Friday, June 28, 2013

WELCOME!

MY NEW SCIENCE THRILLER IS OUT THE DOOR.

What a great time to start a blog. ThrillerFest is around the corner and my second novel is off to the publisher.

This next one is scary and suspenseful, with the most astounding science. This time I’m delving into plant intelligence, a concept that’s been around for 200 years but has recently exploded with new, scientifically-sound discoveries that have the field of plant biology abuzz.  

I stumbled upon this research last year and knew it would make a great book.  Studies that show plants feel empathy, irritability and even pain, and use all five senses; sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. For instance, a dodder plant is unable to make its own food through photosynthesis. It attacks  neighboring plants, using its sense of smell to choose the most succulent victim. Then it wraps itself around the plant several times and uses suckers to extract the nutrients like a vampire. A wild tobacco will differentiate between several insect snacking on its leaves, and releases toxins that are specific to each insect. A poplar tree that is being attacked by caterpillars can warn surrounding trees to start producing chemicals repellent to the herbivores. Certain orchids can mimic the odor, shape and color of female insects, attracting males that will try to mate with it, and in the process pollinating the flower.  Place an obstacle between a fence and a twisting vine, and the vine will grow towards the obstacle and circle around it, to reach the fence. 

My new novel is a veritable feast of plant mayhem, and all of it is based on true science that makes the story frighteningly possible. You can read all about it this spring when the book is released. Check my blog every now and then for updates on how the book is progressing, new discoveries in the world of plant biology and interviews with scientists behind the scenes. And if you've read my first novel, The Colony, you’ll find out why I got hooked on ants. 

For aspiring writers, I'll be offering advice on writing and publishing, and posting interviews with top authors of thrillers, horror and sci-fi.  So feel free to come back anytime for some book talk.  Leave a comment or drop me a line.