Sometimes in life, we end up on an unexpected path. I was going to write murder mysteries, but the muses had different ideas. I ended up writing science-based children’s books. These aren’t general topic books–most are written for specific locations. I have found a niche for writing books about places and things other authors probably wouldn’t.
When I was told there were not any books about the Night-Blooming Cereus, I accepted the challenge to write a picture book about them. In researching the book, I didn’t find any information on the details of the plant’s growth and flowers. The amazing thing about this species is that all the plants flower together on the same night! An incredible sight and feat. How do they all know? Fortunately, the local botanical garden, Tohono Chul, has Lee Mason, an expert on all things Cereus (Peniocereus greggii). He generously shared his knowledge.
Then the rhyming began. YES, it’s written in rhyme. It’s fun!
Tucson artist, Nicholas Thorpe, created the illustrations. You may remember Nick from the “Don’t” series books. We were able to complete this book in record time, so that it would be available for Bloom Night 2019. Fortunately, the Cereus waited for us. Now, they are free to bloom whenever they want.
From The Queen of the Night: the Night-blooming Cereus:
It’s just a bare stick, stuck in the ground,
Why on earth would you keep it around?
The reason becomes abundantly clear,
On one very special night each year.
The book is available at Tohono Chul in Tucson, AZ., where they are currently awaiting the annual one-night only 2019 blooming of Cereus, and at amazon.com.