,When I was on the cruise with the Seymour agency I was told that I needed to have my book reach eighty pages. My books are usually in the novella range of forty-five to fifty thousand words. This is going to be a challenge.
The Alligator Dance is about a real event last year in Manatee County Florida. Nine people were convicted on RICO charges to do with the illegal poaching of alligators eggs. Yes, poaching alligator eggs. Now you would think we have plenty of alligators and so should have plenty of eggs. Wrong.  The fashion trades demand for hides for purses, belts, shoes and so forth is driving the need for more and more hides.
Louisiana is the main producer of hides for this trade. Double what Florida does.
There are only thirty permits issued by the state of Florida each year for the legal collecting of alligator eggs. The price for each egg varies but can reach $100. If you figure that each nest contains 30 to 80 eggs you can see why poachers are trying to cash in. 
My book is romantic suspense. It's also fiction with some facts thrown in. I have a park ranger that happens to be a Seminole Indian, Seth Grayson. His partner in catching the poachers is Liz Corday, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission law enforcement officer. Along the way they discover that the laws of attraction know now boundaries.
I'm on my way to a Sisters in Crime meeting so I have to get a move on. I'll tell you more about The Alligator Dance next week when I figure it out. Sixty thousand words to go.
Please leave comments, ask questions or contact me - [email protected]
don't forget to register for the Southwest Florida Writers conference, April 13, in Port Charlotte.