Good to be Back

I'm thrilled to see my novel, SKYWARD, back on the shelves this month after being out of circulation for years.  It has a beautiful new cover-- the third one since its original release.  I think the golden colors are quite eye-catching!  Which is your favorite? 

If you haven't read SKYWARD, click here for an excerpt.  For those who have read it, who's your favorite character?  What's your favorite quote? 

Season for Baby Birds and SKYWARD!

This month sees the re-release of my novel SKYWARD after a long absence with a beautiful new cover.  This is a compelling tale of love and committment set in the lowcountry at a rehabilitation center for birds.  I volunteered at the SC Center for Birds of Prey for years before writing this novel and every bird in the story is one I cared for.

To celebrate the release of SKYWARD I asked a senior volunteer for the SC Center for Birds of Prey, Mary Pringle, to write a guest blog--and you'll love it. The photographs were taken by noted wildlife photographer Barbara Bergwerf.  If you read my blogs or visit my website, you'll recognize these names.  They're my friends on the Island Turtle Team as well.  

Thank you Mary Pringle!

The Season for Baby Birds

Here in the South Carolina Lowcountry and on the Isle of Palms, it is time for baby birds to fledge from their nests. The Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw, SC where I volunteer, is taking care of many orphaned and/or injured hawks, owls, eagles, and other birds of prey right now. Soon it will be time for the Mississippi kite orphans. These are the last group to nest here.

 As an individual, I often get calls from people asking what to do when they find one on the ground. The first questions I ask are:


1. Does it have its feathers yet?
2. Are the parents around?
3. Is it injured?


Many people believe the old wives’ tale that if you touch a baby bird, then its mother will abandon it. This just isn’t true. I think mothers have told their children this for generations just to keep them from bothering baby birds. The only birds with a sense of smell are turkey vultures, kiwis, and shearwaters. Songbirds will continue to feed and care for their young as long as they can find them.


If its feathers are developed, it may just be exploring the world in a stage known as “branching.” This is when a young bird is out of the nest but not necessarily flying yet. This is a very dangerous stage where it can get eaten by a predator or hit by a car. In a case where you find a brancher, try to put it back up into a bush or tree for safety and leave it alone. Chances are it won’t stay in the nest even if you can find where it was. If you see the parent coming to it with food after you did this, then all will be well.


If the young bird’s feathers are not yet grown in, it does not belong out in the world yet, and you need to try to find the nest and return it there. If the nest has blown down or been destroyed, you can nail a basket or box with nesting material in it in the tree where the nest was. The little bird should cry for food, causing the parents to continue to feed and care for it.


Finally, if it is injured, it needs to be taken to a licensed rehabilitator in your area. You can call local veterinarians or wildlife agencies to get the location or phone number of a rehabilitator who is authorized to take care of it. This can also be done if there is no chance of returning it to its parents. But orphaned birds usually do not survive, so the best thing to do is to let them be wild and let their parents do their job.

            Baby Ospreys

Baby Screech Owl

Baby Loggerhead Shrikes

Baby Owl

Photographs by Barbara Bergwerf

Home, Thankful and Writing Again

I’m home now with toes in the sand beginning my next book.  In this quiet time, I’m also reflecting on the beautiful and creative people I met on this long adventurous tour.

First, I thank all the booksellers for graciously welcoming me to their stores, celebrating my birthday with a party and genuinely supporting my work.

Thank you to the readers who came to hear me speak at breakfasts, luncheons, teas or just at the front of the store. In my presentation, I spoke of how amazed I was during the writing of The Butterfly’s Daughter that so many people came to tell me their own butterfly experiences.

The Mexican culture believes that the souls of the dearly departed return home every fall on the wings of a monarch butterfly. This is the Day of the Dead celebration, a time of somber yet joyous welcoming home of the beloved. So when my readers shared with me how a butterfly came to them after the death of a loved one—at the funeral, in a park, etc.—I was deeply moved.  Joseph Campbell said that all great myths are rooted in truth. I believe this is so.  Thank you to all who shared with me these beautiful heartfelt stories.

I also want to thank everyone who requested milkweed seeds or emailed me photos of their milkweed in the garden. You are making a difference. The response to my free milkweed seeds effort was overwhelming and proves what I’ve always said—my readers care! On my website you’ll find links to organizations that will help you raise milkweed and caterpillars.

I’ve parked the car in the garage, unpacked the suitcase, made myself a cup of coffee and I’m back at my desk. Interestingly, I’m not exhausted. Meeting all of you, traveling to your cities and towns—connecting-- has energized me. The characters of Lovie and Cara and Russell are now calling to me. They are coming alive in my mind and I’m eager to share this powerful story with you. Please keep your letters and comments coming. I read each one. My love to you all!

10,000 seeds of change

The book tour just finished.  What an incredible adventure!  As some of you know, when I set out on this five-week adventure promoting THE BUTTERFLY'S DAUGHTER, I also began a personal mission to help save monarch butterflies by pledging to get 10,000 milkweed seeds into readers' hands during book tour.  I had no idea that I would receive such a tremendous response from readers.  It was amazing! I was inundated with requests for milkweed seed packets.  Thanks to the volume of readers eager to plant this vital monarch food source I actually surpassed my 10,000 seed goal, even before the tour was finished. 

"Plant a seed. Make a difference," was my motto.  Monarch butterflies have been struggling to survive in the U.S., in part because their habitat has been disappearing due to development.  Milkweed is the only food source for monarch caterpillars.

For anyone interested in growing milkweed, I recommend that you visit http://www.livemonarch.org/ where you can request free seeds.  But at this point in the butterfly season, my advice is to order the milkweed starter plants on that site.  They're cheap and you'll get a 45 day jump on the season.  It's worth it.  The sooner you have milkweed in bloom, the sooner you can enjoy seeing monarchs in your yard.  I ordered quite a few rooted milkweed cuttings from Live Monarch and have had great success. 

Do you have milkweed growing in your yard?  What's your monarch butterfly experience so far?