in the dark. Splash, crunch crunch devouring a fish. Splash some more. The sound echoes off the rock walls. Nature. Beautiful.
Day 4
Finally, a quiet anchorage where we can watch the sunset in solitude.
Day 5
We’ve found a snug little anchorage, tucked in a cove of Turnbull Island, a giant rock sprouting perfectly formed white pines. Similar smaller islands surround us, an archipelago, all dotted with pines and painted in brushstrokes of orange and yellow lichens.
The sun is still high in the sky, but we decide to take a dinghy ride around to explore. On the other side I find a beaver dam and plan to wait there at dusk to see if anyone is home.
Back at the boat, after lunch, as I’m lounging with a book, I hear a rustle in the bushes on the shoreline. I quickly grab the binoculars to see a raccoon making his way along on the edge of the water, moving between the rocks, fishing. Every once in a while a splash, then crunch-crunch-crunch of a fish being devoured. Raccoons are usually nocturnal, so I’m surprised a bit, but what a delight to witness.
At sunset, we head out as planned in the dinghy, only to find the beaver is already out and about. I don’t know who spots whom first, but soon enough, he dives under with a slap of this mighty tail and is gone.
A cold front moves in during the night, and we leave that spot in a gusty rain.
It’s with the proofreaders. Operation Grizzly Camp.
Deep in the wilds of Alaska, wealthy poachers kill bears for entertainment, an age-old bloodsport for the biggest, rarest trophies. Special Agent Poppy McVie and her partner, Dalton, go undercover, posing as hunters to take them down. But to play the part, Poppy will actually have to hunt. Sure, she can handle a weapon, but use it on an animal? Not only that, this time around, she’s posing as Dalton’s sister. Can they hide the passion that’s been building between them?
When Poppy and Dalton find themselves fighting for survival against the most vicious predator on Earth, Poppy faces the ultimate decision: kill or be killed.
I’m excited to present the cover for Operation Turtle Ransom, available soon. I’m hard at work, putting words down for this fun story set in Mexico. I’ll let you know as soon as it is on sale!