Friday, June 14, 2013

What is Candice Ransom reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Candice Ransom, author of Iva Honeysuckle Meets Her Match.

Her entry begins:
When I was in New York City a few weeks ago, I almost missed my train home because I went to the Strand Book Store. I staggered around the four floors of towering shelves, thrilled to be among genuine book-lovers and around a knowledgeable, caring staff. Two books by Tim Gallagher (editor of Living Bird, a highly-respected ornithology journal from Cornell) fell into my hands. I started reading them on my way home on the train.

Both books are about chasing extinct woodpeckers. The Grail Bird: Hot on the Trail of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a romp through the bayou country of the Mississippi Delta. Gallagher actually sights an ivory-bill and you root for him, despite the nay-sayers. Because I live in the south and watch birds, I appreciate the swamp-slogging efforts ivory-bill searchers have made to give the rest of us hope that what was thought lost may be hanging on. I want to believe the magnificent woodpeckers are still there even though...[read on]
About Iva Honeysuckle Meets Her Match, from the publisher:
Uncertain, Virginia is no place for an explorer like Iva Honeysuckle to spend the summer. When Iva finds out her family is going on vacation, she's thrilled. She knows she will make her next great discovery at Stingray Point. The very name promises adventure and danger.

Iva soon realizes that Stingray Point isn't the exciting place she thought it was. But then Iva hears about the legend of Chessie, the town's very own sea monster. Spotting Chessie would blow all other discoveries out of the water.

Stalking a sea monster isn't as easy as it looks. Iva needs a partner—all the best discoverers have one. Iva may have the brains and determination to find Chessie, but she needs someone with a healthy dose of luck. When Iva realizes just who happens to be her perfect match, it will be her greatest discovery of all.
Learn more about the book and author at Candice Ransom's website.

Writers Read: Candice Ransom.

--Marshal Zeringue