See Bonnie J. Doerr on TV

Award-winning author, Bonnie J. Doerr, will be interviewed by Jenna Stauffer on TV, Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, at 8:30 AM & 7 PM EST on Comcast Channel 87 & U-verse Channel 19. Tune in to learn about Bonnie's exciting activities in the Florida Keys where she's hard at work researching for her next eco-mystery.

Here's a recent video clip from Bonnie.

DO NOT FEED PELICANS--ANYTHING!

BE SURE TO READ THIS MESSAGE FROM BONNIE:

"This is taking place in Key West at A&B Marina (as of February, 2012) under the sham sign "Tarpon Feeding." Tarpon will never get a bite of these carcasses. It's a pelican frenzy show. The carcasses are too large for pelicans to digest. Some may well die horrible deaths from internal punctures. Some bones can even puncture a bird's back. Older pelicans may stop hunting and young birds may never start. Carcasses are not natural food for them. Pelicans should hunt for small live fish. If you want to feed tarpon (and they're pretty cool to watch!), you can feed fish chow or feed them where there are no pelicans. If you want to feed pelicans, don't! It's usually illegal. The fish and wildlife officers will not be happy. Your bank account may shrink. If you ever accidentally drop a fish in the water by a pelican, I hope it's less than 8 inches. You can phone A&B Marina to protest: 305-294-2535."

Find out more on WEYW Channel 19, The Florida Keys Hometown TV Station, Serving The Florida Keys, Broadcasting Throughout South Florida

Bonnie will also be speaking at the Florida Keys Community College library, on Thursday, February 16, 2012, at 2:30. The public is invited.

Turtle Lovers Attend Eco-Mystery Author Presentation

Author Bonnie J. Doerr preparing for her booksigning at the Key Deer Refuge Center on Big Pine Key in Florida.

Many people were eager to get a signed copy of STAKEOUT, Doerr's latest novel on endangered sea turtles. The book is a finalist for the 2012 Green Earth Award.

About Stakeout:

A surreal encounter with an ancient sea turtle propels Kenzie into peril in the Florida Keys...

A haunting promise compels Kenzie to save sea turtles by ending a rash of nest robberies. Fearless, wheelchair-bound Ana and savvy, troubled Angelo assist Kenzie in an undercover operation that grows increasingly complicated and treacherous. Problems compound as Kenzie fears losing her first romance, her mother's trust, and her own life.

Stakeout includes notes on the endangered hawksbill and loggerhead turtles as well as information about the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida.

If You're in Key West, You're in Luck...

On Friday, February 3, 2012, award-winning author Bonnie J. Doerr will be signing her most recent book, an eco-mystery about sea turtles, at the Key Deer Refuge Visitor Center on Big Pine Key, Florida. She'll also have some copies of her first book on the Key deer for those who haven't gotten a copy. Details below or click here for more news:

Sea Turtle Rescues

National Geographic recently posted this video about Gulf turtle nests: Gulf Turtle Nests Abound, But Worries Remain. Our author Bonnie J. Doerr addresses some of the problems sea turtles face from poachers. Read about how young teen Kenzie and her friends capture those responsible for destroying turtle nests in the Florida Keys in Stakeout, Doerr’s latest eco-mystery.


And if you care about sea turtles, here are two more sites with information:

Pictures: Baby Gulf Turtles Released Into Atlantic

Videos: Sea Turtles Match Breathing to Dive Depths?

Win-Win Environmental Program

When you pair a green author with a green school, what do you get?

A fabulous environmental program that everyone goes away enthusiastic about. Author Bonnie J. Doerr headed to the Florida Keys recently for a book launch for her second book, Stakeout, combined with a research trip for her third book on endangered pelicans. Along the way she stopped at St. Stephens Episcopal Day School in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Ms. Doerr came prepared to discuss her book, Island Sting, about the Florida Key deer. She found students who not only knew all about these deer that are the size of a German shepherd, but the fifth graders will visit Sea Camp on Big Pine Key, Florida, the island setting for both Island Sting and Stakeout. Ms. Doerr shared her research about wildlife they may see at Sea Camp’s Newfound Harbor Marine Institute. The students and teachers were excited about the program, and the school librarian described Island Sting as a fun read and a perfect extension to the Sea Camp curriculum.

In third grade, eager students worked on creating picture books. Ms. Doerr enjoyed herself as much as the children. But what impressed her most was the emphasis St. Stephens places on green education. As part of their daily pledge, the students promise to care for the Earth and to recycle, conserve energy, and save water. One of Bonnie Doerr’s greatest joys is spreading the word about caring for the environment, and at St. Stephen’s she found kindred spirits.

For teachers eager to learn more about ways to use these books in the classroom, Bonnie Doerr will be presenting at the North Carolina Reading Association conference next week.

Artist Joanna Britt and Author Bonnie Doerr Go to Camp

Last week Leap Books artist Joanna Britt (pictured on left) took her art to summer camp. She and author Bonnie J. Doerr talked with campers about the process of writing and illustrating books. The audience was enthralled as they described how they collaborated on Island Sting.

The campers were writing and illustrating their own books, so they got a lot of helpful tips on how to do that. They also enjoyed seeing how Bonnie doe her research for her books on endangered animals. That's Bonnie pictured on the screen below as she gets into the habitats along with rescue workers who save these endangered species.

The visit wasn't all about work, though. Everyone enjoyed playing a game while they learned more facts about the endangered Florida Key deer that are the stars in Island Sting. Did you know that Key Deer are only found on a few islands in the Florida Keys? And one fun fact that surprised most of the campers was that Key deer are tiny. When they're full grown, they're only about the size of a German shepherd dog.

Now these eager campers can't wait to get a hold of the next books in the series: Stakeout (2011) and Pelican Peril (2012). For more information about these books and the endangered animals Bonnie has worked with and observed, check out her blog: Bonnie Blogs Green.

Pelicans Endangered Again

Nicknamed the Pelican State, Louisiana was once home to thriving colonies of brown pelicans. The state seal and early flag featured these nesting birds with their deep beaks for scooping up fish.

In the early 1900s about 50,000 brown pelicans lived along the Louisiana coast. Less than fifty years later, that number had dropped to 5000. By 1963 not one nesting pair could be found. The major cause was the pesticide DDT. The Mississippi River had carried it from the farms to the pelican nesting areas. DDT thinned out the eggshells, so when pelicans sat on their nests, they destroyed their eggs.

After DDT was banned, a pelican restocking program began. Wildlife refuges were set up on the barrier islands, and by the early 2000s, the pelicans had begun their return.

Now the pelicans are facing another danger. The massive amounts of oil spewing into the water off the Louisiana shore are imperiling wildlife, especially on the barrier islands and marshes.

According to the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), a dime-sized drop of oil is enough to kill a bird. Oil clumps a bird's feathers so it has no protection from the cold and it loses its buoyancy. A bird's instinct is to preen its feathers to remove the oil, which also harms its internal organs.

Birds can even die of stress when rescuers try to wash their feathers, so refuge workers give the birds food, water, and medical treatment before they dip them into baths of dishwashing detergent and water. IBRRC estimates that it takes 300 gallons of water to clean one oil-soaked bird.

Oil isn't the only threat to the endangered pelicans. Leap Books author Bonnie J. Doerr is busy writing Pelican Peril, her third eco-mystery. Here's a picture of Bonnie helping refuge workers in the Florida Keys save some pelicans.

Find out more at Bonnie's blog, Bonnie Blogs Green.

Danger! Endangered Species Area

If you've ever traveled to Big Pine Key in Florida, these signs will be familiar. The big yellow warning signs caution you to watch for an endangered species. So once you slow down, what species will you be looking for?

The tiny Key deer, as small as a dog, which is found nowhere else but the Florida Keys. Speeding cars can kill these miniature deer, but so do other things. One of the greatest dangers to these deer are humans--humans who feed them "people food." According to Kenzie, a character in Bonnie Doerr's book, Island Sting, "so many people in cars feed them that they're losing their fear of humans and traffic." So instead of running from cars, they come toward them, hoping to be fed.

To help with the problem, officers have posted signs they hope will prevent people from feeding the deer. Here's an illustration from Doerr's book:

The fine for feeding a deer is $250, but this doesn't always stop people from offering these cute deer snacks as if they were pets. Many of the deer are so used to humans that they'll stick their noses in bag of chips or eat bites of sandwich straight from a person's hand.

Junk food and speeding cars present a major threat to these endangered animals, but even more deadly are poachers. Because they are so small, the deer don't provide much meat. But food isn't the only reason some people slaughter Key deer.

In Island Sting, Angelo and Kenzie team up to stop a vicious criminal from killing the Key deer, but will they survive when the poacher turns from stalking deer to hunting humans?

Get your copy of Island Sting to find out the answer. If you use the secret code for spring specials, you can save 30% off the cost of the book from now until May 31, 2010. See Leap Books online store for more details.

Celebrate Earth Day

Do something wonderful for the planet today. Pick up trash. Turn off the electricity for an hour. Or try one of the main ways our author, Bonnie J. Doerr has compiled to help save the environment. She made a list of 25 suggestions. We'll post them a list next week when you find out more about Bonnie. In the meantime, here are two quick suggestions you can try:

1.    Downloading music saves production of the greenhouse gas produced during the making, packaging, and distribution of the discs UNLESS you burn a CD.

2.    Americans eat at least four servings of beef a week. If you consume only one less beef meal a week you can reduce your environmental footprint by 25%. Why care? Raising cows requires acres of land, tons of water, grain, and pesticides. And cows produce a staggering amount of methane (yes, through belching and “tooting”), thus contributing to global warming.

Stay tuned for more environmentally friendly ideas or visit Ms. Doerr at Bonnie Blogs Green for more ways to save the planet. Better yet, pick up a copy of her book Island Sting to see how other green teens not only save the environment, but also nab the poacher of the endangered Key deer.

DANGER--INTRIGUE--ADVENTURE...

Island Sting Charmers Winners and More...

Author Bonnie J. Doerr’s back from the Florida Keys with lots of stories to tell. We’ll be featuring some of them over the next few weeks. But right now, we have an important announcement.

Ta, da… Drum roll please…

The winners of our Island Sting Charmers contest are:

LiLi is the lucky winner of the Key necklace!
Congratulations, LiLi!




And the winners of the Island Sting charms are:

Erica – the lobster charm

Jill of The O.W.L. – the hook


If you contact us at contests@leapbks.com with your mailing addresses, we’ll send these out to you.

For those who didn’t win, don’t despair. We have more contests coming up. Keep an eye on our next debut author, Judith Graves of Under My Skin. She can be seen around the blogosphere all month. Check out the calendar at the Wolfy Chicks website to see where she’s appearing. And watch for the special contests she’s holding. This week she’s been featured on He Followed Me Home and several other blogs. Leave a comment on any of the blog posts for a chance to win. And let us know which post was your fav. Your name will be entered in a drawing for additional Judith Graves swag.

Pelican Release

Wondering what author Bonnie J. Doerr is up to on her trip to the Florida Keys? She'll soon be doing author visits (check out the schedule below for more information), but in her spare time, Bonnie's doing what she loves best--working to save the environment.

Today she assisted with a pelican release. She sent us a picture of the release, part of the mission of the Key West Wildlife Center. And guess what Book 3 will be in Bonnie's series? That's right. A pelican rescue.

If you haven't read Book 1, about the Key deer, you'll want to start with that. Book 2 will be about turtles. And now you know what you'll have to look forward to in Book 3. One of the reasons Bonnie's books are so much fun is that she does hands-on research. So her books take you right to the scene. It doesn't get any better than that.

Or wait, maybe it does... Stop by the Key West Wildlife Center on Sunday, February 7 for the Family Fun Day Fund Raiser from 1-4 pm. Proceeds from the book sales will be donated to the wildlife center, so you can meet Bonnie in person, get an autographed copy of Island Sting, and help endangered species at the same time.

Oh, and don't forget to ask about the pelican release.

Island Sting Charmers

Because Angelo from Island Sting is so-o-o charming, we’ve decided to give away a charm necklace to honor the cool hunk that he is.

Angelo inspires the key pendant gift Kenzie receives, and you can win a key of your own. Kenzie won’t get jealous, we promise. And because Angelo is the hottest lobster trapper and fisherman we know, we’ll also give away these fish hook and lobster charms. Maybe you’ll hook a hot catch of your own.



But about the lobster charm—to win it, you have to keep a secret from Angelo: this lobster charm is a Maine lobster, not the Caribbean spiny lobster in his world. He’d think we were clueless city chicks if we didn’t divulge the truth to you.

Want to read more about Angelo? Check out this interview with him and watch for more on our website.

Even better, want to meet author Bonnie J. Doerr in person? She’s headed to the Florida Keys for a series of author visits. Hear her at the following locations:

February 4: US 1 Radio 104.1 FM Morning Magazine with Bill Becker 7:50 am
February 4: KONK AM 1680 AM “ECOcentricView” with Erika Biddle 2-3 pm
February 5: Walk on Winn Dixie, Big Pine Key 7 – 9 pm, National Key Deer Visitor Center
February 7: Family Fun Day Fund Raiser, Key West Wildlife Center 1-4 pm
February 9: Florida Keys Community College Library 5:30 pm, “Manuscript Makeover/What Not to Dare”
February 11: Café con Libros, Key West Public Library 9:30 –11:00 am, “Evolution of a Novel/Survival of the Determined”
March 2: Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables, FL 7 pm

If you spot her, be sure to tell us where. Anyone who comments from now until the end of Bonnie’s tour on March 2, 2010, will be entered in the drawing for these prizes. If you aren’t lucky enough to be in the Florida Keys while Bonnie is there, leave a comment about Island Sting or a tip for staying green. And maybe you'll be one of our winners!