What’s So Bad About Algae?
Even though I live in the Sonoran Desert, many of my book’s settings are in areas that have ocean beaches. Often in the Caribbean. These books deal with environmental issues. And with good reason. The Caribbean is one of the world’s most biologically diverse marine regions. That’s why I was concerned to learn about recent […]
Invasion of Jurassic Park
I like the Jurassic Park movie series, I mean I really like it. I enjoy watching reptiles eat well. Fresh food is important in their diet. It also helps that the dinosaur eyes and head movements are based on the real-life movements of my family members, green iguanas. The tilt of the velociraptor’s head and […]
Turtles and Tortoises Don’t Age?
Recently, one of my iguana companions died. Ezra, a green iguana (Iguana iguana), finally succumbed to old age. A green iguana, a very common pet lizard, Ezra had lived with me for 20 years after coming to my iguana rescue in New Jersey as a full-grown adult. He must have been at least 5 years […]
Not Just Another (Wall) Lizard
I like lizards – no surprise there. In fact, the majority of my family is made up of lizards. But my love for lizards doesn’t stop there. Along with my lizard family members, I decorate my world with decorative lizards. Let’s take a little tour of my abode and let me introduce you to all […]
Read About Elaine’s New Book in the AZ Daily Star
Elaine A. Powers and her recently released book, Guam: Return of the Songs, were featured in the Home & Life section of the Arizona Daily Star on Sunday, June 12, 2022. This is her 27th picture book and first to be presented both in English and the Guamian language of Chamorro. The article touts the the […]
Mornings Are Never Long Enough
Are you a night person, like the yellow-crowned night heron (Nyctanassa violacea)? Or are you a morning person, like the green heron (Butorides virescens)? Personally, I like getting up in the pre-dawn darkness and looking out at the dark world. Although sometimes with a full moon, it isn’t very dark. So what does this green […]
Life with My Rascally Reptiles
Home sweet home. What do you think of when you think of home? Family? Safety? Danger? Well, maybe not danger, but there are so many things to trip over while going about one’s daily routine. Parents often complain about their children’s toys lying about on the floor, rug edges, strewn clothes, etc. My house is […]
Shell-a-Brate World Turtle Day!
If you are familiar with my writing, you’ll have noticed that turtles are a frequent topic. But wait, you may say, I thought you usually wrote about tortoises? I hate to admit it, but tortoises fall into the category of turtles! Please don’t tell Myrtle, my red-foot tortoise. I wrote my first rhyming picture book, […]
Having Fun with Shadows!
Do you enjoy shadows as much as I do? As a child, I fondly remember making shadow puppets with my family, creating animals out of our hands. My shadows were always very simple and I admired people who could make more complex animal shadows. Little did I know that shadow puppetry is an ancient form […]
Why Don’t I Write That?
I’m so happy in-person book sales are returning. I love speaking to people about my books and about the importance of science education through children’s books. Many people are delighted to find my books and often suggest other topics for me to write about. I write them all down. My most popular books are my […]
Celebrating HerStory Month!
March is an important month for women! Not only was March 8th International Women’s Day. But it’s also HerStory Month, otherwise known as Women’s History Month. It is important to celebrate the vital role of women in American history for the entire month of March, not just one day. Learning about HerStory Month, got me […]
Celebrate Invasive Species Awareness Every Week!
This year, National Invasive Species Awareness Week was from February 28th through March 3rd. It always begins on the last Monday of February. If you’re reading this outside of that particular week, it’s okay. The knowledge and prevention of invasive species are important enough to consider every week. Read on to learn more about why […]
Author Elaine A. Powers Featured on Tucson Environmental Community Partners
Elaine A. Powers was recently featured on Tucson Environmental Community Partners. This felicitous editorial aligns with Elaine’s aim as an author, conservationist, and biologist to spread science and fun through her stories. Tucson Environmental Community Partners’ mission is to share the ‘purpose and passion’ of Tucson environmentalist residents, enthusiasts, professionals, educators, business owners, and volunteers. The […]
Elaine A. Powers’ science-based picture books featured in Big Blend’s Quality of Life Magazine.
Read about Elaine’s path to becoming a science-focused author and learn about a few of her favorite books! Quality of Life Magazine focuses on family, lifestyle, personal development, and professional success. Of course, travel and the arts always have a way of sneaking into their publications too! This magazine is part of their 25th-anniversary expansion of […]
A BIG Book Celebration in Tucson, AZ
The authors are coming! The authors are coming! Once again, we’ll be celebrating books and literacy in person in Tucson at the 2022 Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB)! Learn more about this Tucson book celebration staple and how you find me there. A Brief TFOB History The first festival was held March 14-15, 2009 with […]
A Bite of a Blog: Feeding my Scaly Family
There’s a lot of talk about eating. People are encouraged to eat mindfully. Set the table and concentrate on your meal. But, I prefer to eat in front of my laptop. I like to spend most of my free time putting words onto pages. I enjoy writing books and blogs. So, when I get hungry, […]
The Life & Legacy of Krinkle
When I lived in New Jersey, I ran an iguana rescue and adoption program. If an iguana’s life was in danger, I would always have room for it. All of the iguanas I took in were green iguanas, Iguana iguana, but I really wanted one another type of iguana, the spiny-tail iguana, Ctenosaura similis. C. […]
The Laws of Physics (According to Horses)
I started horseback riding after I retired. Before that, I’d never been particularly fond of horses, despite being a biologist. I preferred reptiles, crustaceans, and mollusks. However, life has a way of leading me down unexpected trails. Although no matter the trail I find myself on, I always find a little science. Even with a […]
Booger Warning! The Science of Sneezing
Do you think about sneezing? I mean daily. Not just when you have a cold or allergies. You probably think about sneezes when you’re in a group and trying to decide if you can hold your sneeze in, risking an eardrum explosion, or let it out and offend everyone in proximity. Well the scientist in […]
Breakfast at the Beach (It’s not what you think!)
For writers, it’s important we periodically refresh our minds — or our muses, as they say. And so, a few times a year I leave my Sonoran Desert home for a beach in the Gulf of Mexico. I do miss my scaly and furry family members, but long strolls on the beach do me a […]
You Say Hibernate, I Say Brumate
During the summer, two of my desert tortoises are allowed to roam outside. Zoe is a Sonoran desert tortoise, Gopherus morafka, and part of Arizona’s desert tortoise foster program. Cantata is a Sulcata tortoise, Geochelone sulcata. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, sulcata tortoises can reach 200 lbs. They’re also known as spur-thighed tortoises due to the spurs on […]
Backstories and Barnacles
Recently, while on vacation in Florida, I listened to a lecture on compelling storytelling. It’s an important topic for me, and something I strive to accomplish. The speaker asserted that to attract a reader’s interest, a protagonist’s backstory is essential. After all, their actions and reactions are directly related to their past. It was an […]
Why You Should Feel Hopeful for 2022
Farewell, 2021! You’ve been an interesting year. Welcome, 2022! I’m sure the coming year will be as eventful as the last, but I have hope that it will bring more good than bad. Yes, I choose to have hope for the new year. This new year starts with difficulties, such as new variants thriving, economic […]
The Need to Feed
An author friend of mine recently wrote a blog for my publisher, Lyric Power Publishing. She described how she, a girl who grew up on the cement streets of Manhattan, became enamored of a couple of native Desert Spiny lizards. A local informed her that she could feed the lizards mealworms. So, every day she […]
Cayman Illustrator featured in Cayman Compass
Simone Scott illustrator of Fly Back to the Brac, Brian Brown Booby was recently featured in the Cayman Island’s most trusted news source, Cayman Compass, as well as the Autumn/Winter 2021 issue of InsideOut magazine. As a Cayman Brac resident and talented artist, Simone was the perfect choice for Elaine’s book featuring the Grand Cayman’s Brown Boobies. Read […]
Arizona Daily Star Book Review: Squirrels of the Sonoran Desert
“Elaine Powers, a former laboratory biologist, is living her retirement dream writing science-based picture books for children. Tortoises, rattlesnakes, and even the Night-blooming Cereus have all been grist for her mill. With this latest offering, inspired by a suggestion from volunteer naturalists at Sabino Canyon, Powers takes on the challenge of explaining, in rhyme, the […]
Give the Gift of a Picture Book!
This is the season for gift giving. Why not give a gift that educates as it entertains, builds language skills, and can be enjoyed over and over again? Books are always a great gift for any age. Not Your Average Picture Book What makes my picture books worthwhile? Immense amounts of scientific information are included […]
Meet Calliope, the Muse of Long Poetry
Most of the iguanas in my life have been green iguanas, Iguana iguana. However, not all green iguanas are green. Through the years I’ve cared for green iguanas who were various shades of green, orange, blue, and even one that was black and white. Like any animal, they all had different personalities. Some liked to […]
A Squirrel is a Squirrel is a… Chipmunk?
Sometimes, stories are written to craft clarity from confusion. That’s certainly the case with my book Squirrels of the Sonoran Desert. I’ve lived in many places yet found myself perplexed by the local squirrels. In discussing them with other residents, it became clear that they were just as confused by the nature of these rodents. […]
Arizona Daily Star Book Review: Queen of the Night
“A perk of Sonoran-desert living is the one-night-only appearance of the Night-Blooming Cereus, a much-anticipated summer event for Tucsonans who rely on predictions from experts to know precisely when the tiny window of opportunity will open on the floral extravaganza. How in the world do the experts know? And what causes a cactus to behave this way? With this […]
