GATORLANDS -- The Worst Summer Ever Series Book 1

Four teens are lost in the Florida Everglades, a maze of canals snaking into the surrounding swampland, a wilderness with monster alligators everywhere …  and not only the alligators are dangerous...there are also the gun-happy poachers and the strange swamp dwellers. Can they save the endangered animals? Can they even save themselves?

     BACK COVER:

The Everglades were magical—How was Megan supposed to just sit back and not explore the place?The airboat ride out into the thick gray water-world was so beautiful, so calm—how quickly things had changed. She had begged Adam to take her and her siblings out on the boat. But where were Sydney and Luke now? Lost, like she was, of course, but hurt? Dead?

     It was her impulsiveness that had gotten them stranded out here and drew the poachers’ anger...The now-familiar sound of someone or something sloshing through the muck reached her ears. Who or what was coming? One way or another, she knew she wouldn’t be getting out of here alone. It was only a question of who would find her first.

     I love reading exciting, scary books set in exotic locations. Don’t you? I wrote Gatorlands after visiting the Everglades with Will, my husband, and Adam, our teenage son. We were walking on a boardwalk, wondering what was making the strange honking sounds. Maybe really big toads, we decided. And then we looked down. And right below our feet, watching us with cold, cold eyes, were massive alligators, dozens of them. 

     This was the alligators’ world. Some even had toy-like baby alligators sitting on their heads. They didn’t care about us at all. We simply looked like possible snacks. So amazing. so scary. 

     We visit Florida as often as we can to experience nature, right there so close, so Jurassic, so incredible. #gatorlands, #magical, #scary, #teens,@Everglades 

Buy link:   

Amazon - Gatorlands

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Teacher Resources Curriculum Materials Link

Product details

• Series: The Worst Summer Ever Series (Book 1) eBook
• File Size: 635 KB
• Print Length: 128 pages
• Publisher: Indigo River Publishing (February 14, 2019)
• Publication Date: February 14, 2019
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B07NSF5CN7

• Series: The Worst Summer Ever Series (Book 1)
• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Indigo River Publishing (December 21, 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1948080664
• ISBN-13: 978-1948080668
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces

EXCERPT:

GATORLANDS
     Sydney crouched, hardly daring to breathe. The poacher was right here! Her heart thumped so loud, she felt sure he’d hear it.
     “You kids shouldn’t be running around the swamplands like this," he said. "It’s dangerous.”
     Yeah right, Sydney thought, so I gathered.
     “Come on out. You need help. There’s a monster alligator has his pad right down the bank a few yards away from here. They’re territorial, you know. And you’re like meat in his pantry. He’ll be able to smell you.”
     Another branch snapped. He was so close.
     “Come on out.” The man spoke sweetly now, just your nice, friendly neighborhood poacher. "You’re much too young to be out here alone. We can go back to my shack and have something hot to eat. Soup, or something. I bet you're hungry. Then I’ll fly you out of here in my helicopter. You’ll be back home before you know it. And then you can bring help for your friends. There are a few of you out here, aren’t there? I’m sure your parents must be worried.”
     Hot tears trickled down Sydney’s cheeks. Yes, she knew her parents would be worried. But this man wouldn’t help her. Her head spun. Maybe he would. He sounded quite nice. Maybe he wasn't one of the poachers. Maybe he was just someone who lived here in the swamp. For a minute, she almost stood up— almost ran to him.
     Then common sense took over. This man was bad. All he wanted was to get rid of her, so she wouldn’t mess up his animal poaching business.
     “I won’t hurt you,” the man said. “I promise.”
     No. Leave me alone. Get away from me. I hope an alligator eats you, you creep.
     “I can see you right there.”
     Could he see her? No. If he could, he’d have grabbed her. Trembling, she forced herself to stay motionless. Sweat trickled down her forehead, into her eyes and down her cheeks.
     The man was moving away, banging a stick or something at the bushes. He didn’t know where she was! Sydney dared a shallow breath.
     “Hey!”
     There he was again!
     “It’s a rush being in the Glades in the dark, isn’t it?" He chuckled. "All those gators. There are thousands of them, you know. Big-toothed lizards and some of them four hundred pounds! Ever see their eyes at night? Red. Real slit-eyed and mean. Hungry. And the way they lie there, their eyes just above the water, watching, waiting. Threw my dad’s dog into the swamp once— right next to a humongous one— but the dumb dog got away. Never saw a dog swim so fast.”
     Sydney shivered. Silence, again. Had he gone? Thank you, God! But what about the alligators? A gunshot rang in the distance. The man swore and muttered something to himself. When he spoke again, he sounded angry. “Bet that big gator is sniffing for you right now,” he said. “Serve you right if it grabs you and drags you under and takes you on a nice-old death roll. That's what you kids are asking for—looking for trouble, snooping around in the swamplands.”
     For a moment she almost told him she wasn’t snooping around in the swamplands. He could have the swamplands. All she wanted to do was go home.