"The Boy Who Swam with Alligators" is appropriate for young adults to seniors. The novel is set in a simpler time - when people were connected to each other and with nature. It follows the lives of two midwestern families - one with a daughter and one with a son - drawn to a tiny tropical town in the farthest reaches of beautiful Southwest Florida.

Yet their journeys were quite different. One family suffered tragedy and left their young son in the care of an indigenous tribe. The other family raised their daughter in the tropical town of Cypress Cove. The two children grew up only a few miles away from each other, yet worlds apart. Perhaps it was fate - or the result of a single photograph - that brought the two together. As they grew, they experienced adventures together, made the most of a hidden past, and discovered purpose in life.

Rod Baxter is the author of "The Boy Who Swam with Alligators."

In March 2014, he and his wife Kelli sold their home, left their corporate jobs, and moved from Northeast Ohio to sunny Southwest Florida to start a new adventure. Together they wrote and published a several business-related books. Then Kelli challenged him to write a novel. Shortly after being "told" to write a novel, they saw the movie, Where the Crawdads Sing. As they were walking out of the theater, Rod announced to Kelli, "The Boy Who Swam with Alligators." She asked, "What's that?" Rod responded, "It's the title of the novel I'm going to write." "What's it about?" she asked. And Rod replied, "Not sure yet, but I have a title!"

Drawing from their lives in Northeast Ohio and their many adventures in Southwest Florida, the book quickly began to take on a life of its own. Rod wrote the novel, sketched the cover, and added his photos and sketches to the pages. During daily beach walks, Kelli helped brainstorm storylines, develop characters, and guide the story. She edited several proof copies before the book was finally published in November 2022.

Rod lives in sunny Naples, Florida, with Kelli.