◆ Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents follows Marty and Deb Essen on a three-and-a-half-year-long adventure to some of the wildest places on all seven continents. The American couple began crisscrossing the globe with the simple intention of searching for rare and interesting wildlife. When their travels coincided with the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the added element made them unwitting ambassadors for peace. Their experiences--from amusing to life threatening--changed their lives forever. This is not your average travelogue. Marty Essen has written a book that entertains, informs, and poignantly reminds us that we all share a small planet. ★ Features 85 color photos. ★ The stage show version of Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, "Around the World in 90 Minutes," has been a hit on college campuses for 14 years and counting! Locations visited include: Belize, Peru (the Amazon Rainforest), Argentina, Australia (Queensland), Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and Northwest Territories), Antarctica, Europe (Spain, France, Switzerland, and Andorra), Malaysia (Borneo), and Africa (Zimbabwe). ◆ Winner: 2009 Green Book Festival Award for Animals ◆ Winner: 2007 Benjamin Franklin Award for Travel/Essay ◆ Winner: National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Award for Travel/Essay ◆ Winner: Best Books 2006 Book Award for Travel/Essay ◆ Winner: Bronze 2006 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award for Travel/Essay ◆ Winner: Bronze 2007 IPPY Award for Travel/Essay Writing  Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents  was quite the experience! I devoted each chapter to a different continent, plus Central America.   My process for creating the book was to go on an adventure; write the chapter; and then head out again. In all, my travels spanned three-and-a-half years, and my writing and research time totaled more than twelve thousand hours.   Here's where I went during my travels: Peru (the Amazon Rainforest), Argentina, Australia (Queensland), Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and Northwest Territories), Antarctica, Europe (Spain, France, Switzerland, and Andorra), Malaysia (Borneo), and Africa (Zimbabwe).   Since I was essentially writing the book "live," one of my trepidations was that a trip might turn out to be boring. If that happened, would I have to subject my readers to a snoozer of a chapter? Fortunately, something exciting and magical happened on every adventure!   Something else magical has happened:  Cool Creatures, Hot Planet  has become a book with a life of its own. After the print edition came out in 2007, it won six national awards. That led to a live, multi-media version of the book, called Around the World in 90 Minutes. I have been performing  Around the World in 90 Minutes  at colleges and other venues since 2007. My show is still going strong. If I'm in your area, I hope you will check it out--you'll have a blast.   Finally, December 2012 marked the release of  Cool Creatures, Hot Planet  on Kindle. A Kindle release wasn't part of the plan, but after purchasing a Kindle Paperwhite for myself, I fell in love with the format. I found that I could read much longer without eyestrain and loved that I could read late into the night, with the lights out. Encante Press did a great job of reformatting my book for Kindle, and it still includes all of the photos people ooh and aah about so often.   Whether you purchase the print or the Kindle version of  Cool Creatures, Hot Planet , I thank you. And I hope to see you at one of my live shows soon!   P.S. If you bring your book to my show, I will be happy to sign it for you. If you have the Kindle version, I usually have bookmarks or other goodies with me that I can sign for you instead. "This is a wonderful book--a labor of love--that describes in soul-stirring language what it is like to live with the people, the animals, the birds, the snakes, the insects, the jungles, the treacherous rivers, the gorgeous scenery of seven continents. It is the best travel and exploratory work I have yet encountered. Marty Essen and his wife, Deb, are two highly intelligent, imaginative, and brave people." --Senator George McGovern, 1972 Democratic nominee for president "An exciting and adventurous read. Cool Creatures, Hot Planet by Marty Essen is a roller coaster ride through the natural world that will both entertain and enlighten readers." --Jeff Corwin, The Jeff Corwin Experience Marty Essen began writing professionally in the 1990s as a features writer for Gig Magazine. His first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, won six national awards, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune named it a "Top Ten Green Book." His second book, Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico, won four national awards.   His novels, Time Is Irreverent, Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again