Possibly Interesting Facts about the Characters and Places in the Books
The Rockhopper
The main character of my first book is a Rockhopper penguin named Hopper. You might think that's a fairly clever name, or maybe not. Time has passed in the second book, and as a result his life situation has changed, as that tends to happen to all of us. He and the Rockhoppers remain at the center of it, although others, especially the Yellow-eyed Penguins, have a very important part to play.
Rockhoppers are among the smallest species of penguins, being 18 to 23 inches tall. They belong to what are called erect-crested penguins because of the feathers that stick up on their heads. In their case, it is yellow plumage above their eyes and around to the back of their head. It can be floppy, but if they get angry or upset, it will stick out stiffly. They also have spiky black feathers on the top of their head.
They live in subantarctic areas, places like the Falkland Islands and other islands around the tip of South America, and others like South Georgia farther out in the Atlantic Ocean.
They are called “Rockhoppers” because of the way they jump around obstacles and hop from rock to rock, unlike most other kinds of penguins. They also have the ability to climb rocky cliffs on the islands where they have their breeding colonies.
In my book a young female has the name of Eudychrys, usually called Eudy. That comes from the scientific Latin name for Rockhoppers, which is Eudyptes chrysocome.
Here are a few links to sites that have more information:
Penguin World
Creation wiki
Rockhoppers are among the smallest species of penguins, being 18 to 23 inches tall. They belong to what are called erect-crested penguins because of the feathers that stick up on their heads. In their case, it is yellow plumage above their eyes and around to the back of their head. It can be floppy, but if they get angry or upset, it will stick out stiffly. They also have spiky black feathers on the top of their head.
They live in subantarctic areas, places like the Falkland Islands and other islands around the tip of South America, and others like South Georgia farther out in the Atlantic Ocean.
They are called “Rockhoppers” because of the way they jump around obstacles and hop from rock to rock, unlike most other kinds of penguins. They also have the ability to climb rocky cliffs on the islands where they have their breeding colonies.
In my book a young female has the name of Eudychrys, usually called Eudy. That comes from the scientific Latin name for Rockhoppers, which is Eudyptes chrysocome.
Here are a few links to sites that have more information:
Penguin World
Creation wiki
The Homestead
This is the house that inspired a portion of the journey of Hopper. It is actually the house I grew up in. This picture was taken from the beach. In the foreground is the bulkhead which keeps the water out of the yard during high tides. On extremely high tides, it can still come up into the yard, especially if it's very windy.
You can see a porch all along the front of the house. I was standing there looking out at the water when I saw a penguin float by on a log. Many years later that incident led to the writing of Fly Like a Penguin.
You can see a porch all along the front of the house. I was standing there looking out at the water when I saw a penguin float by on a log. Many years later that incident led to the writing of Fly Like a Penguin.
The Dog
These P.I.F.'s aren't in any particular order. This picture is of our dog Rosie, who is no longer with us. She's gone to whatever eternal reward awaits animals. Most Christians think when they're gone, they cease to exist. Some verses seem to say that, but I really don't know if the subject is given a definite answer in the Bible. I guess we'll find out when we get there.
The reason I have a picture of Rosie here is that she was who I had in mind when I wrote of a dog named Goldie, who lived in a house similar to the one pictured above. She doesn't have a huge part in the story, but I thought you might like to see what a Golden Retriever-St. Bernard looks like. She was a good dog.
The reason I have a picture of Rosie here is that she was who I had in mind when I wrote of a dog named Goldie, who lived in a house similar to the one pictured above. She doesn't have a huge part in the story, but I thought you might like to see what a Golden Retriever-St. Bernard looks like. She was a good dog.
Yellow-eye
Yellow-eyed penguins are mentioned in passing in my first book, but in the second and third book we'll find that they play a very important part in the story. I'll leave that until those books are totally finished.
They are found in New Zealand and the islands in that part of the world. They are among the rarest of penguins, and great efforts to revive their population are being undertaken in the places they live. They are given the group name of Megadyptes, which means "Big Diver." The Maori people, the original inhabitants of New Zealand, called them Hoiho, which means "Noise shouter."
They grow to be 22 to 31 inches tall and make their nests in shrubbery and forests by the ocean. They have yellow eyes and a yellow band of feathers going from one eye to the other around the back of the head.
The photo is courtesy of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust.
Here are some links with more information:
Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust
Penguin World
They are found in New Zealand and the islands in that part of the world. They are among the rarest of penguins, and great efforts to revive their population are being undertaken in the places they live. They are given the group name of Megadyptes, which means "Big Diver." The Maori people, the original inhabitants of New Zealand, called them Hoiho, which means "Noise shouter."
They grow to be 22 to 31 inches tall and make their nests in shrubbery and forests by the ocean. They have yellow eyes and a yellow band of feathers going from one eye to the other around the back of the head.
The photo is courtesy of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust.
Here are some links with more information:
Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust
Penguin World
More to come...