Stepping Away for Now.

Dear friends,

If you stumble upon my humble blog, know that I've decided to bow out of the over-saturated blogosphere for now. I had a blast while there was time and space in your world for me, but now it's time to take a break.

I will continue to champion green teens, endangered and threatened species, and all things beautiful on fragile Mother Earth.

Happy trails to all until we meet again.

Bonnie

www.BonnieDoerrBooks.com

Great News for Environmental Fiction

Oh my gosh. Do I have news!

Confession time here. I continue to be haunted by one reviewer who panned Island Sting's underlying environmental message. This in spite of the many positive reviews the book has received and the ever-increasing number of young readers who've told me how much they enjoyed Island Sting and can't wait to read Stakeout. Now it's clear quite a few adult readers approve of it as well.

On the evening of March 12th, I received an email from a talented author of captivating romance, Keena Kincaid. While attending the awards banquet at EPICon in Willimsburg, Virginia, she shot me this message: "Bonnie, you just won the children's fiction/nonfiction EPIC award for Island Sting!"

Wow! I'd hoped to attend EPICon, but because I presented two sessions at the North Carolina Reading Association conference in Raleigh that same weekend, I couldn't swing it. Receiving an EPIC was a huge thrill. And learning it as it happened was too cool. YAY for smart phones! Though texting is something I'm still resisting. I just happened to check my email at the right time.

I figured I'd found out before my editor, Kat O'Shea, had. Quick dial. Please be available. Please. This is not please-leave-a-message material. This is scream-into-my-editor's-ear breaking news. I'm happy to say Kat answered. No worries. I didn't break her ear drum. But it sure was a fun phone call. Always good to show Kat how talented she is at her job.

As one of my favorite fans Doug (Zeus Fedora Kapinos) described it, the whole experience was, well...EPIC.

A Model School for Green Living

Finally, time to check in while on the road. I recently returned to the Florida Keys (after a long road trip) for more research and inspiration. But I must share the story of a wonderful school visit along the way.

January 31st I visited the third and fifth grade classes at St. Stephens Episcopal Day School in charming Coconut Grove, Florida. (http://www.sseds.org/) For an author whose mission is not only to entertain and educate, but also to encourage environmental stewardship, visiting St. Stephens was a rare treat.

As part of its mission, the school engages in green education by developing and implementing programs that focus on:

• Teaching children about the environment while encouraging good stewardship of our earth…Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
• Practicing sustainability of resources such as energy, supplies and food.
• Creating a green and healthy space to work, learn, eat and play.

By way of modeling its mission, St. Stephens' newest office and classroom building is LEED certified. LEED stands for ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’, the nation’s benchmark for 3rd Party verified, Green and Sustainable buildings.

Planning A Picture Book was the program requested by Mrs. Booth and Mrs. Silva for their third grade classes. These enthusiastic students had previously analyzed and summarized picture books and were now ready to create their own.

It was a pleasure to learn that this spring fifth graders in Mrs. Basáñez’s and Mrs. Bernal’s classes will visit Sea Camp http://www.seacamp.org/ on Big Pine Key, Florida, the very island on which both Island Sting and Stakeout are set. As a preview of wildlife they may encounter when they study at Sea Camp’s Newfound Harbor Marine Institute (http://www.nhmi.org/), I shared a collection of photographs documenting the research that inspired and informed my writing. The slide show is one part of another author program, A Writer’s Story.

Librarian Ellen Bulkley describes Island Sting as not only a fun read, but a perfect extension to the Sea Camp curriculum.

Arriving as the entire student body congregated outdoors in the courtyard, I listened, uplifted by the sincere voices pledging allegiance to faith and flag, and then came the unexpected final words: I promise to care for the Earth as my home and to respect it at all times, by recycling, conserving energy, and saving water. I promise to encourage my friends and family to care for the Earth in the same way. Honestly, the experience gave me chills.

These children are leaders of today and tomorrow. Thank you, St. Stephens. I'm resting easier these days.

Click for a complete description of author presentations.

Soon to come: A preview of Stakeout.
http://www.bonniedoerrbooks.com/