My Personal Blog

I'm proud to be a part of something so huge and important today. Not only am I featuring a fabulous book and author, but a cause that I believe whole-heartedly in. For years I've loved the white tiger, an endangered species, and even put one as a character in my debut novel, BOUND. I've collected giraffe figurines and stuffed animals since before I can remember and marveled at other species that are rare and quickly depleting in numbers. So when I heard that Heather McCorkle was donating a portion of her book sales to save the endangered species, I was quick to get in line to host her and her book on my blog. And because the white tiger was already taken (dang it) I'm featuring the giraffe in today's post.

Here's a little about Heather's book, The Secret of Spruce Knoll.

Following the tragic death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with an aunt she’s never met. Little does Eren know the entire town of Spruce Knoll is filled with “channelers”—a magical group of people who immigrated to the small Colorado town when they were driven out of their own lands. 

Channelers are tied to the fate of the world. As the world slowly dies, so do they—and they alone have the power to stop the destruction of Earth. Soon, Eren learns she not only lives among them, but she is one. When she meets local boy Aiden, his charm convinces her that being a channeler may not be all bad though. 

As Eren and Aiden’s relationship develops, so too does a mystery in Spruce Knoll. The town holds many secrets—and many dangers. It soon becomes apparent that the untimely death of Eren’s parents was no accident and that her life might be in danger too. Only time will tell if Eren can embrace her unwanted power and protect the only family she has left.

Add it to your Goodreads' list HERE!

A special edition of The Secret of Spruce Knoll is releasing from Compass Press this month and Heather's doing a special tour to go along with it. The special part, a percentage of the proceeds from every special edition sold (in every format) between its release date and 12-12-2012, will go toward Heather’s favorite charity that protects endangered species. Her goal is to make at least $10,000 for the charity. YES! It's a lofty goal, but if we all do our part, it's totally doable.


Get your copies at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Of course there are prizes during the tour which goes from December 1^st through the 17^th. Prizes include a symbolic endangered species adoption of the winner’s choice (a $50 donation by Heather to the charity for the endangered species of the winner’s choice, and cute stuffed animal for the winner!), signed copies of her novels and great swag. For full details, and to enter, go here:  http://heathermccorkle.blogspot.com

Now, I'd like to tell you a little about the Giraffe. And just in case you're wondering if I'm telling the truth about loving them, check out THIS POST I did a while back about them.


Now for a little Trivia:


These facts were taken from THIS awesome website! Hope they don't mind sharing.


1. The word Giraffe, comes from the Arabic word - zerafa, which means charming or lovely one. Giraffes can be found in southern, central and eastern Africa. As of now, their population is in good standing.

2. Giraffes graze in the savannas in Africa, eating leaves from the trees, mostly acacia trees. They can go several days with no water, and stay hydrated by the water of the leaves.
3. The Reticulated Giraffe has the most distinctive pattern of dark patches separated by thin lines. The most irregular pattern belongs to the Masai Giraffe of East Africa.

4. The neck of a Giraffe can be as long as 8 feet! Their tongue is a foot long. Both man and giraffes have the same amount of neck bones - 7. The heart of a Giraffe is very large in order to pump blood all the way up to it's head. 
5. The Giraffe is the tallest animal of all. Male giraffes normally weigh between 2,400 and 3,000 pounds and can stand up to 19 feet tall. Female giraffes can be up to 16 feet tall and weigh between 1,600 and 2, 600 pounds.

6. Giraffes have knobs or horns on the top of their heads that are used to protect the head in fights. These grow to be around five inches long.
7. Male giraffes do not use their horns as weapons against predators, the only time they use them is to fight peers.
8. Giraffes are social animals that travel in large herds consisting of both males and females of all ages.

9. The gestation period is typically 15 months. During the first week of life, the baby giraffe is carefully guarded. While the mothers feed, the calves are kept in nursery groups.

10. Spotted hyenas and lions are the predators of the calves. Between 50 to 75% fall prey, despite the mother's efforts to protect and hide. Adults are too big to be prey and can kick the lion to death if it comes too close.
11. Giraffes typically live to be about 25 years old in the wild.

What's your favorite endangered species?