I am so excited to welcome Floreana to the world!

This book was many years in the making, and I’ve had the joy of chatting about it with so many …

… including Melanie at Postcards & Places; check out my interview with her to learn more about the inspiration for Floreana (from the real-life human mysteries of the island to the Galápagos penguins), plus writing and traveling and more.

You can also learn about the stories behind Floreana and about my research for my first adventure in historical fiction in this essay on Necessary Fiction. Floreana, though very much about penguins, also involved a different kind of research — looking into an unsolved mystery from a century ago and sorting out who might’ve been responsible for the very mysterious happenings in the Galápagos back in the 1930s.

In other news, I’ll be talking about Floreana on JPR on December 2 at 9 a.m., and if you love books set on remote islands, check out my list of Seven Books about Islands and Isolation on The Nerd Daily.

I’m thrilled to have received wonderful reviews for Floreana … including a starred review from Library Journal, which calls Floreana “gripping and intriguing” and “highly recommended.” Publishers Weekly writes: “As Dore’s account sheds light on the mystery of the disappearances, Raymond reveals how both Mallory and Dore fail to escape their problems, even by crossing the globe. The result is an engrossing narrative of self-reckoning.”

And to learn a bit more about the book as well as the historical details of Floreana, check out Ed Battistella’s article and review in Ashland.news.

Finally, for anyone who is in Southern California or Southern Oregon, join me at an event! I’ll be at the Ashland Public Library on Tuesday, December 3, at 5 p.m. — at San Diego Writers Ink on Tuesday, December 10, at 6 p.m. — and at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido on Friday, December 13, at 4 p.m. I look forward to seeing you!

To learn more about the book and how to get a copy, click here. And for all of you in book clubs, you can contact me for a visit and get a book club kit here.