Wheaton Author on New York Times Nonfiction Bestseller List

Jennifer S. Holland, a National Geographic writer who lives in Wheaton, always figured there'd be an audience for her book on animal friendships. But she never considered just how big that audience would get.

"I pictured it up at the front at Target, the thing somebody picks up and says, `Aunt Jean likes dogs, let's get her this' -- the spontaneous little gift book," Holland said in an interview with Patch. "But it's selling out everywhere."

Holland's book, "Unlikely Friendships," published this summer by Workman Publishing, was ranked 9th on the August 14 New York Times nonfiction print and e-book bestseller list.

Holland, who received a modest advance, expects to earn some money from the strong sales but hasn't yet received a royalty check.

With so much grim news from around the world, the book "is just really resonating with people," Holland said.

Workman has plans to publish a calendar based on the book this year and is already talking about a second volume. Holland said she wants to come up with a topic that's different, but related.

"I think people just are eating up stories that have hope and happiness in them," she said.

Holland is currently at work on a piece for the magazine on the use of snake venom in pharmaceuticals. The story has taken her to Vietnam, with future research trips planned for Cameroon, Congo and Fiji.

The book came about when Workman noticed captions Holland had written for animal photographs in a National Geographic article and approached her with the book concept.

A longtime science writer with a master's degree in conservation biology from the University of Maryland, Holland was intrigued, but wanted the book to go beyond cute pictures of rhinoceros with kittens.

So, she tried to include science in the blurbs she wrote for each of the 47 "friendships," or instances of interspecies relationships in captivity and the wild profiled in the book, while avoiding an overly-technical or academic style.

For example, in relaying the story of watching Puffer fish swimming with Oriental Sweetlips (another fish species) off the Australian coast, Holland explains why the ocean is a good place to uncover symbiotic relationships between species.

In her story of how a sheep stood in as a surrogate parent to an African elephant, she discusses the traits that might make sheep a good fit for highly social elephants.

Another challenge, Holland said, was keeping track of all the instances of interspecies relationships she came across through Internet research, animal-related listserves and tips from friends, family and associates.

"At one point, I had between 80 and 90 stories I was pursuing, it was a challenge to keep it straight," Holland said. Typically, she would track down the animals' owners or caretakers and interview them over the telephone. The photographs came from zoos, sanctuaries, homes and wherever else the animal friendships were found. The best 47 stories made the final cut.

Holland's longtime friend Melanie Carlos Costello set up Excel spreadsheets to help Holland track her cases during the research phase.

"It really was quite a task to keep track of over 80 stories at once," Costello said. "She is unique in that she doesn't get overwhelmed like others would."

Costello said Holland is a prolific writer and diligent worker who is adept at breaking big projects into small tasks so she can make steady progress. She credits the book's success with Holland's ability to write about science in a compelling way.

"She really knows how to make the science accessible and interesting for the lay person," Costello said. "That's exactly what she did, and I think her blend of storytelling and science is appealing to readers."