BOOKS BY AND FOR MEMBERS

by Ruth Winter

[Three of our members, by coincidence, have written "hot" books set in cold climates. Two of the books are fiction based on science so think about expanding your research and turn the facts you have worked so hard to gather into fiction. The third is narrative non-fiction.]

Dark Winter by William Dietrich (NASW), published by Warner Books.

Set at the American Amundsen-Scott base at the South Pole, this psychological thriller turns one of the National Science Foundation's premier research stations into a trap of paranoia and murder for its idealistic complement of twenty-six "winterovers." Playing with the fact that mid-winter evacuation is virtually impossible, Dietrich, a Washington state freelance, says the novel unintentionally complements the recent real-life crises of two doctors caught with disease at the Pole. Dietrich, who visited the Pole as a newspaper reporter in 1994 and who wrote another Antarctic-based novel called Ice Reich, uses his scientist and support staff characters as microcosm and metaphor for issues in our larger society. Why do people go to such remote places at all? The plot: A valuable meteorite is found, bodies start dropping, and the geologist-hero must find the real killer to clear his own name. Dietrich can be reached at 360-588-0118 or wdietrich@msn.com. PR for the book is Tina Andreadis at 212-522-6798.

Heroes And Lovers, An Antarctic Obsession by Lucy Kavaler (NASW), published by iUniverse.

Reprinted as a trade paperback in the Authors Guild/iUniverse program, the book has been cited as a "Staff Recommendation" in the iuniverse.com bookstore. The original hard cover edition was published by Dutton. Kavaler says the Antarctic has held a fascination for her since a cousin fell down an icy slope to his death in the Antarctic while conducting important space research (a search for primitive forms of life). It led her to write the nonfiction book, Freezing Point, Cold As a Matter of Life and Death. While researching Antarctic exploration, Kavaler says, she got the idea for Heroes And Lovers: What would have happened if there had been an all-women's expedition during the Antarctic's golden age of exploration (1915-16)? And so the climax of this novel takes place on the Antarctic icecap where its feminist heroine leads an expedition racing her explorer lover for the South Pole. She says the background of the book Heroes And Lovers is based on years of research. The book was optioned for a television mini-series by Aaron Spelling, and reviewers called the book "a suspenseful tale of love, valor, and adventure," "authentic geographical and historical data," and "guaranteed to keep the reader glued up to the final page." Kavaler can be reached at 212-427-0948 or lekavaler@cs.com.

A Good Horse Has No Color: Searching Iceland for the Perfect Horse by Nancy Marie Brown (NASW), published by Stackpole Books.

Brown, director of research publications at Penn State University writes that according to Icelandic poetry, a good horse can make its rider "king for awhile." But finding a good horse requires a keen and practiced eye. One must see beyond the obvious attributes-appearance, color, and size-to discern a horse's true personality and temperament. Brown puts her eye to the test when she travels to Iceland to find the perfect Icelandic horse she can bring home to her Pennsylvania farm and make her own. She arrives in Iceland shaken by tragedy, uncertain of the language, lacking confidence in her riding skills; but determined to make her search a success. She finds inspiration in the country's austere and majestic landscape, which is alive with the ghosts of an adventure-filled past. In the glacier-carved hinterland, she rides a variety of Icelandic horses-some spirited, willful, even heroic; others docile, trusting, or tame. She also meets an assortment of horse owners, who can be as independent and stubborn as the animals they breed. Little by little, visiting legendary horse farms, watching skillful riders, and taking sea-splashed treks with opinionated experts, she opens herself up to the strange and wonderful world she's entered. She discovers what makes Icelandic horses unique-why they are celebrated in glorious sagas and protected by national law. She also learns much about herself as a horsewoman and, more importantly, discovers what she is really looking for, in a horse and in her life. Contact Brown at Fergus@lazerlink.com. The PR is Donna Pope at dpope@stackpolebooks.com.

Math Coach: A Parent's Guide to Helping Children Succeed in Math by Wayne A. Wickelgren, Ph.D. and Ingrid Wickelgren (NASW), published by Berkeley Books.

Math Coach features Dr. Wickelgren's winning strategies for teaching children arithmetic, fractions, word problems, and algebra-and shows how any child can conquer algebra by eighth grade. It also helps parents evaluate school math programs, decipher the math education debate, and find study aids, teams, camps, and other ways to enhance and expand a child's understanding of math. Ingrid Wickelgren is a correspondent for Science and a freelance writer. She can be reached by phone at 201-656-6992, by fax at 201-656-1271, or at iwick@worldnet.att.net.

Green Phoenix: Restoring the Tropical Forests of Guanacaste, Costa Rica by William Allen (NASW), published by Oxford University Press.

Allen, a science writer with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, tells the 14-year story of the landmark Guanacaste National Park project, begun in 1986 in northwestern Costa Rica. Envisioned by Costa Rican and U.S. scientists and driven to fruition by the maverick University of Pennsylvania ecologist Daniel Janzen, the project evolved into the world's first large-scale restoration of a tropical forest from its tattered remnants. Beginning with forest fragments in the 39 square miles of Santa Rosa National Park, project leaders raised a record $31 million and stitched together 463 square miles of land and another 290 square miles of marine area by mid-2000. Allen writes of the people, politics, and ecology of the project, including the threat posed by the Reagan administration's secret airstrip to re-supply the contras in Nicaragua. As he encounters tropical nature and treks across the Guanacaste landscape from pristine Pacific beaches to misty volcano peaks, he introduces readers to the inner workings of the forest. He also takes them elsewhere on the front lines of the conservation wars: media events, scientific meetings, business offices, and the halls of government institutions. Along the way, the reader learns how Prince Philip, Jimmy Swaggart, Oliver North, Salomon Brothers, "crazy gringos," and many others played a role in the restoration project. Allen can be reached at 800-365-0820, x 8222, or wallen@post-dispatch.com. The publicist is Tara Kennedy, 212-726-6033 or tsk@oup-usa.org.

Understanding Crohn Disease and Ulcerative Colitis by Jon Zonderman (NASW) and Ronald S. Vender, M.D., published by University of Mississippi Press.

Zonderman, a Connecticut freelance, has been under the care for many years of his co-author, Dr. Vender, chief of gastroenterology at the Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven, CT. The book is written from a patient's perspective. Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis-together known as inflammatory bowel disease-are chronic illnesses of unknown origin. Zonderman writes that when he left full-time newspaper work for a career as a freelance writer, a former journalism school professor told him "Write about what you know." He knows all about this awful condition that has hospitalized him many time and caused him a great deal of suffering. Zonderman can be reached by phone at 203-799-6239 or jonzon@connix.com. The number of University of Mississippi Press is 601-982-6205.

Blue Frontier: Saving America's Living Seas by David Helvarg, published by W. H. Freeman.

Helvarg, a scuba diver, bodysurfer, and contributing editor to National Public Radio writes that oceans are in peril like never before, plagued by over fishing, reckless development, and pollution. "Our ocean frontier has a greater biodiversity of life than the richest terrestrial habitats on earth, including the rain forests," he notes. "Disrupting any part of this oceanic ecosystem-whether the humble spiny urchin or the magnificent blue fin tuna, can affect the whole in ways we still don't fully understand. Our actions on land can, via watershed, rivers, and storm drains, create massive nutrient-fed algae blooms, and oxygen-depleted dead zones in our coastal waters. Unfortunately, we're already seeing these developments off the coasts of Louisiana and North Carolina." He gives an account of the history of maritime America and ocean politics and explores factors such as the Navy, the oil and gas industries, fisheries, and coastal developers on marine life. He presents solutions as well as an impassioned call for redefining ocean policy for the new millennium. PR for the book is Theresa Danks at 212-576-9477 or ortdanks@whfreeman.com.

Nature's Cancer Fighting Foods by Verne Varona, published by Reward Books.

Varona is a nutritional consultant to celebrities in LA including Sting and Cyndi Lauper. He explains the kind of nourishment that works best to enhance immunity and restore vitality-without sacrificing the enjoyment of food. Starting with the basics of smart eating and moving to specifics on the role of antioxidants, phytochemicals, herbs, vitamins, and other cancer preventatives, he outlines a program he claims will free oneself from a devastating disease and improve ones odds of a long, healthy life. Nature's Cancer Fighting Foods offers 12 recipes for foods such as: Roasted Almond-Raisin Oatmeal, Whole Wheat Toast with Almond Cream. Grain "Coffee," Toasted Corn Tortillas with Tempeh, Corn and Onions. The PR for the book is Lisa Giassa at Lisa.Giassa@pearsoned.com.

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Send material about new books to Ruth Winter, 44 Holly Drive, Short Hills, NJ 07078, or e-mail ruthwrite@aol.com. Include the name of the publisher's PR and appropriate contact information as well as how you prefer members to get in touch with you.