Today is the official release
date for Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-floor Ecosystem, and I couldn’t be more excited.
The story
behind this book traces back to 2019. While writing Ick! Delightfully, Disgusting
Animals Dinners, Dwellings, and Defenses, I stumbled upon an article about zombie worms, aka
bone-eating snot flower worms.
Of course, I included them in that book. First of all,
what a fabulous name! But also—believe it or not—dozens of teeny tiny male
zombie worms live inside each female. Wow!
Each section in Ick! was limited to about 400
words. But there was SO much more to say about these curious critters. I tacked
the article to my Idea Board as a reminder that I wanted to learn more about them.
Sometimes notes and articles stay on my Idea Board for
a long time, collecting dust. But when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020,
all my school visits were cancelled and I had plenty of time for research.
As I began reading more about zombie worms, my mind
was blown. I was completely captivated by the incredible collection of critters
that live in, on, and around a whale fall. I knew I had to write a book about them.
I often spend years trying to find just the right text
structure for a book, but in this case, I knew immediately that a chronological
sequence structure would be the perfect choice. This allowed me to write the
book in just a few months.
My critique group loved the manuscript and encouraged
me to send it out right away. Often, it can take many months to hear back from
editors, but this time, I heard back the very next day. She loved the book and
wanted to acquire it right away. I was thrilled.
And when she sent me samples of Rob Dunlavey’s
stunning artwork, I was even more excited. I knew he was the perfect artist to
illustrate the book.
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