Author Archives: ahaynes1

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About ahaynes1

It all began in the dirt. I spent my summers hooked on the thrill of unearthing new fossils from the riverbanks of Toronto’s wildest spaces. When the snows came, and I got a little older, I wrote and wrote, until I ended up as head of content marketing for a global tech firm. Along the way I co-wrote two non-fiction books, published by John Wiley &Sons in the US, Canada and more than a half-dozen other countries. Now based in Belleville, I’m working on spreading the word about local fossil hunting for beginners and with continuing the story of Foster’s quest to uncover fantastic fossils around the world—and find a way to make friendship and family work.

Real-Life Time Eaters Stripping the Fossil Record

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Real-Life Time Eaters Stripping the Fossil Record

In recent years bandits on motorcycles have been descending on dig sites in Asia to steal ancient and important finds while paleontologists sleep. The dinosaur fossils are hastily removed and carried off into the night.

Through an underground network of fences and middlemen the fossils are smuggled out of the country and sold to private collectors.

The cost to science and our understanding of prehistory is incalculable.

Check out this great look at the burgeoning Jurassic crime spree:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/dinosaurs/10411253/The-trade-in-stolen-dinosaur-fossils.html

The Time Eater: A Foster Raymond Fossil Hunter Novel is available now in paperback and eBook at Amazon.ca and as an eBook at Indigo, Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Nicholas Cage’s Tarbosaurus Skull Came from Convicted Fossil Thief

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Nicholas Cage’s Tarbosaurus Skull Came from Convicted Fossil Thief

Cage outbid Leonardo DiCaprio for the 67-million-year-old T. Bataar skull at auction in 2007. But it now seems the biggest prehistoric skull ever found was provided by Eric Prokopi—a real life Time Eater.

Prokopi is currently facing 17 years in jail for stealing fossils from the rich beds of China and Mongolia, and selling them to private collectors—removing them from the light of science forever.

It doesn’t seem Cage or DiCaprio knew where the skull came from at the time—but the practice of collecting these great finds is in itself preventing paleontologists from properly examining finds and hurting our understanding of the great beasts.

More info here:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/wild_things/2013/10/29/nicolas_cage_stolen_dinosaur_skull_hollywood_stars_should_stop_collecting.html

The Time Eater: A Foster Raymond Fossil Hunter Novel is available now in paperback and eBook at Amazon.ca and as an eBook at Indigo, Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Newly Discovered T. Rex Relative Dubbed — ‘King of Gore’

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Newly Discovered T. Rex Relative Dubbed -- ‘King of Gore’

Paleontologists in Utah have discovered a previously unknown relative of T. Rex that is 10 million years older than scientists thought possible. The 24-ft-tall predator known as Lythronax argestes—or ‘King of Gore’—was covered in scales and feathers, and had ‘banana-sized meat cleavers’ for teeth.

What’s even more important is that paleontologists figure there are 1 million acres of cretaceous rock yet to be surveyed in the area—rock that is likely to produce many more new species of dinosaur.

Check out the article here:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/11/behold-newest-dinosaur-king-gore/71346/

The Time Eater: A Foster Raymond Fossil Hunter Novel is available now in paperback and eBook at Amazon.ca and as an eBook at Indigo, Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Sewers, Backyards…Dinosaurs are Turning Up Everywhere

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Sewers, Backyards…Dinosaurs are Turning Up Everywhere

For the second time in two weeks construction workers in Alberta have uncovered duck-billed dinosaur fossils in their trenches. The hadrosaurs—68-million-year-old plant eaters—were found six metres down by ‘keen-eyed amateurs.’

And the great thing about the latest find is that it’s a rare, virtually complete skeleton—an 8 metre tall teenager.

Check out this article for more:

http://o.canada.com/news/its-hard-to-dig-a-hole-in-alberta-without-finding-a-dinosaur/

The Time Eater: A Foster Raymond Fossil Hunter Novel is available now in paperback and eBook at Amazon.ca and as an eBook at Indigo, Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Mummified Dinosaur—the Best Preserved Ever

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Mummified Dinosaur—the Best Preserved Ever

A duck-billed dinosaur named Leonardo has the honor of being the best preserved dino fossil ever found. The find, currently being worked on at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis still has 90% of its soft tissue intact—including stomach and contents.

And he was found in Montana by a small band of volunteers!

Leonardo is scheduled to go on public display in March, 2014.
Check out this article for more:

http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/preserved-dinosaur-home-indianapolis-58158/

The Time Eater: A Foster Raymond Fossil Hunter Novel is available now in paperback and eBook at Amazon.ca and as an eBook at Indigo, Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.

The Pliosaur in Your Backyard

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The Pliosaur in Your Backyard

Fossil hunters can be the most unlikely people and fossils can turn up in the most unlikely places. Back in 1997 a retired man building a fence in his backyard uncovered a bone from a 250-million-year-old pliosaur—a 65-foot-long predator of the ancient seas.

That’s crazy enough, but check out this article to see what he did with his incredible find…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2484575/Man-dinosaur-bone-garden-16-years-ago-finally-called-museum.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

The Time Eater: A Foster Raymond Fossil Hunter Novel is available now in paperback and eBook at Amazon.ca and as an eBook at Indigo, Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Heddy Lamar–The Bombshell Beauty with an Inventor’s Mind

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Heddy Lamar--The Bombshell Beauty with an Inventor's Mind

In THE TIME EATER, Foster Raymond’s neighbour and fellow fossil hunter, Ashanti, is a fiery Swahili inventor. The inspiration for this strong, brilliant girl was—surprisingly—1930’s MGM movie star, Heddy Lamar. Beautiful, brainy, successful—Heddy was a take-no-prisoners woman in a time when that was rare.

She was a awarded a patent in 1942 for a super-secret communications system that made today’s cellphones and WIFI possible, as well as inventing tons of unusual products in a variety of fields.

And she wasn’t the only celebrity inventor—check out this article for some surprising revelations.

http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/shortcuts/2011/dec/04/hedy-lamarr-wifi

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.

The World’s Greatest Explorer—Lord Ranulph Fiennes

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The World’s Greatest Explorer—Lord Ranulph Fiennes

He’s a real guy—recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the greatest explorer ever. And, he’s the inspiration for the character of Steve in THE TIME EATER (a Foster Raymond: Fossil Hunter Novel).

Among his incredible achievements, Fiennes has trekked both poles, climbed Everest, discovered lost cities…and run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

Check out this TIME Magazine interview with the great wanderer:
http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1900969,00.html?imw=Y

The Time Eater: A Foster Raymond Fossil Hunter Novel is available now in paperback and eBook at Amazon.ca and as an eBook at Indigo, Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.

The Real Life Inspiration for Indiana Jones

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The Real Life Inspiration for Indiana Jones

Fossil Hunter Roy Chapman Andrews traveled Mongolia by camel and horse–fought packs of snakes–and discovered the terrifying Velociraptor!

Learn more here: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/09/amazing-life-roy-chapman-andrews/

The Time Eater: A Foster Raymond Fossil Hunter Novel is available now in paperback and eBook at Amazon.ca and as an eBook at Indigo, Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Hell Creek T. Rex Opens Door to Real Jurassic Park

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Well, it’s a crazy long-shot to be honest. But viable soft tissue and cells found in a T. rex fossil could theoretically yield dino DNA! Check out what the NY Times has to say about it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/science/25dino.html?_r=0

The Time Eater: A Foster Raymond Fossil Hunter Novel is available now in paperback and eBook at Amazon.ca and as an eBook at Indigo, Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Andy Haynes on LinkedIn and Instagram.