The Tourist Trail, bag included
My publisher Ashland Creek Press has put together a nice book bundle that includes The Tourist Trail along with a beautiful new recycled cotton bag, as shown here: . Learn more
And now some great news for Magellanic penguins
The Tourist Trail takes place on the site of the world’s largest Magellanic penguin colony and, though the book is fiction, the colony is very much real. It is located on the coast of Punta Tombo, Argentina. And this coastal region has long been heavily fished, which means penguins have for decades been caught up in…
Rod Coronado speaks
I was living in San Diego during the federal trial of Rod Coronado about six years ago. I witnessed part of the trial, and it opened my eyes to the risks Rod and so many others have taken to defend animals. As well as the prices they have paid, and continue to pay. It also opened my…
Penguins vs. climate change
We all know or should know by now that polar bears are suffering from reduced ice up north. But few people know about what’s happening to penguins down south. If you have a spare 10 minutes, listen to this interview with Dee Boersma on her recent study about Magellanic Penguins in Punta Tombo, Argentina. I…
We are not pirates
It’s a shame what the US government is doing on behalf of the Japanese whalers. Paul Watson was forced to testify in Seattle yesterday to, hopefully, avoid criminal prosecution. Link
Review of The Tourist Trail from Animal Legal Defense Fund
The Animal Legal Defense Fund has a book club and The Tourist Trail is featured this month. You can read the review here and you can sign up to win a free copy of the book. This is an amazing organization. Please check them out and learn all the ways they work to protect animals….
The Whaling Industry Propped up by Japan (The US isn’t exactly innocent either)
From The New York Times: Most Japanese consumers have turned away from whale meat. The industry shipped just 5,000 tons in 2011, compared with 233,000 tons at the peak in 1962, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Demand this year is so low that the industry has cut its planned…
The fourth time’s the charm
From a Paris Review interview with William Faulkner: INTERVIEWER Some people say they can’t understand your writing, even after they read it two or three times. What approach would you suggest for them? FAULKNER Read it four times. Link
Namibian Nights: 16,000 photos over two years
Amazing. Namibian Nights from Squiver on Vimeo.
The United States vs. The Sea Shepherd Society
I can’t say I’m surprised this day would come. When I began writing The Tourist Trail in 2008 I envisioned the FBI going after the leader of a fictional anti-whaling group. At the time, the US was largely neutral about the goings-on in the Southern Ocean. This was a matter between the Sea Shepherd and…
Patagonia | Penguins | Seals | The Tourist Trail | Whales
To Dance with Orcas
Down in southern Argentina on the coast of Peninsula Valdez there is a phenomenon that has to be seen to be believed. The orcas have developed a unique way of going after sea lions and elephant seals. The first half of this video may be difficult to watch at times but the second half makes up for it. The park…
I propose a new book category: Eco-fiction
As I’ve written about previously, categorizing The Tourist Trail has been no simple task. Although there are surprises, suspense, and plenty of action, I would not categorize the book as a “thriller” or “action & adventure” novel. But I also don’t feel that the book fits comfortably in the “literary fiction” category. After all, literary…
Climate change, not tourism, is hurting chinstrap penguins
Tourism and its impact on endangered species is, not surprisingly, one of the themes of The Tourist Trail. It’s not a simple issue. In the case of the Magellanic penguin colony at Punta Tombo, more than 100,000 tourists now visit the site annually, which can (and sometimes does) overwhelm the birds. But the fact that so…
The foxes of San Juan Island
We have foxes here in Ashland but they’re very skittish and I’ve only seen them at night (and fleetingly). But on San Juan Island in a protected area known as American Camp, foxes are quite accustomed to us tourists. I discovered recently that tourists sometimes feed the foxes, which probably explains why. And while I…