Greetings, Friends at ECOLOG-L,
We scientists seldom see fiction that portrays our lives and work
realistically. I have tried to change that with my new novel, *Love and
Death in the Rain Forest*, which draws upon my experiences doing research at
Finca La Selva, a biological research station in the rain forest of Costa
Rica.
I have just found out that my novel has been selected as a
semi-finalist in the *Amazon.com/Publishers' Weekly* worldwide novel
contest. This contest is unusual because ordinary readers will be playing a
major role in selecting the winner, rather than just publishing insiders.
Amazon has posted 5000-word excerpts (about 16 pages) from the
semi-finalists on their website and they are calling on readers around the
world to rate the samples.
*Love and Death in the Rain Forest* is a science-oriented
adventure/romance, but I have higher ambitions for it. I my wilder dreams,
I would love it to do for tropical biology what *The Right Stuff* did for
the space program, or what *Flipper* did to make kids want to be marine
biologists.
Are you curious about a literary portrayal of a field biologist's
life, or at least one at La Selva in 1981, when electricity came from a
diesel generator and occasional creepy guys we suspected of being CIA
operatives showed up at the station? (Remember, a nasty conflict was
brewing 20 miles north of us.)
I would love it if you'd read the excerpt and post a review, and a
review from a biologist or someone who knows the forest and station life
would carry extra weight. The stakes are fairly high: The grand prize is a
publishing contract, and reviewers become eligible for a $2000 prize.
However, time is short: the reviews must be posted by Feb 18th, 2008 to make
a difference (but hey, it's only 16 pages, and your review can be just a few
sentences).
The excerpt from my novel can be downloaded here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00121WE2S
Or if you prefer, I could send you an MS-Word file of the excerpt (or even
the whole book). Naturally, you can also read and review other entries,
which are accessible here:
www.amazon.com/abna <http://www.amazon.com/abna>
Sincerely,
Martin M. Meiss, PhD
