Lisa S. Gardiner—Reefs of Time: What Fossils Reveal about Coral Survival

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover of the book Reefs of Time: What Fossils Reveal about Coral Survival by Lisa S. Gardiner showing several types of coral fossils in shades of blue, red, orange, and green, with the title and author’s name superimposed on those images in white print.

Reefs of Time

REEFS OF TIME:
WHAT FOSSILS REVEAL ABOUT CORAL SURVIVAL
Lisa S. Gardiner
Princeton University Press, June 10, 2025
Hardcover, $29.95, eBook, $16.17
Hardcover ISBN: 9780691247335
eBook ASIN: B0DTCLFPCX

Gardiner reports:

I wrote Reefs of Time because I saw a paradox. Corals seem so vulnerable—prone to bleaching and dying in marine heat waves, unable to tolerate runoff pollutants, and threatened by a host of other Anthropocene problems. Over longer timescales, however, the same coral species survived dramatic changes in sea level during the ice age. They were decimated and rebuilt many times. I was curious. I wanted to know why corals were resilient in the past, yet vulnerable in the present, and whether we can harness some of that past resilience to help coral reefs survive the Anthropocene.

Portrait photo of Lisa S. Gardiner

Lisa S. Gardiner
Photo by J. La Plante

I took a book proposal workshop with NASW member Christie Aschwanden, which was incredibly helpful as I tried to move the jumble of ideas I had into a plan for a book that made sense. I found my agent, Jessica Papin, by searching Publishers Marketplace for agents who had recently sold books similar to mine. After a couple of nerve-wracking months when the book was “on submission” (i.e., being scrutinized by publishers), Reefs of Time found a great home at Princeton University Press.

Because I developed the book proposal during the pandemic, I was wary of including too much travel in my plan. I decided to weave my past field research experiences into the book. I studied fossil reefs on Bahamian islands for my dissertation over two decades ago and took copious notes in yellow waterproof notebooks about all sorts of things, including the weather, the smells and sounds, and the antics of my fellow researchers, as well as some actual science. These notes proved to be very useful as I wrote the book. Once travel felt safe again, I added two reporting trips. A feature assignment helped cover some of the travel costs.

This huge project caused a lot of disruption to my other work, but if I’d known how much I would grow while writing and how much I’d learn from wonderful researchers who are diving into modern reefs and identifying clues in reefs from the past, I would have started writing Reefs of Time years earlier.

Contact Info:

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Tell your fellow NASW members how you came up with the idea for your book, developed a proposal, found an agent and publisher, funded and conducted research, and put the book together. Include what you wish you had known before you began working on your book or what you might have done differently.

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Banner image adapted from original photo by Lisa S Gardiner.

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Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines for information on submitting your report.

Publication of NASW author reports in Advance Copy does not constitute NASW's endorsement of any publication or the ideas, values, or material contained within or espoused by authors or their books. We hope this column stimulates productive discussions on important topics now and in the future as both science and societies progress. We welcome your discussion in the comments section below.

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