Thrilled to announce FLIGHT OF THE BATS, my next nonfiction picture book, illustrated by the incredibly talented Hannah Salyer! This book—coming your way from Beach Lane Books at Simon & Schuster in 2026, which feels like eons away but is rather soon in publishing terms—tells the true story of the massive colony of free-tailed bats that roosts beneath the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin, Texas during warm weather months.
Decades ago, the colony was vilified and nearly exterminated—but, thanks to a wildly successful public awareness campaign led by conservationists, it survived and thrived. Now it’s one of the most iconic sights in Austin and a premier example of how humans and wildlife can coexist harmoniously in urban spaces. Each night at sunset, huge crowds of locals and tourists gather to watch up to 1.5 million bats take flight, forming a dark, swirling ribbon against the dusk sky. I was first stunned by the spectacle several years ago while visiting Austin and have revisited it often since moving to the city—at first for fun, then for research!
Speaking of which, researching this book has been a joy: In addition to sunset emergence viewings, I’ve attended bat biology and conservation workshops, met some of the world’s leading bat scientists, and become a fully certified bat nerd. I’m excited to share research stories and behind-the-scenes fun as we get closer to publication.
