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A Reptile Made Me Do It – Episode 3

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Recap: In Episodes 1 and 2, I told you how a turtle made me think reptiles were cute, how an endangered iguana made me write a song about reptile conservation, and how that song became a video and a book.

And now, in Episode 3, you’ll learn about how a lizard made me write another song, video, and book … and all about my upcoming visit to IguanaLand!

I’m a desert spiny lizard, but you can call me “DSL,”

Oh, I’m a desert spiny lizard, but you can call me “DSL,”

My life is hot and dusty … all this crawlin’ in the desert ain’t swell!

That’s how my song, “Desert Spiny Lizard Blues,” begins, and it just gets more blue after that. You can check it out for yourself here.

I really can’t remember what inspired me to write a song about a lizard, so, once again, I’m going to pin the blame on a reptile – probably the one whose photo graces the cover of my latest children’s book, “I’m a Desert Spiny Lizard.”

Yes, that’s right. I wrote a book about a lizard – because once “Desert Spiny Lizard Blues” was written, recorded, and uploaded to YouTube, I felt compelled to create a children’s book to go with it, much as I’d done with my song, “I’m an Iguana.”

Unexpectedly, I now have two reptile books for kids under my belt, and they’re packed with factual information that I learned from reptile experts. I’m proud to announce that I’ll be offering both of these cute, fun, and educational reptile books for sale at the 3rd annual IguanaFest in Punta Gorda, Florida this weekend!

Not only that, but I’ll be selling my own handmade reptile-themed holiday ornaments to go with the books.

It’s true. I’ve gone reptile-crazy. When I first laid eyes on this adorable reptile-themed fabric, I couldn’t resist buying the whole two yards that were left on the bolt, even though I had no idea what I would do with it. Eventually, the idea of making felt holiday ornaments came to me.

So you see, not only have reptiles managed to coerce me into writing songs and books about them, posed for photographs, and demanded to appear in videos, but now they’re even sending me out of state to a reptile FESTIVAL, at the largest reptile zoo in the world (a.k.a. “IguanaLand”).

What’s next? Will a reptile make me write another episode for this blog series? Probably. I’m sure they’ll want you to find out what IguanaFest was like.

Stay tuned for the exciting final episode of A Reptile Made Me Do It!

A Reptile Made Me Do It – Episode 2

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Recap: In Episode 1, we learned all about my close encounters of the reptile kind – starting with my childhood pet, Elvis the turtle, and progressing to all of the snakes and lizards (no, that’s not a euphemism) that I encountered while living in Tucson, Arizona.

And now the moment you’ve been waiting for: Episode 2, in which you will learn what a reptile actually made me do.

It was 2018, and I was meeting with my writing critique partners, Elaine A. Powers and Susan Oyler. We meet biweekly to tear apart kindly support each other’s writing efforts. Elaine (author, biologist, and conservationist) had just mentioned something about an iguana.

“Rock iguanas are endangered on the Cayman Islands,” she told us. “They could use our help.”

She was talking about Cyclura nubila caymanensis, a.k.a. the Sister Isles iguana. Its population is dwindling significantly due to human actions like construction, the introduction of invasive animals, and careless driving.

“But what can I do from here?” I wondered. And then it hit me. I could write a song! I’m no Bob Dylan, but I do believe that when the times they are a-changin’, it might be time for a new tune.

A frog is an amphibian, not a reptile.

Perhaps it was my childhood exposure to my brother’s pet reptiles that had something to do with it. Or maybe tiny Elvis (who’d “left the building” several years prior) was calling to me from wherever turtles go when they die. 

Anyway, I got to work.

First, I stole the melody from a song I’d already written.* If you steal from yourself, it isn’t really stealing, is it?

(* Note: THAT song, the one I stole from, is on Facebook. I wrote it for my brother and sister-in-law as a housewarming gift. If you’re on Facebook, you can watch my sister Sue (flute) and I performing it here:

https://www.facebook.com/lori.bonati/videos/10217077113743841

How about that flute accompaniment!)

Next, I added lyrics about an iguana who’s being run off the road by bad drivers.

After recording the new song, “I’m an Iguana,” (with Chuck Phillips on keyboard), Elaine’s illustrator created a video to go with it, and it was uploaded to Elaine’s YouTube channel. You can view it here:

I think it turned out really cute – almost as cute as Elvis the turtle.

And because so many people seemed to like the song, I didn’t just stop there. I used most of the lyrics for “I’m an Iguana” in a picture book, “Iguana in the Road,” illustrated by Diane Ronning and published in 2023. You can learn more about it here:

https://a.co/d/cJt7AiW

So you see, it’s true. When it comes to one of my latest songs, videos, and books, I’m not really responsible. No, a reptile – specifically, Cyclura nubila caymanensis, the Sister Isles iguana – the “Iguana in the Road” – made me do it.

And, in the next exciting episode of “A Reptile Made Me Do It,” you’ll learn about how ANOTHER reptile made me produce a song, a video, and a book. Stay tuned for the “Desert Spiny Lizard Blues.”