Springing into April: Music, Art, and Reptiles
If you didn’t have a chance to catch up with me during the busy March festival season, don’t worry! I’m not heading back to the lab or the writing desk just yet. April is shaping up to be another wonderful month of community events, and I’ll be out and about with my books—and my reptiles—at […]
A Shady Situation at the Tucson Festival of Books
We were assigned a new booth location at the Tucson Festival of Books this year. For the past two years, we enjoyed a corner booth on the grass along one of the main drags. However, we often wondered if being on the paved area directly in front of the Children’s Village would bring better foot […]
Survival of the Sharpest: A Sonoran Desert Welcome Basket
A dear friend is trading the snowy East Coast for the sun-drenched landscapes of Tucson, and I couldn’t be happier for her. Back home, she was shoveling snow drifts off her deck to prevent a collapse, while her horse was staged in a stall to avoid the icy stable grounds. Now, she wakes up to […]
Marching Into Festival Season
Can you believe March 2026 is already here? For an author, March is more than just the start of spring; it’s festival season! This is the time of year when I get to step out from behind my writing desk and meet the young readers (and curious adults) who bring my stories to life. I […]
The Super Bowl Bird that Isn’t a Seahawk
I don’t follow the National Football League much these days. Between writing science-based picture books and my work with reptiles, there is simply too much other “stuff” filling my mind! However, one thing hasn’t changed over the years: when the Super Bowl rolls around, I always root for the animal team. If two animal teams […]
A Lotl Fun with Axolotls!
I try to have a new book ready in time for the annual Tucson Festival of Books (TFoB) every year. This year, I am releasing a book I’m very excited about. It all started when I noticed the attention axolotls were getting at the booth next to me during the Tucson Reptile Show. Those attractive […]
Riding the Fire: What the Year of the Horse Means for Us
There’s been a lot of talk among horse lovers about 2026 being the Year of the Horse. However, it isn’t just any horse year—it is specifically the year of the Fire Horse. That puts an entirely different spin on things! People have wondered if 2026 will be easy-going like a bay gelding or dominant like […]
Celebrating Our Bushy-Tailed Neighbors: National Squirrel Appreciation Day
Growing up in the Midwest and Northeast, I always enjoyed the antics of the squirrels. These fluffy fellows are part of the “tree squirrel” group, which is just one of three types—the others being ground squirrels and the so-called “flying” squirrels. Of course, flying squirrels don’t actually fly (bats are the only mammals capable of […]
Watch Out for Falling Iguanas!
Many people from the northern US and Canada head south to Florida in the winter, hoping to escape the biting cold. However, Florida can have its own chilly surprises. I remember my time at Florida State University in Tallahassee when several inches of snow fell—it actually froze the chemistry building solid! It even snowed in […]
A Look Back at a Remarkable 2025
2025 was an amazing year in my life. Even though I write primarily to share my love of science with children—and the adults who help read the books—I was deeply honored by the recognition my work received this year. My journey included an incredible book tour on Guam, a fascinating island with wonderful people that […]
Popcorn for Paco: Appeasing the Amazon Parrot
When I stay with my cousin Rick in Peoria, I also share the house with an Amazon yellow-naped parrot named Paco. He’s still a wild bird at heart and can be dangerous if he wants to be. He has a very long, very sharp, curved beak. On my most recent visit, Rick was allowing Paco […]
Bison-tennial Celebration in Illinois
Peoria County (IL) is celebrating its bicentennial from 1825 to 2025. As part of the festivities, decorated bison sculptures can be found around town. You can check out these bison here: https://www.peoriacounty.gov/1314/Bicentennial-Celebration. Bison were an important species for maintaining the prairie ecosystem. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in Illinois due to overhunting and habitat destruction. However, […]
A Sonoran Desert Thanksgiving Feast
November is the month known for Thanksgiving. While turkey is the ‘traditional’ food, along with stuffing and cranberry sauce, it’s widely believed turkey was not served at the first celebration in 1621. Roasted or stewed deer meat was probably on the menu, along with local vegetables like onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, pumpkin, and […]
The Mysterious Rio Grande Siren
I’m currently working on a book titled A Lotl About Axolotls, an amphibian who never fully matures into an adult salamander with lungs. They keep their juvenile features, complete with frilly exterior gills—a very interesting adaptation to their environment. Recently, I learned about an equally unusual salamander found in the Rio Grande River: the Rio […]
The Great Goose Dismount: A Museum Adventure
When I visit my hometown of Peoria, Illinois (not the fake Peoria in Arizona), my friend Ruth and I often go to the Peoria Riverfront Museum to see the current exhibits. This time, we went for the premiere of the new Titanic exhibit, which reveals the mission behind the wreck’s discovery. It was very interactive […]
A Coat of Many Colors: Learning Horse Hues and Heritage
I came to the horse world late in life, and I’ll admit I’m in the category of “can’t teach an old dog new tricks” when it comes to the names of horse colors. My eye tends to stick to the basics—brown, black, or gray—but I’m gradually learning! From Chestnut to Bay: My First Equine Friends […]
Counting Rings on a Shell
If you’ve read my book, Don’t Call Me Turtle, or are familiar with how tortoises grow, you know they deposit more keratin between the scutes (the segments of the upper shell, or carapace). Keratin is the same protein that makes up your skin, hair, and nails. This deposition of keratin creates a pattern on the […]
High Desert Dewdrops: Mountain Mornings in Overgaard, Arizona
My friend has a cabin up in the mountains of Overgaard, Arizona. As often as we can, we haul our boys up there for a few days—our beloved trail horses, Boogie, a Tennessee Walker, and my Poncho, a Missouri Fox Trotter. We’re fortunate that they are best buds and love being on the trail together. […]
Tiny Architects of the Desert
The desert leafcutter ant, Acromyrmex versicolor, is an amazing creature. I wrote about them two years ago, but their recent activity in my front yard inspired me to revisit the topic. I noticed a perfectly straight line of leaf bits stretching across my driveway and up toward my front door. My yard and driveway are […]
From Frustration to Fascination: The Axolotl Story
As a children’s book author, I’ve learned that having a marketable topic is a crucial part of the business. One of the first questions I’m often asked by gift shops is, “Is there a plush toy to go with the book?” When a children’s book can be paired with an attractive toy, sales often get […]
The Iguana of Guam? Separating Fact from Fiction on a Pacific Island
On a recent book tour on Guam, I found myself talking about one of my favorite topics: iguana conservation. As I’ve worked to help control the worldwide spread of the invasive green iguana (Iguana iguana), a local mentioned that Guam already had iguanas. “Really?” I thought, my mind racing. I knew that most food and […]
Zoe Steals the Show at Fox Tucson Theatre’s Monsoon Literacy Celebration
I was honored to have a book selected for this event and to be present to interact with the participants. I submitted my Sonoran Desert-themed books for consideration. I was thrilled by their choice: the bilingual version, La Tortuga…Vampiro, of my book Vampire…Tortoise?!. Once this book was selected, they created a PowerPoint slide presentation of […]
Dissecting the Ancient Reptiles of Jurassic World Rebirth
It’s a good thing I go to the Jurassic Park and World movies for entertainment and not scientific accuracy! I do enjoy seeing reptiles portrayed eating well and how iguana eyes and head movements are used for the dinosaurs. I don’t let my iguanas watch the movies for that reason – I don’t want them […]
A Royal Hue: Exploring the Enigmatic World of Purple Animals
I have a friend, let’s call her Gee, who really, really likes the color purple. I mean, she wears purple, her horse tack is purple, and she even named her puppy “Purple.” I’m surprised her truck isn’t purple, but maybe that color wasn’t available! Gee actively seeks out purple in the world. She was recently […]
The Curious Nesting Habits of Mourning Doves
As a biologist and reptile enthusiast, I try not to disparage any animal just trying to live its life and raise its family. However, I must admit, I’ve observed some… “unique” architectural choices from a particular pair of mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) when it comes to nest site selection and construction! Mourning doves are incredibly […]
Reflecting on an Award-Winning First Half of 2025!
As we reach the end of the first half of 2025, I must say it has been an eventful and mostly positive year! I’m writing this blog post from a cabin in Overgaard, Arizona, nestled in the mountains near the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. It’s a welcome cooler escape from Tucson, which my horse, Poncho, is […]
Berry Surprising: Can You Win the Ultimate Fruit Fun-Fact Game?
Have you ever looked at your grocery cart and played a little game of “I Spy”? What if we played a different game? I call it “Berry or Not a Berry?” I was chatting about food with friends the other day when we got into a surprisingly tricky discussion: What really makes something a berry? […]
The Ultimate Disguise: The Story Behind Don’t Call Me Poop!
Sometimes, inspiration for a new book comes from the most unexpected places. While some books require months of planning, my most recent one was not only quick to write but also incredibly fun. The idea hit me like a flash of lightning, all thanks to a scientific article about caterpillars. The topic? The fascinating and […]
Håfa Adai! A Heartfelt Welcome on My Guam School Tour
In April, I had the distinct honor of being invited by the Guam International Literacy Association to share my book, Guam: Return of the Songs, with twenty schools across the island. While I was excited to present my book, I was truly unprepared for the incredibly warm and artistic welcome that awaited me. It was […]
Oro Valley Author Elaine A. Powers Completes Successful Literacy Tour in Guam
ORO VALLEY, AZ – June 16, 2025 – Oro Valley author and poet Elaine A. Powers recently completed a book tour on Guam, where she visited twenty schools to share her book, Guam: Return of the Songs. The tour, which took place the week of April 7, was hosted by the Guam International Literacy Association […]