Eco Mysteries Reading List
“Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb
The time has come the whale said, to talk of many things, of plants, and trees, and freshwater fish, octopuses, hurricane, lizards and plastic squid, tigers, racoons, and Monarch butterflies, and why the sea is boiling hot and weather pigs have wings.— Apologies to Lewis Carrol’s “The Walrus and the Carpenter.”
Whether you’re a writer or reader, I hope your pursuits continue to be successful and satisfying. As an author, “success,” in part means publishing your books to share with the world. Success also means perseverance. Case in point, my most recently published books were purchased by Star Bright Books five years ago are now finally printed.
The Japanese quote about perseverance is "石の上にも三年" (Ishi no ue ni mo san-nen), which translates to "Three years on a stone,” meaning, it takes patience to warm up a stone by sitting on it.
For all lovers of stories, this is my somewhat random list. I often choose books with topics that complement my current writing. Some are for adults, others are for ages 9-14, but have crossover appeal for all ages. Looking down this list I see that most have focus on the natural world and how humans relate to it. No surprise since I write eco adventures and climate fiction with a focus on solutions on how to conserve the natural world.
In no particular order or genre:
The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence by Zoë Schlanger
The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life by David Quammen
Alabama’s Surprising Biodiversity and Southern Rivers: Restoring America’s Freshwater Biodiversity, by Scot Duncan
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
Hurricane, Lizards and Plastic Squids by Thor Hanson
All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Missing Mike a novel in verse by Shari Green.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Selby VanPelt
Tiger Rising by Kate Dicamillo.
Archipelago by Monique Roffey.
A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon by Karen Romano Young.
All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.
Flight Behavior Barbra Kingsolver.
Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk.
Migrations by Charlotte Mcconaghy
Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson
Song for a Whale by Lynn Kelley
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Sending Kudos to all the talented writers of our SCBWI, Southern Breeze region.
Here are my just published Eco Adventures: Vanishing Birds and Operation Terrapin Rescue that are available now from Star Bright Books.
Please send your ideas and books for the next newsletter to me: cldatnow@me.com
The Craft of Writing About Animals
Poster Design by Sonia Datrnow
I’ve been writing #eco fiction and #climate fiction with #endangered #wildlife for more than twenty years. Here are a few of the animal characters in the Adventures of The Sizzling Six series, and the Four Elements #Cli-fi Trilogy.
The list of birds includes White Storks, Chimney Swifts, Red Knots, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Piping Plovers, Broad winged Hawks, and Peregrine falcons. And animals including: Sumatran Orangutans, black-footed wallabies, koalas, diamondback terrapins, monarch butterflies, and marine species including gray whales. Plants also feature in my eco fiction and climate fiction, including the rare Cahaba Lily, magnificent White oaks, Longleaf pines of our southeastern forest, and the tropical fruit trees of Sumatra.
Why do I write about animals in my #eco and #climate fiction adventures?
Stories foster empathy for the wild animals with which we share our world.
To quote the late Steve Irwin, “We don’t own planet Earth, we belong to it. And we must share it with our wildlife.”
Why must care about protecting animals on our planet? Because it’s made up of diverse plants and animals that depend on the land, water, and the atmosphere to survive—as we humans do. If human-driven climate change harms these ecosystems then all life on earth will suffer.
Why do I write stories with potential dire consequences to animals? Why write about climate driven hurricanes, heatwaves, wildfires, floods and droughts? While my stories do not sugarcoat the truth, hopefully, they will inspire #tweens, teens, #middle graders, our next generation of voters and leaders to become #activists who make intelligent decisions and become wise steward of the Earth.
“It’s not enough to love animals; we must actively protect and preserve them. It’s our duty and responsibility as custodians of this planet.”— Daphne Sheldrick, author and conservationist who raised orphaned elephants to return to the wilds.
Read Part 11 Next: Guide to Writing About Animals in Fiction
Resources:Don’t Kill the Cat! And Other Secrets to Writing about Animals: https://careerauthors.com/dont-kill-the-cat-and-other-secrets-to-writing-about-animals/
Writing for Animals. Ashland Creek Press: https://ashlandcreekpress.com/books/writingforanimals.html
Climate Fiction Adventures
(Claire and granddaughter Sonia at the Paperworks Local Exhibit)
As a writer and reader, what inspires you? What drives your curiosity? What questions are you seeking answers for? What are your passions? What do you hope readers will remember as they close the last pages of your book?
While working on Book 3 of The Four Elements Cli-Fi Trilogy, I visited the exhibit at Paperworks Local: Extinction and Resilience, which “delves into the astonishing adaptability of Nature amidst the relentless shifts in our environment, driven by both natural forces and human actions. It casts a spotlight on the myriad life forms at the brink of extinction and also celebrates the unyielding resilience of nature and humanity alike.” The artists who created this exhibit were captivated by the natural world. This parallels exactly the underlying theme of my climate fiction!
What inspires me, no drives me, to write cli-fi—a genre you may not have heard of? That’s right, not sci-fi but cli-fi, which investigates the consequences of climate change, and imagines a hopeful future. It is a daunting topic.
My burning question—pun intended—as an environmental writer has morphed into: How can I, as a fiction writer, inspire the next generation of young people to understand what is happening to our planet, and motivate them become wise stewards of planet Earth? After all, they will soon be voters.
In Book 3 of the trilogy, I plan to explore the ways in which animals and plants are already adapting to climate change, and the way in which humans are adapting, too. To prepare for the book I’ve been reading: Hurricanes Lizards and Plastic Squids, by Thor Hanson, and Braiding Sweet Grass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
I would love to hear about what inspires you to write your own stories? Contact me at: cldatnow@me.com
Respect The Wildness of Animals
The second edition of Red Flag Warning: An Eco Adventure had just been published! The story follows the adventures of three special young people from across the world, the wild animals that are part of their lives, and the terrible threats they face—threats that will affect them and the entire world. The teens, all scared by wildfires, struggle with deeper wounds to their self- image. They must learn to respect the wildness of the animals they love and find their own voices, along with the power of community, in their mission to protect the animals they love
In what way does the book inspire compassion and respect for animals in the readers? Three teens Aisyah from Sumatra, Hector from California, and Kirri from Australia, dedicate themselves to the challenging task of rehabilitating a Sumatran orangutang, a Rock wallaby, and a Peregrine falcon–all severely injured in wildfires. To accomplish this mission to return them to the wild, they must acquire knowledge, respect, patience, and empathy for the animals with whom they have bonded.
What inspired you to write about animals? Red Flag Warning opens a gateway for young people to feel empathy toward animals in the wild, empowering them to take action to help animals thrive and survive, and ultimately to preserve the biodiversity of life.
Does the story weave in other themes? Absolutely. The wildfires are fueled by climate change resulting in the destruction of the natural habitat necessary for the survival of the species.
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