Let me introduce you to my friend Jeff...
Meet the main character of my forthcoming book, GATOR COUNTRY, Jeff Babauta.
Howdy Friends,
Rebecca here. One of the things that I am most excited about with the upcoming release of my first book, Gator Country, is that I get to introduce the world to the incredible person and wildlife advocate that is Jeff Babauta.
Jeff used to be a wildlife officer and game warden with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He retired after completing the agency’s biggest ever undercover investigation and sting operation.
I came into the picture after Operation Alligator Thief wrapped up. I heard a rumor about the sting, and knowing there was a wild story no one else was telling behind that rumor, I tracked Jeff down.
The first time we talked, what stood out most to me about Jeff was so much more than meets the eye. He is both one of the most country people I’ve met in my life—and given where I’m from, that’s saying something—a literature lover and a storyteller. I thought I was writing a long-form magazine article, but the first time I interviewed him, it became clear to me that there was so much more story there than I could ever hope to fit in a magazine feature.
We didn’t click right away. He didn’t trust me yet. But the more we talked, the more we realized how much we had in common. First, it was our love of books and Florida history that brought us together. Then our love of animals, especially our elderly dogs, let us both know we could trust each other. (Because who can mistrust someone who talks about their graying Labrador so lovingly?) Then it was our mutual losses. In the years since the sting, he had lost his mother and his son, who was a little older than me. I lost my dad in 2014 before the sting began. Before I knew it, Jeff and I became friends.
I just flat-out told him I wanted to write a book, and he didn’t really react at the time, but the longer we knew each other, the more it seemed like he, as an avid reader, was especially excited to be in a book himself.
He called me last Friday after he finished reading the book. He said, “I have three words… wow, wow, wow!” I actually teared up a little. I can’t thank Jeff enough for letting me tell his story along with my own.
Gator Country is available for preorder now!
Gator Country is on Books & Books’s most anticipated fall list. They’re one of my favorite bookstores, a South Florida chain that’s one of the biggest indies in the country.
Gator Country is also one of Bookpage’s most anticipated books of the fall. They described it as: "Gonzo journalism meets nature documentary in this fast-paced Floridian crime story...
Additionally, Gator Country is one of Literary Hub's most anticipated books of the fall. They said, “In this work of narrative nonfiction from National Geographic writer Renner—being pitched as “David Grann meets Susan Orlean,” which is very promising if even half true—a Florida fish and wildlife officer goes undercover to ferret out illegal poachers in the Florida Everglades—but all is not as it seems. For anyone who knows their Florida Man birthday headline.”
I'm so stoked to be on these lists!
I’ll be attending the Loose Lips reading at Lil Indie’s in Orlando. This event takes place on September 5, 2023, at 8 pm. All the participants have to write something new that responds to the news. I’m writing a David Sedaris-style essay to read for it.
Will I see you there? :)