I think Wicked Plants just went off to the printer, and in about six weeks I should have a copy.  That'll be cool, but what's even cooler is the spin-off project that has come out of this:  the artist, Briony Morrow-Cribbs, who created original copper etchings of 40 wicked plants for the book,is doing a limited edition set of the etchings to sell to art collectors.  Check out the set here.  It includes an...

In today's New York Times Evo Morales Ayma, president of Bolivia, argues in favor of legalizing the traditional use of coca leaves. He makes a gloriously horticultural argument, stating in part: Many plants have small quantities of various chemical compounds called alkaloids. One common alkaloid is caffeine, which is found in more than 50 varieties of plants, from coffee to cacao, and even in the flowers of orange and lemon...

Someday I'm going to have a T-shirt printed up that says, "Uncorrected.  Please Do Not Quote Without Comparison With Finished Book." Because that so perfectly describes how everything in my life goes.  This is the standard language that appears on galleys, also called advanced reading copies, those early paper-bound version of a book that are printed up and sent out to reviewers before the finished hardcover edition...

Algonquin's press kits for Wicked Plants have gone out into the world, along with the galley!   I should have actual finished books in a couple of...

photo credit here. Nice.  According to this news report, a toddler in Florida was out on the playground when a teacher noticed he'd put something in his mouth. It was a rosary pea seed (Abrus precatorius), which contains the deadly toxin, abrin–a poison similar to ricin.  Fortunately, the seed has a hard shell and the boy hadn't chewed it.  So he was  OK.  But really–these pretty little seeds,...

There will be much more news about my new book in the next few weeks.   But let's begin with:  the video!  My oh-so-clever brother (who is off to Sundance with the latest film he edited) planned, directed, shot, and edited this over the summer.  We used the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery for the shoot–a wonderful old spooky graveyard.  You'll also get to meet the neighbor's dog, my adorable...