Terminator seeds will not usher in an agricultural judgement day

By Mark Lynas, Cornell University

In the polarised and fractious debate over the use of genetic modification in agriculture, few issues have raised hackles as much as the proposed use of genetic use restriction techniques (GURT), more commonly known as “terminator technology” or – to its many opponents – “suicide seeds”.
The idea behind GURTs is to produce seed or offspring which are sterile in order to restrict the spread of new genes which have been introduced into the target plant. Campaigners against the technology have long alleged that terminator seeds would enslave farmers by preventing them from saving seed from one season to the next, making them dependent on re-purchasing seeds from big biotech companies. The furore over a decade ago led to a global moratorium on GURT development, agreed under the aegis of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in 2000.
The popular fear about terminator seeds has since become something of a zombie myth: constantly cited by opponents of GM technology as a reason for their campaigning, despite GURT never actually having come into existence. Lurid claims continue to be circulated, such as the allegation – originally by Indian anti-technology activist Vandana Shiva – that sterility would somehow be inherited and transferred unintentionally to other plants, despite this being biologically, as well as logically, impossible.
Following renewed campaigning by anti-GM groups, a recent article disinterred these zombie myths once again. It suggested that new legislation under consideration in Brazil could lead to “suicide seeds” that might “threaten the livelihoods of millions of small farmers around the world”. But the truth in Brazil is very different to this media sensationalism and renewed activist myth-making.
It is true that Brazil is considering relaxing regulations that prohibit research on GURTs. However, this would be applied to pharmaceuticals, not food crops. It is aimed in particular at allowing scientists to examine whether the technology could have biosafety applications – applications that would safeguard the environment against the unintended release and spread of modified genes. Currently the law prohibits scientists even from conducting research – a ban on knowledge gathering that is senseless and potentially damaging.
Among the pharmaceutical uses where GURT technology might be useful is the development of “bioreactor” plants such as lettuce modified to produce a vaccine to prevent Leishmaniasis, a disease that causes serious deformities or scarring in victims. Around 12m people are believed to be infected, with an estimated 1-2m new cases each year, and a further 350m people, mainly in poor countries, are at risk. Plants are good candidates for the production of the necessary antibodies because, like animals, their cells are eukaryotic and able to reproduce the necessary complex proteins at a large scale.
Another example is genetically-modified lettuce to assist in the diagnosis of Dengue fever, where early detection dramatically increases the chance of survival. In both cases there is currently a shortage of the materials needed both to identify and treat the disease, which can only be produced in extremely secure facilities. If GURT restrictions were loosened, genetically modified plants could potentially produce the needed vaccines and diagnosis tools on a larger scale without fear of the altered genes spreading into the environment.
Many other crops, including tobacco, alfalfa, banana and soybean have been considered for bio-pharming to produce drugs against conditions that range from cancer to HIV/AIDS. Industrial applications have also been proposed, such as genetically modified trees with reduced lignin content which would enable the use of less toxic chemicals for pulp and paper production, as well as to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
In all these cases, sterility could have a biosafety justification, in order to safeguard against unintended gene release. Indeed, last week researchers at the University of Oregon announced the conclusion of successful trials using sterile, genetically modified poplar trees. These grow faster and are more resistant to insects, potentially more productive for biofuels, and are intended to be able to reduce land wastage and the use of pesticides.
It is somewhat ironic that with all their focus on terminator technology, anti-GM activists seem to fail to realise that either sterility or seeds that do not breed true are already widely used in conventional agriculture. Seedless grapes, watermelons and bananas are prized by consumers around the world, and despite their sterility have apparently not yet enslaved the farmers who grow them.
F1 hybrids – the offspring of two different parent varieties of the same crop – also require farmers to buy seeds anew each year, because their second-generation seeds do not breed true. But their use has been increasing for decades because farmers value highly the increased productivity, and therefore profits, that come from the seeds' hybrid vigour. Almost all the world’s commercial corn crop is grown from F1 hybrid seed, for example.
As these existing examples show, this application of modern technology to agriculture need not be remotely scary, but activists stoke fears in order to secure prohibitions on scientific research which conflicts with their ideological preferences. Opponents of innovation frequently cite the precautionary principle as a reason to stop scientific work, but neglect the flip-side: namely future benefits foregone when technologies are not pursued.
A continued ban on GURT may sound sensible and precautionary, but could harm our potential to develop lifesaving vaccines and environmentally beneficial crops. Scientists should be allowed to conduct research, and society can later decide– through open, inclusive and democratic debate – how or if these technologies are later deployed more widely.
This article is co-authored with Lúcia de Souza, plant biologist and vice president of the Brazilian National Association of Biosafety (Associação Nacional de Biossegurança), ANBio.
Mark Lynas does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.

This article was originally published at The Conversation. Read the original article.

All The Advice In The World

I wanted to do some thoughtful post about my debut year and maybe list some advice for those who will debut in the future. That sounds like the right kind of post for a day so close to the end of 2013. But as I've been trying to think about what to say, it was all coming off false for me.

Because when it comes to debuting, the thing is you will read a TON of advice…

…and you will ignore most of it.

Every author will tell you to avoid reading reviews, and you will still look at reviews. Every author will tell you not to check your Amazon rank, and you will still take a look. Every author will tell you to write the next book, and you will still struggle to do it because there is a new kind of pressure you have to deal with.

You'll be warned about how crazy you'll get two months prior to release, how every person you know will ask "how's your book doing?", how submissions will still be terrifying, how it'll be hard not to compare yourself to every other author who's getting more or less than you—and you probably won't quite get it or believe it until it happens. And even if you do believe it, you'll experience it in an entirely personal way.

It's like any big life change. You can study and prepare and plan to your heart's content, but that's not the same as actually experiencing it. There are some things you can't predict, and one of those is how you'll react to it all. You just have to go through it, plain and simple.

So I guess today I don't want to offer advice to those debuting in 2014 or even after that. What I want to offer you is a big hug, a few cupcakes, and a very sincere "Yes, I know it's hard, but you'll be okay."

Because it's scary. It's new. It's wonderful. All rolled into one.

You are allowed to feel how you feel, and only you will be able to work through all the ups and downs that come with debuting. There will be days when you get burned and days where jealousy will rule and days when you feel like you can fly it's so wonderful. So hang in there, and remember your dream is coming true, even if it sometimes doesn't look so much like a dream. That's just what it is, only it's become a reality now.

PaxVax applies to have GM cholera vaccine tested in Australia - But "Genethics" objects to Australia testing Solutions for Third World Disasters

Original ABC post by medical reporter Sophie Scott and Alison Branley Posted Mon 23 Dec 2013, 11:59am AEDT
Original nwes clip here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-23/gm-cholera-vaccine-trial-draws-criticism/5172118

Australia could join a global trial of a new genetically-modified cholera vaccine which could save thousands of lives in the developing world.

United States-based vaccine company PaxVax is running a trial of the oral vaccine, and has applied to the Federal Government to run part of the trial in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

PaxVax says the single-dose vaccine has been genetically-modified to remove the part of the cholera bacteria that makes people sick.

It wants to use Australia as a trial site to test the vaccine on about 1,000 adults, and potentially children, planning to travel overseas to cholera-affected areas.

PaxVax chief executive Nima Farzan says the plan is to then expand the vaccine's use to developing countries.

Cholera is a worldwide health problem with 3 to 5 million cases and up to 130,000 deaths a year.

"Cholera is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, cholera is endemic in parts of south Asia and even parts of Latin America," Mr Farzan said.

"Outbreaks can come quite rapidly. Cholera, if not treated, can be a fatal disease."

Mr Farzan says the vaccine is safe because it has been genetically-modified, meaning it cannot produce toxins or reproduce the cholera bacteria.

"The study in Australia will only be looking at the immune response or the antibody levels and the safety from taking this vaccine," he said.

"What we are measuring in the vaccine is anything that could come about local or systemic reaction that could come from the vaccine."

First World Worries First. Third World Realities Last
 -- "Genethical" approach to Third World Problems. 

However, anti-genetic modification campaigner Bob Phelps from the Gene Ethics Network says as cholera is rare in Australia, there is no justification for a mass vaccination program.

He is also concerned that people taking part in the trial will only be monitored for one hour.

"In the [company] application, there is no follow-up monitoring or proper surveillance," he said.
Doctors say 'no risk' vaccine will spread cholera in Australia

Victoria is one of the potential trial states. Its chief health officer Dr Rosemary Lester says there is a rigorous process to assess anything which is genetically modified, not just vaccines.

"The risk would be carefully assessed before the trial is allowed to go ahead," she said.

There's really no risk to people living in Australia.
Our sanitation and hygiene systems are so good. I would be very comfortable with that sort of trial going on.Victorian chief health officer Dr Rosemary Lester

Dr Lester says there is no risk of the vaccine spreading cholera to Australia.

"There's really no risk to people living in Australia," she said.

"Our sanitation and hygiene systems are so good. I would be very comfortable with that sort of trial going on."

Over the past five years, there have been 22 cases of cholera reported in Australia. Most of these were acquired in South-East Asia.

"In Australia, fortunately cholera is a very rare disease," Dr Lester said.

"It's almost always seen in returned travellers. We typically see about three to six cases per year in returned travellers," Dr Lester said.
Adverse reactions to vaccine infrequent, mild

Results of a phase one trial into the PaxVax vaccine found that a single dose created an immune response in almost 90 per cent of patients.

The company says the vaccine was well-tolerated, adverse events were infrequent, and generally mild.

Of 3,000 volunteers worldwide, 1,000 would be from Australia and the remainder from North America.

Cholera is a gut infection caused by consuming of food or water contaminated with the bacterium vibrio cholerae.

It usually presents quickly after infection and in extreme causes large amounts of painless, watery diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death.

Most episodes are mild or moderate and similar to other stomach flus.

In Australia there is an existing travel vaccine which can prevent cholera that is typically given to health-vulnerable travellers, but it is a double dose regime which takes longer to complete.

The Federal Government's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator will seek public comment on the PaxVax trial after a risk assessment and risk management plan is released in late January.

The trial is expected to last 12 months.

@ PaxVax applies to have GM cholera vaccine tested in Australia - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation):

Genetic discovery points the way to much bigger yields in tomato, other flowering food plants

A mutation in the hormone that controls flowering
postpones when a plant stops producing flowers,
 yielding many more fruits. Credit: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Phys.org/CSHL December 26th, 2013 in Biology / Biotechnology

Every gardener knows the look of a ripe tomato. That bright red color, that warm earthy smell, and the sweet juicy flavor are hard to resist. But commercial tomato plants have a very different look from the backyard garden variety, which can grow endlessly under the right conditions to become tall and lanky. Tomatoes that will be canned for sauces and juice are harvested from plants that stop growing earlier than classic tomato varieties, and are therefore more like bushes. While the architecture of these compact bushy plants allows mechanical harvesters to reap the crop, the early end of growth means that each plant produces fewer fruits than their home garden cousins.
But what if commercial tomato growers could coax plants into producing more fruit without sacrificing that unique and necessary bushy plant shape? Today, CSHL researchers announced that they have determined a way to accomplish this. Their research has revealed one genetic mechanism for hybrid vigor, a property of plant breeding that has been exploited to boost yield since the early 20th century. Teasing out the hidden subtleties of a type of hybrid vigor involving just one gene has provided the scientists with means to tweak the length of time that bushy tomato varieties can produce flowers. In these plants, longer flowering time substantially raises fruit yield.
First identified at CSHL by George Shull in 1908, hybrid vigor – or heterosis, as biologists call it – involves interbreeding genetically distinct plants to generate offspring more robust than either inbred parent. It has been used for decades to improve agricultural productivity, but scientists have long debated how and why it works.
In his previous work, CSHL Associate Professor Zach Lippman and Israeli colleagues identified a rare example of hybrid vigor involving a genetic defect in the gene that makes florigen, a hormone that controls the process of flowering and flower production. The mutation dramatically increases tomato yields in bush tomatoes, and Lippman and his team, led by postdoctoral researcher Ke Jiang, set out to understand the mechanism behind this remarkable result.
They found that bushy plants with a mutation in one of the two copies of the florigen gene, producing half as much florigen as plants without the mutation do, postpone the moment when they stop producing flowers. This, in turn, leads to many more fruits overall. "This is because," Lippman explains, "bushy tomato varieties are highly sensitive to the amount, or dosage, of the florigen hormone, which alters plant architecture – that is, how many flowers can form before growth ends. These discoveries lead to an exciting prediction: that it may be possible to tweak florigen levels to increase yields even further."
Lippman's team also studied florigen mutants in another plant, the crucifer weed known as Arabidopsis that is a cousin of crops like broccoli and cauliflower. Although they did not see the same increase in yield, they did observe similar changes in plant architecture because of florigen dosage sensitivities. These results suggest that it may be possible to manipulate florigen in a wide variety of flowering species to increase yields.

More information: "Tomato Yield Heterosis is Triggered by a Dosage Sensitivity of the Florigen Pathway that Fine-Tunes Shoot Architecture" appears online in PLOS Genetics on December 26, 2013. The authors are: Ke Jiang, Katie Liberatore, Soon Ju Park, John Alvarez, and Zach Lippman. www.plosgenetics.org/doi/pgen.1004043

Provided by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
"Genetic discovery points the way to much bigger yields in tomato, other flowering food plants." December 26th, 2013.

@ Genetic discovery points the way to much bigger yields in tomato, other flowering food plants:

The challenges of food security and sustainability

At the Prospect Round Table Dec 10:

...“Markets and trade are the only way we are going to feed the world” said Alfred Evans, CEO of Climate Change Capital. “But you need an effective system with good price signals and policies to make them more effective. There is a policy deficit and a lack of link-up between global organisations.”

“International negotiations are failing across different fronts,” said Professor Sandy Thomas, Head of Foresight at the UK Government Office for Science. “National governments may be aware of these problems but there isn’t a lot of political appetite for this issue and voters aren’t demanding their governments act.”

But what is the scale of the problem, both internationally and at a country specific level? Professor Sir Gordon Conway, the agricultural ecologist who heads the Agriculture for Impact Programme at Imperial College London said one of the big demands would be for meat-based diets (from the burgeoning middle classes of developing countries). Extensive use of fertiliser, rising oil prices, and the fact that we are running out of good land and water pointed to a massive crisis in which the poor would suffer.

The problem of a lack of understanding about the systemic connection between water, food and climate was raised by James Cameron, the vice-chairman of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Measuring Sustainability and chairman of CCC. His concern was a lack of long term thinking— “a scarce resource” —when it came to investment. He was worried too about the inability to value “public goods” or to change the value of assets. For instance land liable to be made infertile by flooding was a “stranded asset” which was not reflected in its price.

Climate change, and its effect on food production, was high on the agenda too. Kevin Watkins, the executive director of the Overseas Development Institute, said that there was a “total disconnect” between climate discussions and food production. A three degree rise in temperature would be unthinkable. He asked whether we wanted cheap energy or our world leaders to get to grips with climate change.

He spoke of the climate change “adaptation apartheid” between rich and poorer countries. The last big drought in the US led to insurance pay outs of $17bn to farmers which is more than all the contributions to sorting out climate change. He illustrated the point: “We have the Thames barrier while in Bangladesh they teach the children how to swim.”

Red tape also hinders investment in agricultural infrastructure, a point made by Stewart Lindsay, the director of sustainability and global corporate affairs at Bunge Ltd, the global agribusiness and food company. He said that approximately $60 trillion of investment was required in global infrastructure between 2013-2030. We need to maximise the efficiency of agriculture by connecting infrastructure—roads, rail and water systems. He said that the amounts involved were beyond the private sector and that governments must support large infrastructure initiatives as well as reduce bureaucracy. Storage infrastructure is often inadequate in developing countries causing sizeable losses to producers and excessive costs which lessen competitiveness in the market.

On the issue of diet, the panel agreed that the possibility of cultural change or “demand suppression” is important but will be hard to achieve. Professor Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University, London said “If we are going to have a meat based diet then there will not be enough food. We need to start thinking differently about the sorts of food we eat and the west is going to have to eat less and waste less.” On food waste, Robert Gladwin, the head of sustainability at BASF said the one in three calories of food was wasted, a crisis in production. Viki Hird, senior campaigner on land use, food and water security at Friends of the Earth, questioned whether there was a crisis in production, citing the huge waste in the system...

Prospect Blog @The challenges of food security and sustainability:

Agriculture Development and Nutrition Security Special PNAS USA Feature

From Joonkoo Lee, Gary Gereffi, and Janet Beauvais, Global value chains and agrifood standards: Challenges and possibilities for smallholders in developing countries doi:10.1073/pnas.0913714108

Agriculture Development and Nutrition Security Special Feature - Perspective

C. Peter Timmer
Behavioral dimensions of food security
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12315-12320; published ahead of print September 20, 2010, doi:10.1073/pnas.0913213107

Abstract
The empirical regularities of behavioral economics, especially loss aversion, time inconsistency, other-regarding preferences, herd behavior, and framing of decisions, present significant challenges to traditional approaches to food security. The formation of price expectations, hoarding behavior, and welfare losses from highly unstable food prices all depends on these behavioral regularities. At least when they are driven by speculative bubbles, market prices for food staples (and especially for rice, the staple food of over 2 billion people) often lose their efficiency properties and the normative implications assigned by trade theory. Theoretical objections to government efforts to stabilize food prices, thus, have reduced saliency, although operational, financing, and implementation problems remain important, even critical. The experience of many Asian governments in stabilizing their rice prices over the past half century is drawn on in this paper to illuminate both the political mandates stemming from behavioral responses of citizens and operational problems facing efforts to stabilize food prices. Despite the theoretical problems with free markets, the institutional role of markets in economic development remains. All policy instruments must operate compatibly with prices in markets. During policy design, especially for policies designed to alter market prices, incentive structures need to be compatible with respect to both government capacity (bureaucratic and budgetary) and empirical behavior on the part of market participants who will respond to planned policy changes. A new theoretical underpinning to political economy analysis is needed that incorporates this behavioral perspective, with psychology, sociology, and anthropology all likely to make significant contributions.

behavioral economics, structural transformation, food crises, world rice market


Joonkoo Lee, Gary Gereffi, and Janet Beauvais
Global value chains and agrifood standards: Challenges and possibilities for smallholders in developing countries
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12326-12331; published ahead of print December 13, 2010, doi:10.1073/pnas.0913714108

Ted London and Ravi Anupindi
Using the base-of-the-pyramid perspective to catalyze interdependence-based collaborations
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12338-12343; published ahead of print April 11, 2011, doi:10.1073/pnas.1013626108

Michael Kevane
Gendered production and consumption in rural Africa
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12350-12355; published ahead of print May 4, 2011, doi:10.1073/pnas.1003162108

Daniel Maxwell, Luca Russo, and Luca Alinovi
Constraints to addressing food insecurity in protracted crises
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12321-12325; published ahead of print June 6, 2011, doi:10.1073/pnas.0913215108

Prabhu L. Pingali
Green Revolution: Impacts, limits, and the path ahead
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12302-12308; published ahead of print July 23, 2012, doi:10.1073/pnas.0912953109

Laurette Dubé, Prabhu Pingali, and Patrick Webb
Paths of convergence for agriculture, health, and wealth
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12294-12301; published ahead of print July 23, 2012, doi:10.1073/pnas.0912951109

Thomas Reardon, C. Peter Timmer, and Bart Minten
Supermarket revolution in Asia and emerging development strategies to include small farmers
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12332-12337; published ahead of print December 6, 2010, doi:10.1073/pnas.1003160108

Global standards and local knowledge building: Upgrading small producers in developing countries
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12344-12349; published ahead of print June 13, 2011, doi:10.1073/pnas.1000968108

Ross A. Hammond and Laurette Dubé
A systems science perspective and transdisciplinary models for food and nutrition security
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12356-12363; published ahead of print July 23, 2012, doi:10.1073/pnas.0913003109

Patrick Webb and Steven Block
Support for agriculture during economic transformation: Impacts on poverty and undernutrition
PNAS 2012 109 (31) 12309-12314; published ahead of print December 20, 2010, doi:10.1073/pnas.0913334108


@ Special Issue 2012

You Never Know...

Life is a fascinating thing. Looking back at myself eight years ago, when I was just out of college and working on my first book, I could have never guessed how this publishing journey of mine would have turned out.

I especially never would have dreamed of meeting so many amazing people along the way.

And this is what I want to talk about today—the people thing. The thing is, you never know how things will be in the future. You never know if the person you're talking to will someday cross your path again in a new way. Publishing is a small world, so this is something you really have to think about. I want to give you a few examples.

Person #1
My best friend started querying about the same time as I did, and we clicked and bonded over our similar circumstances and writing processes. We knew no one in publishing save a few other aspiring writers. We were, by all counts and measures, on equal ground. Then my friend got an agent about a year before I did, she sold at auction, and her first book hit the bestseller list before I even sold. By the time my first book came out, her fourth was on shelves.

There was no way we could have seen that coming, and it was exciting (and sometimes jealousy inducing) to watch. I didn't make friends with her because I could see the future and knew there would be success—I just liked her and I still do.

Person #2
There was an agent I always thought was cool, but I never thought I was cool enough to be her client. If that makes sense. I would pretty much query every other agent at her agency, but never her because I was scared she'd say no and that was something I wasn't sure I could handle from her. Because she was cool and honest and if she didn't like it then it probably really did suck.

I ended up signing with an agent at her agency. And when my agent left the business, I was lucky enough to sign with yet another agent at that agency. That agent sold my first book and it was awesome. And THEN my agent left yet again, and the Cool Honest Agent I'd always eyed asked to take me on.

I almost died. I couldn't believe it. But I'm so happy to have been at this agency that has taken such good care of me through all the changes. I would have never imagined working with this agent I admire so much, and yet here I am.

Person #3
Thanks to a contest I won, I met a guy who wrote pirate fantasy in contrast to my ninja paranormal. This joke turned into a bit of a friendship, and we read a few things for each other and have been supporting each other ever since. While I've gone on to publish, he has yet to (but it WILL happen!).

I knew this guy used to write video games, but I never would have imagined I'd get an opportunity to work with him on one because of that. He's now kind of my boss, and it's awesome to see him rocking this project. It's also awesome to be part of it—once again, it's something I never would have seen coming.

**

I could list a bunch more examples, but I think I'll stop there because the point has been made. Basically, you just never know what will happen not only to you, but to the people you meet along the way. You never know who you will meet, interact with, go on tour with, sit on a panel with, etc. Chances are, you will cross paths that both make you smile and make you cringe based on past behavior.

So this is the part where I put out a general BE NICE statement. Don't be nice because it could get you somewhere, but because you will always feel better about it. Truth is, writers gossip. A lot. I will admit to doing it and feeling AWFUL about it after, and that awfulness carries to when I've ultimately met some of those people and had this pit in my stomach as I realize they know people I know and did word get to them about what I said? And worse—those authors are always lovely people who didn't deserve a word of what I said or what I'd heard from others.

I can't take stuff back now, but I hope I can be forgiven and I try to stay away from that impulse we all have to be envious and say things we shouldn't because we don't actually know that person. It's so easy to be ugly when competition is tough in this business, but I've learned both the good way and hard way that being nice is just…better.

Because you never know. You never know if that aspiring author "below you" will actually be hugely successful one day. You never know if that bestselling novelist will be your tour buddy in the future. You never know if that editor that scares you will be the person who shapes your book into something amazing. You never know if that self-published writer will become the person you rely on to help you self-publish your own stuff.

Publishing is oddly poetic like that. Stuff comes back around. People remember you. It's both terrifying and good. Opportunities can arise out of nowhere from it…but the opposite is also true.

So don't forget, even if you can't see what the future holds, chances are the people you know, the things you talk about, the place you aspire to be will all get wonderfully mixed up down the road. I hope it surprises you in as many good ways as possible.

Lessons for science communicators from the Climate Debate-- navigating Politicized Science and Scientized Politics

Stephen Schneider Lecture (GC43E 01) - AGU 2013 Fall Meeting - YouTube: "

Gavin A. Schmidt, deputy director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, talks about the challenges of communicating climate science and advocating climate policy choices. H/T Andy Revkin
Lessons for biology communicators.

Future cereal crop yield stasis or more yield growth? That is the question -- but not in Europe where innovation is shunned

Figure 5: Trends in grain yield of the three
 major cereal crops for selected regions
 since the start of the green revolution in the 1960s.

From Distinguishing between yield advances and yield plateaus in historical crop production trends
Patricio Grassini, Kent M. Eskridge & Kenneth G. Cassman
Nature Communications 4, Article number: 2918 doi:10.1038/ncomms3918
Creative Commons license, Open access to full article

Food security and land required for food production largely depend on rate of yield gain of major cereal crops. Previous projections of food security are often more optimistic than what historical yield trends would support. Many econometric projections of future food production assume compound rates of yield gain, which are not consistent with historical yield trends. Here we provide a framework to characterize past yield trends and show that linear trajectories adequately describe past yield trends, which means the relative rate of gain decreases over time. Furthermore, there is evidence of yield plateaus or abrupt decreases in rate of yield gain, including rice in eastern Asia and wheat in north-west Europe, which account for 31% of total global rice, wheat and maize production. Estimating future food production capacity would benefit from an analysis of past crop yield trends based on a robust statistical analysis framework that evaluates historical yield trajectories and plateaus.

More @ Distinguishing between yield advances and yield plateaus in historical crop production trends : Nature Communications : Nature Publishing Group:

Natural GMOs Part 187. The Amborella tree Genome shows Flowering Plant Evolution is Genome duplication and Gene Transfer

Amborella trichopoda /Wikipedia

Shaping Plant Evolution
Amborella trichopoda is understood to be the most basal extant flowering plant and its genome is anticipated to provide insights into the evolution of plant life on Earth (see the Perspective by Adams). To validate and assemble the sequence, Chamala et al. (p. 1516) combined fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), genomic mapping, and next-generation sequencing. The Amborella Genome Project (p.10.1126/science.1241089) was able to infer that a whole-genome duplication event preceded the evolution of this ancestral angiosperm, and Rice et al. (p. 1468) found that numerous genes in the mitochondrion were acquired by horizontal gene transfer from other plants, including almost four entire mitochondrial genomes from mosses and algae.

@ The Amborella Genome and the Evolution of Flowering Plants: at Science Magazine

Corn pest decline may save farmers money

 This is a European corn borer larva feeding on an ear.

Populations of European corn borer (ECB), a major corn crop pest , have declined significantly in the eastern United States, according to Penn State researchers. The decline suggests that the use of genetically modified, ECB-resistant corn hybrids -- an expensive, yet effective, solution that has been widely adopted by farmers -- may now be unnecessary in some areas.

"ECB, which was introduced to North America from Europe in the 1900s, used to be the most important pest of corn in the United States," said John Tooker, assistant professor of entomology. "Not that long ago, it caused crop losses that annually approached $1 billion nationwide, and $35 million in the northeastern United States."

According to Tooker, to protect their crops from ECB, many farmers have grown a genetically modified type of corn that expresses insecticidal toxins that kill the worms. These toxins were isolated from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

"These Bt corn hybrids have been widely adopted because they are exceptional for managing ECB -- 99.9 percent of larvae are expected to die when they feed on plants expressing Bt toxins," he said. "Yet a drawback to using these hybrids has been the high cost of purchasing the seeds, which can decrease potential profits."

This is a European corn borer
larva feeding in a tunnel in a cornstalk

To understand current ECB populations in Pennsylvania field corn, the researchers assessed larval damage in Bt and non-Bt corn hybrids at 29 sites over three years. Specifically, they planted Bt and non-Bt corn hybrids on farm sites across four growing zones in Pennsylvania in 2010, 2011 and 2012. During September of each season, they assessed corn borer damage on 400 random plants at each site. They sliced open stalks, and recorded the number of ECB tunnels and larvae per stalk. They also evaluated corn ears for ECB damage.

"Our results confirm that we are seeing widespread population declines of ECB in the East, similar to declines that have been found in the Midwestern United States," said Eric Bohnenblust, graduate student in entomology. "With less ECB damage around, non-Bt hybrids in our tests yielded just as well as Bt hybrids, so the decline in ECB populations provides an opportunity for growers to generate greater profits by planting high-yielding non-Bt seed, which is much cheaper than Bt seed. Secondarily, planting more non-Bt corn will reduce the potential for ECB to develop resistance to Bt toxins as corn rootworms have done in about a dozen states so far."

The team's results appeared in an early online edition of the journal Pest Management Science in December.

In addition to investigating the extent of ECB populations and damage in Pennsylvania, the researchers also examined the predictive ability of the PestWatch network, which traps ECB and other moth species and provides data about their prevalence.

This is a cornstalk broken
 due to larval feeding.

"While traps within the PestWatch network provide insight on ECB population size, where moths are active and periods of ECB activity, their utility as a predictive tool, particularly for field corn, has been limited," Bohnenblust said. "We found that ECB moths captured in the PestWatch network correlate well with in-field populations of ECB in field corn, which means that PestWatch data hold potential to inform decisions about whether Bt or non-Bt hybrids are right for growers in different parts of the state."

According to Tooker, growers planting Bt corn hybrids are required to plant set amounts of non-Bt corn as part of a resistance management plan to help prevent evolution of ECB populations that are resistant to the Bt toxins expressed in corn hybrids.

"Based on our results, we would tell growers to scout their non-Bt acreage toward the end of the growing season," he said. "If they have low ECB populations, and PestWatch reflects low moth captures in their area, we would recommend that in the next season they give competitive non-Bt hybrids a try on some of their acres because they could see better profits from growing non-Bt hybrids."
###

Other authors on the paper include James Breining and John Shaffer, research support assistants in plant science; Shelby Fleischer, professor of entomology; and Gregory Roth, professor of agronomy.

@ Corn pest decline may save farmers money: thanks Eureka Alert?Andy Apel

Special Interests Outvote Science: Political Stalemate over EU Biofuel Policy Continues

QUOTE from IFPRI portal:

The “food vs. fuel” debate came no closer to a resolution last week, as Energy ministers from the European Union’s 28 member states failed to agree on a compromise limiting the use of transport fuels made from food crops such as rapeseed and wheat, so-called first generation biofuels.

The EU’s current policy requires 10 percent of transport fuels to come from renewable sources by 2020; with current technologies and the low prevalence of electric cars, this amount would be almost entirely derived from liquid biofuels, mainly based on food crops. This mandate has come under fire for putting energy needs before food security, diverting necessary food crops away from hungry mouths and into gas tanks...

In July 2013, the European Parliament’s Environmental (ENVI) Committee followed the EC’s lead and voted to cap the transportation industry’s use of first-generation biofuels at 5.5 percent (a slight modification to the 5 percent proposed by the Commission) and require reporting of any indirect land use changes (ILUC) caused by biofuel production. When forests and other pristine lands are cleared for new farmland to expand biofuel production, the carbon stored in their soil and accumulated biomass is released, resulting in a net increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These ILUC effects could lower biofuels' environmental benefits... More @ Political Stalemate over EU Biofuel Policy Continues | Food Security Portal:

USDA ERS - Increased productivity now the primary source of growth in world agriculture

The average annual rate of global agricultural growth slowed in the 1970s and 1980s but then accelerated in the 1990s and 2000s. In the decades prior to 1990, most output growth came about from intensification of input use (i.e., using more labor, capital, and material inputs per acre of agricultural land). Bringing new land into agriculture production and extending irrigation to existing agricultural land were also important sources of growth. Over the last two decades, however, the rate of growth in agricultural resources (land, labor, capital, etc.) slowed. In 2001-10, improvements in productivity—getting more output from existing resources—accounted for more than three-quarters of the total growth in global agricultural output, reflecting the use of new technology and changes in management by agricultural producers around the world. This chart is found in the ERS data product, International Agricultural Productivity, on the ERS website, updated November 2013.
@ USDA ERS - Chart: Increased productivity now the primary source of growth in world agriculture:

In GM-free New Zealand the "let's demonize technology habit" is catching

From "Demonizing Wifi is dangerous to your child’s health" -- Peter Griffin:
The death of Horowhenua child Ethan Wyman from a brain tumor is tragic news. A family is grieving, the students of Te Horo School have lost a friend and classmate.

Ten year-old Ethan apparently slept with an iPod device beneath his pillow, likely listening to music or playing games on it after hitting the sack like a lot of us do. According to his dad, Damon, Ethan was just like his other siblings.

“The only difference was, Ethan had an iPod”.

As opposed to Free Wi-Fi

Ethan’s iPod had a Wifi chip in it to communicate with a wireless router to access the internet. Most computing devices do these days.

Damon and another Horowhenua father are now spearheading a campaign to have Wifi hotspots removed from Te Horo School requesting that internet instead be delivered via wired, Ethernet cables.

The Te Horo School Board of Trustees has written to parents, surveying them on their views about the removal of Wifi from the school and will make a call on it in the new year.

Damon can be forgiven for jumping to the conclusion that wifi signals were responsible for the brain tumour that killed his son. The problem is, as scientists often put it, correlation doesn’t imply causation. There is no evidence to suggest Ethan’s tumour was the result of exposure to electromagnetic fields.

More importantly, there is no evidence anywhere in the peer-reviewed literature to suggest Wifi signals pose an elevated risk of developing brain cancers...

Continues @ Demonizing Wifi is dangerous to your child’s health | Griffin’s Gadgets: in a marvellous post that is almost unintentional satire.

The conclusion by Peter Griffin:

Schools as Wifi blackspots

The Te Horo school example is a legitimate news story for the media. A school is seriously considering switching of its wireless internet coverage. I don’t need to throw any studies at you to show how important wireless access is to education.

Many of the devices kids are using at school can’t even be plugged into a wired internet connection. If you turn off the wireless network, you make it harder for kids to go online to find the learning resources they need.

For those with laptops, it means that kids have to sit near a wired connection which a typical classroom will have a limited number of – that means less time accessing the online learning resources they need. Educational applications are increasingly being targetted at the mobile phone and tablet – all of which are dependent on Wifi or mobile reception.

Without an evidence base to justify it, turning off the Wifi is therefore a regressive move that could hurt the development of children.

Damon Wyman may think he is doing the students of Te Horo School a favour. In fact, he is helping to generate the sort of hysteria that could lead to wifi networks going dark in schools across the country.

That would be a disaster.

Ban Wi-Fi. Stop Big Digit Now!

There Are 33 Ninjas On This Cover . . .

I have decided to give you an early Christmas present. Or maybe I'm giving myself an early present because I can't stand to sit on this kick butt cover any longer. So, without further chit chat:

So. Pretty awesome, right?

I have to admit I'm more nervous to show off this cover than ever before, because for the first time I had an integral role in the design. While of course I hired the fabulous Michelle Argyle (design alias is Melissa Williams Cover Design), she took her direction from me. That is a freaky place to be!

When she first asked me what I wanted, I honestly didn't have any big ideas because I was used to not thinking about it. I mean, in traditional publishing, it's just better not to get married to a cover design you imagine for your book because it WILL NOT turn out like that ever. So Michelle had to squeeze descriptors out of me, and we searched image-leasing sites, and we scoured the internet for fonts, and this is what happened.

I'm pretty proud of it.

I didn't want a cover plastered with ninja clichés, but I wanted to have a ninja feel. I wanted it to be simple, but not boring. I wanted it to be hard, urban, and yet hint at some playfulness and paranormal as well. I wanted it be look plain cool, to hopefully appeal to its intended audience. Michelle did an amazing job of translating my desires into an image I'm so excited to have on the cover of my novel.

I hope you're excited, too, because I've decided this book will be coming out June 3, 2014! It works a little differently with self-pubbing—getting the novel uploaded to all the many sellers—but it will definitely be available by then at the latest.

And if you're curious as to what's inside, I have cover copy for you! So many presents!

A Clan of ninjas in San Francisco may sound improbable—but as the son of a ninja master, Tosh Ito knows what lurks in the shadows of his city. Or at least he thought he did. 

When a killer with a poisoned blade starts cutting down teens, Tosh enlists Amy Sato—newest ninja recruit and his best friend’s crush—and sets out to uncover the killer's identity. What they find is ninjutsu more evil than they could have ever imagined. 

As Amy and Tosh grow closer, they discover their connection unleashes a legendary power that could stop the murders. Problem is, that power may be exactly what the killer is looking for, and wielding it could cost them both their souls.

Whew. I need to take a deep breath here. I'm actually shaking as I write up this post, because I can't believe I'm really doing this. RELAX, I'M A NINJA will be a book after five years of writing, editing, failed subs, and then a long stint in the book vault—that's totally crazy to me. Even if I'm doing it on my own, without publisher "validation," this means the world to me. I have always wanted to share this story, and I hope it finds people who love it despite it being a little different.

Thanks to everyone who has been excited about this with me. No joke, you are the reason I have the courage to do this—I would have never gotten past all the publishing hurdles without you guys cheering me on.

So go forth! Share this baby all you want. It's been dying to meet the world for a long time now.

"Where Can I Find Your Books?"

UPDATE: BLINSIDED is officially available on IndieBound now! Yay!

When you publish a book, there is a standard canon of questions you will now be asked constantly. I'm not sure how it happens, but I have a theory the post office sends out a pamphlet to all your contacts informing them of these questions.

There's the ever-loaded "How's your book doing?" or the even worse "Is your book doing well?" At events there's the dreaded "Where do you get your inspiration?" My favorite and most inappropriate question has been "Are you going to move?" As if I am now magically drowning in money.

But there's a more practical question that I get a lot:

"Where can I find your books?"

For the most part, I really appreciate this question because I HOPE it will lead to a sale at some point in the future. I like sales! Sales, in all practicality, make it so I can keep writing. At least I hope so. But now that BLINDSIDED is upon us, I've seen how this question can be used as yet another mark of "judgment" upon your standing as an author.

See, with TRANSPARENT I was blessed to be able to say with some confidence, "You can get my book almost anywhere that sells books, except like Walmart, Target, and Costco." It was at every major online retailer. It was featured on the Kids' Indie Next list, so it was even in many independent stores across the country.

Well, BLINDSIDED is a little different. Since it's coming from across the pond, we haven't yet gotten it into Barnes & Noble—not even online. It's also not on IndieBound, which makes me sad because I love the indies. It will likely not be on very many American shelves (much different story in UK territories, don't you fret, my UK friends!), and when I tell people that there's this face they get.

It's kinda like the pity face, but also mixed with a "Oh, this book must not be that important" face, too. Which has gotten me thinking a lot about how it might be for indie authors who say their book is only available online or, "even worse," just in ebook form. People must get this look like, "Oh, so you're not like a real author." I am prepping for this with RELAX, I'M A NINJA.

But see, the reality is that you can be with a big publisher and not make it into Barnes & Noble. You can be with a big publisher and only really have online sales to rely on. You can be with a big publisher overseas and it looks "unimportant" in your country of origin. This actually happens all the time. Like, ALL THE TIME. And it's nothing to be ashamed of. So if you are a debut stressing about this or an aspiring writer worried that no shelf placement means the end of the world, it's just not true. Especially now in the digital age.

And yet a little piece of me is still like, "Aw, poor BLINDSIDED. People won't find it as easily as TRANSPARENT." There's a bit of insecurity that I didn't expect, and that I'm honestly glad I'm facing with my second published book because I'm mostly over the debut angst.

Honestly, I'm just so glad to have BLINDSIDED out there at all (24 days! Wee!), because for years I'd tried to accept that I'd never get to write the rest of Fiona's story. The fact that it's a real book (that I wrote this year!) is kind of a miracle to me. I get to share it, even if it's not "everywhere." My gratitude to Hot Key for this chance is infinitesimal.

So with that in mind, I want to make sure you all know where you CAN buy BLINDSIDED.

You can buy it on Amazon and Book Depository (Which has free shipping! And you can also purchase the UK TRANSPARENT if you like matching sets!), if you want to purchase it online. 

If you want a SIGNED copy, please pre-order it from The King's English, which is my local awesome indie store. They are hosting my launch party (Jan 2nd @ 7PM), so if you call them (phone #: 801-484-9100) and pre-order/order I can sign that copy at my signing and they will mail it to you wherever you may live. Note that this may be one of the few ways to get a signed copy, as I will only be doing two signings for BLINDSIDED (the other is at the Oceanside B&N on Jan 23 @ 6PM). 

OUT OF TUNE!

Can that cover be more gorgeous?
I think not. And Michelle designed it herself!

Michelle and I met winter 2008, when both of out first paragraphs were finalists in Nathan Bransford's legendary 1st Paragraph Contest. Little did we know then that we not only lived very close to each other, but that we'd be come such good friends on top of it.

I've always admired Michelle's courage—she experimented with self-publishing and small press long before I decided it might be a good direction for RELAX, I'M A NINJA. Truth be told, I've always been watching her, wondering if I could put myself out there like she does, stand by my work without the "validation" of a publisher.

Her example was ultimately a big part in what gave me the push to try self-publishing, and she has been my veritable sensei as I've taken each step on that path thus far.

So of course I'm excited about her newest novel released today—OUT OF TUNE is about "tone deaf" Maggie Roads, daughter of two country stars, and her journey to find her own place in the industry she loves so much. There are hot guys and heartbreaking situations and plenty of country flair (I am not a country fan but still loved it, so don't let that stop you, either.).

If you love country or are interested in exploring a New Adult book that is more focused on character growth than the sex (though there is some sex), I highly recommend buying OUT OF TUNE. You can find more info about it here, as well as purchasing information.

All Day Q&A!

It's been a couple months since my last routine Q&A, so here we are! Ask all the questions you'd like—I am here for you today. Need advice on writing? I got it. Want to know sekrit stuff about my books? Ask away! Want an opinion on something totally random? Sure! Interested in book, anime, Kdrama recs? I have plenty.

I will take questions on comments below, on my Facebook page, on Twitter, AND on Tumblr (this is new I just got a tumblr like a month ago!).

Holiday Swag For You!

The holidays are upon us, guys, and it's kinda freaking me out because how in the world is 2013 almost over? It went by so fast! But anyway, I wanted to do a special offer because I think the holidays are a great time to gift books, and I hope some of you might consider my own for yourself, your friends/family, or a teen in your life.

So if you decide to buy TRANSPARENT or pre-order BLINDSIDED or HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW, please fill out this form—and I will send you both a hand-drawn, personalized book plate for the novel and bookmarks to go with it. Then your gift can be that much more special!

This offer will only be available now through December 31st, and it is US/CAN/UK only.

Happy holidays, everyone!

All The Decisions

If you've been following me at all this week or last, you've probably noticed a lot of references to the cover I've been working on for my self-published novel, RELAX, I'M A NINJA. I've been lucky enough to work with my close friend Michelle Argyle (who designs under Melissa Williams Cover Design), and it has been quite the interesting experience.

You see, I've been in traditional publishing for the past two and a half years since I sold TRANSPARENT. And as anyone who works with a publisher knows, you just have to let go of a lot of control. I never had much of a problem with that. I didn't feel like I needed to be intimately involved with cover design or marketing or whatever, and I've honestly really lucked out so far in the design department. I've LOVED the covers my publishers have given me.

So approaching a cover on my own was a foreign thing for me to do. Obviously I didn't do it ALL on my own—I hired a wonderful designer—but for the first time the direction of the cover fell solely to me. The approach from a marketing standpoint, the mood of the cover, the target demographic—these were things I had to decide. Little ol' me.

As I started working with Michelle, I gave her very vague directions and pretty much free reign. Then she kept coming back to me with a question that would surprise me every time she asked:

"Well, what do YOU want?"

And the variation: "What do YOU think?"

Each time I'd be like, "Me? What? Really? I have to decide these things and tell you what I want and what to do?"

I've never been asked for my opinion on a publishing thing so much in my life! It's both terrifying because the responsibility is all mine, but liberating because I'm in charge of my own work. This became another moment when the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing was a huge contrast. Neither necessarily bad. Just different. (Because if you've been in publishing at all, you probably know that no situation is ideal and every path has pros and cons.)

As I've said, I've loved having my covers designed for me by publishers. But I've also been pleasantly surprised by the process of personally collaborating with a designer myself.

Having this creative freedom is a refreshing thing, and I feel like it's injected a much-needed dose of fun, experimentation, and joy to my writing life. I'm learning new things, and that's exciting. It's also been very nice to have A Project to distract myself from being on sub on the traditional publishing side.

I can't wait to show off my new cover next year. It's going to be very hard to sit on for a couple months, but I know from my traditional publishing experience that releasing it nine months before launch is way too soon. So I will exercise self-restraint.

Blindsided! Less Than Two Months!

So today while I was working on the cover for RELAX, I'M A NINJA, it hit me that BLINDSIDED is less than two months away.

And then I promptly freaked out.

There's something about that two month mark that injects all the feels into an author. It means the book is going to be out there soon, not my own anymore. And that is a strange thing when I started said book this year and haven't had nearly as much time with it as my others.

But there's no stopping time. All I can do is ride the roller coaster and hope my readers will like where I took Fiona's story. I do, at least.

Enough of that, though. I have EVENTS to announce! I really hope to see you at these, especially my out-of-state signing that makes me fairly nervous.

BLINDSIDED Launch Party:
January 2, 2014
The King's English
Salt Lake City, UT.
7PM
(If you want to pre-order a signed copy—or you can't get there and want a signed copy—call the store at 801-484-9100 or order online.)

Southern California Signing—With Kiersten White and Shannon Messenger!
January 23, 2014
Oceanside Barnes & Noble
Oceanside, CA
6PM

Vegas Book Festival

If you're in the Vegas area this weekend, I will be at the Vegas Valley Book Festival! It's free to the public, and will feature a horde of amazing authors. Check out more info here. If you're just coming for me (because of course you are, right?), my panel is at 2:15 on November 2nd, and my signing is at 4:15 the same day.

Also, you should probably know I will be giving away a copy of BLINDSIDED and a copy of HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW while I'm there. You just have to be able to answer a TRANSPARENT trivia question to get the chance. So if you are gunning for those books, if you see me please feel free to ask for the question!

A Full Circle Moment With Jodi Meadows

First—if you want to see some of my favorite/dream costumes—check out this guest post of mine. It was fun to put together and I don't want anyone to miss it!

Today I get to share a blurb that means a lot to me, because it comes from a person who has seen some of the worst examples of my writing. That person? The lovely Jodi Meadows, author of the Incarnate series. Here's what she said about HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW:

Heartwarming, dangerous, and enchanting: Natalie Whipple's HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW offers a delicious tale filled with sacrifice, a terrifying villain, and so many people I'd love to call friends. It's better than pudding! 

Way, way back, like 2008, I was querying my second project. My first project hadn't gotten any requests, and I decided to move on to my Zombie Romance Novel (yes, for reals). I wasn't a good writer yet, but I didn't know how to get better and hoped that someone out there might see my potential anyway.

Querying the Zombie Romance Novel didn't go much better than my first attempt. I was getting a lot of rejections, BUT I did get one little request of the 25 queries I sent on that project before I gave up yet again.

And that request was from Jodi.

Jodi was an agent's assistant at the time, and she became The Very First Person In Publishing To Request My Work. Suffice it to say, that's not something I ever forgot. That first request is a big deal—it's the small thing that gives an author hope that maybe, just maybe, I do have some talent. It kept me going, as all requests do during that hard query road.

Of course, Jodi and her agent did ultimately pass on the Zombie Romance Novel, but when I came at them with my Dragon Novel Jodi requested again. And in the end rejected again. The same happened with The Ninjas. But clearly there was something in my writing/ideas that she got, even if my writing was still not there.

So Jodi and I kinda got to know each other. We're not crit partners, but I think we've been following each other's journeys closely through the years. I remember when she sold INCARNATE, and how happy I was for her. I feel really privileged to know that she read and liked my words—that I finally figured out this writing thing enough for Jodi to give her Stamp Of Approval. It's definitely a full circle moment for me.

7-Word Pitch Winners!

Thank you, friends, for the awesome pitches you sent in! My favorite thing about this contest is seeing how creative you guys get. And your stories! I get so excited to crit when I see how much talent is out there. I'm really looking forward to how these pitches translate into the pages I will be reading.

Now, I picked winners solely based on my personal preferences and what I wanted to read. If I didn't pick your pitch, it has no bearing on the quality of your work or its potential to attract an agent/publisher. There were many great pitches and I just had to go with what grabbed me the most.

Shall we get on with it? I will share the first 6 winners and why I chose them, and then I will end with the GRAND PRIZE winner, who will also receive an ARC of HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW.

Beth Smith "Faithless girl meet town of true believers." — I loved the inherent conflict in this pitch, and the many possible directions this could be taken. I immediately wanted to see how this played out.

Kara "Shakespeare Festival road trip leads to LOVE!" — This caught my eye because of the topics involved. I was a techie in high school, so the idea of a Shakespeare Fest road trip warms the cockles of my heart.

Jenny "Zombie disease causes anxiety for germaphobic teenager." — This grabbed me because it was both funny with a hint of creepy, which reminds me of the awesome Carrie Harris. I'm a wuss when it comes to horror, but when there's humor fused with it I can totally get on board.

Leandra Wallace "Grieving teen fights gargoyles in 1777 Boston." — I liked the historical aspect of this, and am interested to see how the implied paranormal elements play in. Maybe because I'm in love with Sleepy Hollow, but 1777 Boston sounds like a cool time period to showcase.

Nicki "Reluctant princess betrothed to father's murderer." — The potential for conflict in these 7 words is just fabulous. And hey, I like princesses. Who doesn't like princesses now and then?

Steph Sessa "Framed for treason, synesthete fights for freedom." — Synesthesia is something I've always found very interesting, so that immediately caught my eye. I want to see how that pov is handled. It's sure to be a unique take on a "framed for treason" story.

AND THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

Stephanie Lynn Smith "Teen girl science prodigy resurrects dead boyfriend." — I just...this has "recipe for disaster" written all over it, which is golden. Also, I'm feeling like it may have a Mary Shelly connection, because of the Frankenstein themes. Either way, it sounds like good fun to me.


Winners! Please email me at nataliewhipple@hotmail.com so that we can work out the details of the prizes. If you MS isn't ready, please still email me so that I know to delay your crit (which is totally okay).

Thanks to all who entered! This will be a yearly thing, so I hope to see some of you next time!

House Of Ivy & Sorrow! Six Months!

I know I just had a contest for BLINDSIDED, but now it's six months until HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW releases and I find this very exciting!

Also, on October 10th, I passed my seven years of blogging mark, which begs to be celebrated. So part of this contest with also feature a chance to win a query and 10-page crit of your novel from yours truly. This is the only time in the year I offer this prize, just so you know.

AND, as if that's not enough to celebrate, I have a BLURB to share! Let's do that first:

"I can sum up this book in one word: COST. Everything in Natalie Whipple's HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW has a price. Every spell requires a sacrifice. But that's not where the price tags end. What is the price of a relationship? A friendship? A friend's life? And secrets. Secrets have the highest cost of all. A wonderful, dark tale of witches who feel all too human. Loved it!" 

—Aprilynne Pike, bestselling author of awesomeness, creator of the Wings series, along with Life After Theft, the Earthbound series, and the upcoming Sleep No More

Awesome, right? I have to admit I love hearing Good Things about HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW, because it's pretty much my pet book. Yes, my favorite of the things I've written to date (except for maybe the thing I have on sub, but it's close). I really hope people enjoy it, and I feel like now is also a good time to share a teaser, yes? Because six months! And prizes! And today is a party! (I feel like I should have cupcakes now...)

From HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW:

I slam the door behind me and lean against it. My heart pounds, though I’m not quite sure why. He didn’t seem like a bad person, but there was something evil with him. It was wrong for him to be here, to see me.

After I bolt the door, I head back to Nana. “Here are your spiders.”

Her white eyebrows furrow over her impossibly dark eyes. “What’s wrong?”

So much for hiding my panic. “Nothing. There was just a man at the gate. I sent him away.”

She goes to the window and pulls the green velvet curtain back, as if he’d still be there. “He didn’t come for a spell?”

I shake my head. “He . . . asked for Carmina.”

Her eyes snap to mine.

“He didn’t know she was dead.”

She shuts the curtain with far more force than necessary. “You are not to go out there again.”

“Wha . . . wait, what?” I didn’t expect her to be happy about the stranger, but this is harsh, even for her. “Why?”

“Not safe . . . not safe . . .” She goes to her cabinets, grabbing all sorts of eyes. Eyes—for which to see. Magic can be rather literal at times. “No good can come from those who seek the dead.”

“Would you mind explaining?”

No answer. She’s already in full incantation mode, the small cauldron heating on a Bunsen burner and all. Nana is an incredible witch. I watch in amazement as she goes through each phase at lightning speed, and by memory. I still have so much to learn from her. The liquid is almost finished by the time I realize what she’s doing.

I groan. “Do I have to?”

“Yes, child, before it’s too late.” She motions for me to come over.

I grab the small knife on her desk as I go. Payment. Always. I hold my finger over the bubbling liquid and cut. It doesn’t sting until the blood is already dripping. I watch, only because I have to know when to stop the flow. The concoction turns from green to autumn orange. I pull my hand back and search for a tissue.

“That’s it. . . .” Nana waves her hands over the baby cauldron. In an instant a ghostlike figure appears—the man, with his sad eyes and nice suit, right from my fresh memories.

Cool, right? Okay, on to the PRIZES and how to win them. Admittedly, this contest is for The Writers out there, but I will have more contests! I still have a handful of ARCs to give away before HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW releases.

SEVEN-WORD PITCH CONTEST:

How To Enter: It's simple, really. You have a novel? I want to hear your pitch in seven words (To honor  seven years blogging, of course. Last year it was a six-word pitch, so no complaining you get a whole extra word!).

You may give that pitch here in comments, on Twitter (@nataliewhipple), or on my FB page. I will pick SEVEN favorites as the winners. And so you know, my winners have had shockingly good success in querying—three of the six winners last year emailed me to let me know they got agents, and one of them even sold their novel! (Yes, I'm totally proud of them and so excited.)

Prizes: The seven winners will all receive a query and 10-page crit of their novel. My favorite entry will also get an ARC of HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW plus swag.

Deadline: You have one week to enter! That means all entries are due October 22, 2013, at midnight Mountain Time. I will post winners October 23rd.

Good luck if you enter! This was one of my favorite things I did last year, so I can't wait to see how you pitch your novels in seven words!