My Adventure in the Everglades
By Margaret Daley
Last week I went to Florida for the NINC conference in St.
Petersburg. It’s a great writer’s conference. A friend and I decided to do some
research while we were in Florida. We stayed overnight in Naples before the
conference and spent the next day in the Everglades. We weren’t sure we would get
to see much because of the Hurricane Irma a few weeks before. The Everglades
National Park was partially open, but Big Cypress National Preserve was still closed
due to the hurricane. Thankfully we found a place that had recently opened back
up for business, and we were able to take a tour of the Everglades off Highway
41, which cuts across the lower part of Florida and goes to Miami.
I learned so much from our guides into the swamp. What not
to eat and what I can eat. For a writer that’s great information to have for a
romantic suspense book. I saw a lot of down trees, but also how the Everglades
was bouncing back. The high waters were starting to recede and the animals that
fled to higher ground were returning. I got to see an alligator in the wils and
tons of beautiful flowers and birds. I thought being outside a lot I would have
problems with my allergies, but I didn’t. I believe one of the reasons why was
the air plants that littered the Everglades. Some were destroyed in the
hurricane, but there were still many in the remaining trees to purify the air.
It was a perfect day. I held a three-year-old alligator and talked to a man who
handles alligators. Again, wonderful research for a book! But the best part of
the trip was traveling into the Everglades on a dirt road. My friend and I didn’t
see another human being for almost two hours. The road was narrow (one car
only), and the swamp came up on both sides. There was no cell reception, so we
tried not to think about what would happen to us if we broke down, but a lady
at the Everglades tour company told me about the scenic road. She was right. It
was great!
Blurb for Deadly Secrets:
Secrets. Murder. Reunion.
Sarah St. John, an FBI profiler, finally returns home after fifteen years for her niece’s wedding. But in less than a day, Sarah’s world is shattered when her niece is kidnapped the night before her vows. Sarah can’t shake the feeling her own highly personal reason for leaving Hunter Davis at the altar is now playing out again in this nightmarish scene with her niece.
Sarah has to work with Detective Hunter Davis, her ex-fiancé, to find her niece before the young woman becomes the latest victim of a serial killer. Sarah must relive part of her past in order to ensure there is a future for her niece and herself. Can Sarah and Hunter overcome their painful past and work together before the killer strikes again?
Sarah St. John, an FBI profiler, finally returns home after fifteen years for her niece’s wedding. But in less than a day, Sarah’s world is shattered when her niece is kidnapped the night before her vows. Sarah can’t shake the feeling her own highly personal reason for leaving Hunter Davis at the altar is now playing out again in this nightmarish scene with her niece.
Sarah has to work with Detective Hunter Davis, her ex-fiancé, to find her niece before the young woman becomes the latest victim of a serial killer. Sarah must relive part of her past in order to ensure there is a future for her niece and herself. Can Sarah and Hunter overcome their painful past and work together before the killer strikes again?
Margaret Daley, a USA Today’s Bestselling author of over a hundred books (five million plus sold worldwide), has been married for over forty-six years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.
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Fun trip, Margaret, and a great adventure. I've never visited the Everglades but it's definitely on my "to-do" list.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed it, Josie.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the highlights of your Everglades trip, Margaret. You're a brave woman to want to hold an alligator of any age. =) I agree--researching, in person, is a wonderful experience.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is fun, Kristin.
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