Susan McElroy Montanari has had many unusual pets over the years. She had a five-foot-long rat snake named Snookums, and her daughters once found a baby alligator in a neighbor’s pool. She has spent much of her life on the beach and tidal creeks surrounding Savannah, Georgia. After several years in Norwalk, Connecticut, she has returned to live in Savannah with her husband and a cat named Tybee. This is her first book.