Rebecca Renner
@rebeccarenner.bsky.social
Journalist, Novelist, Floridian 🐊 GATOR COUNTRY out 11/14 from Flatiron Books. 🐊 other words in
@NatGeo @OutsideMagazine @NYTimes etc; rep: Julia Eagleton
@NatGeo @OutsideMagazine @NYTimes etc; rep: Julia Eagleton
I'm back to freelancing until I sell my next book, and I'm on the lookout for science and environment stories. Message me if you have any leads!
November 5, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I'm back to freelancing until I sell my next book, and I'm on the lookout for science and environment stories. Message me if you have any leads!
Okay, I'm here. I'm alive. I'll try to be interesting.
December 9, 2024 at 4:48 PM
Okay, I'm here. I'm alive. I'll try to be interesting.
Book sale alert! 🚨 Take advantage of this short Amazon promotion for GATOR COUNTRY. Apply the coupon for $5.20 off the hardcover's already discounted price.
GC has gotten rave reviews from NPR, the New York Times, Washington Post, People & more!
Link in next post.
GC has gotten rave reviews from NPR, the New York Times, Washington Post, People & more!
Link in next post.
December 11, 2023 at 10:37 PM
Book sale alert! 🚨 Take advantage of this short Amazon promotion for GATOR COUNTRY. Apply the coupon for $5.20 off the hardcover's already discounted price.
GC has gotten rave reviews from NPR, the New York Times, Washington Post, People & more!
Link in next post.
GC has gotten rave reviews from NPR, the New York Times, Washington Post, People & more!
Link in next post.
I found a cat crying in my apartment building hallway. I am both hoping and not hoping I can find its owner. Basically, I'm in the middle of Schrödinger's cat distribution system.
December 8, 2023 at 11:26 PM
I found a cat crying in my apartment building hallway. I am both hoping and not hoping I can find its owner. Basically, I'm in the middle of Schrödinger's cat distribution system.
Every day, it seems like a new animal is taking over the Sunshine State. This time, it's actually good news. My latest for @NatGeo:
"American crocodiles are spreading north in Florida. That’s a good thing."
www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/arti...
"American crocodiles are spreading north in Florida. That’s a good thing."
www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/arti...
American crocodiles are spreading north in Florida. That’s a good thing.
The reptile, less aggressive than the American alligator, has been spotted 200 miles north of the Florida Everglades, suggesting it's reclaiming its former territory.
www.nationalgeographic.com
December 6, 2023 at 8:34 PM
Every day, it seems like a new animal is taking over the Sunshine State. This time, it's actually good news. My latest for @NatGeo:
"American crocodiles are spreading north in Florida. That’s a good thing."
www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/arti...
"American crocodiles are spreading north in Florida. That’s a good thing."
www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/arti...
Reposted by Rebecca Renner
For the @washingtonpost.com, I reviewed the rip-roaringly good “Gator Country,” the first book from @rebeccarenner.bsky.social. She knows from the swampy terrain and you should chomp down on it this holiday season.
H/T @johnwilliams.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/1...
H/T @johnwilliams.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/1...
Review | ‘Gator Country’ is about beautiful nature and nefarious humanity
Rebecca Renner’s book marvels at the reptiles and follows an undercover attempt to catch poachers.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 2, 2023 at 5:57 PM
For the @washingtonpost.com, I reviewed the rip-roaringly good “Gator Country,” the first book from @rebeccarenner.bsky.social. She knows from the swampy terrain and you should chomp down on it this holiday season.
H/T @johnwilliams.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/1...
H/T @johnwilliams.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/1...
I'm back home from my book tour for now. Here are some pics from my event at Tombolo Books, where Gator Country was this week's bestseller! The photo on the right includes Gator Country's main character, Jeff Babauta.
December 1, 2023 at 9:45 PM
I'm back home from my book tour for now. Here are some pics from my event at Tombolo Books, where Gator Country was this week's bestseller! The photo on the right includes Gator Country's main character, Jeff Babauta.
Gator Country is one of November’s Best Reviewed Nonfiction books, according to Literary Hub and Bookmarks! And they haven't even aggregated all its great reviews yet! If you haven't read it, you're missing out.
lithub.com/novembers-be...
lithub.com/novembers-be...
November’s Best Reviewed Nonfiction
Robert Darnton’s The Revolutionary Temper, Barbra Streisand’s My Name is Barbra, and Paul Caruana Galizia’s A Death in Malta all feature among this month’s best reviewed nonfictio…
lithub.com
November 30, 2023 at 6:24 PM
Gator Country is one of November’s Best Reviewed Nonfiction books, according to Literary Hub and Bookmarks! And they haven't even aggregated all its great reviews yet! If you haven't read it, you're missing out.
lithub.com/novembers-be...
lithub.com/novembers-be...
Gator Country is People Magazine's Book of the Week!
This month, my book has been recommended by People, the New York Times, and Scientific American.
Don't know of any other books with that weird trifecta. I love it!
This month, my book has been recommended by People, the New York Times, and Scientific American.
Don't know of any other books with that weird trifecta. I love it!
November 29, 2023 at 7:32 PM
Gator Country is People Magazine's Book of the Week!
This month, my book has been recommended by People, the New York Times, and Scientific American.
Don't know of any other books with that weird trifecta. I love it!
This month, my book has been recommended by People, the New York Times, and Scientific American.
Don't know of any other books with that weird trifecta. I love it!
Gator Country is out today!
"Every species, and every person who fights for its continued existence, deserves a book like this." — The New York Times
Read an excerpt in Crime Reads:
crimereads.com/gator-countr...
"Every species, and every person who fights for its continued existence, deserves a book like this." — The New York Times
Read an excerpt in Crime Reads:
crimereads.com/gator-countr...
A Journey Into the Heart of the Everglades, and the Alligator Poacher Sting that Divided a Community
In January 2020, I drove down from Orlando to the easternmost edge of the Everglades and booked a room in the neon-dazzled Miccosukee Casino & Resort, a hotel in the no-man’s-land between the g…
crimereads.com
November 14, 2023 at 5:25 PM
Gator Country is out today!
"Every species, and every person who fights for its continued existence, deserves a book like this." — The New York Times
Read an excerpt in Crime Reads:
crimereads.com/gator-countr...
"Every species, and every person who fights for its continued existence, deserves a book like this." — The New York Times
Read an excerpt in Crime Reads:
crimereads.com/gator-countr...
Gator Country got the most glowing review in the New York Times Book Review, written by Lydia Millet! Even the review itself is a work of art. My jaw is on the floor. I feel so honored.
www.nytimes.com/2023/11/11/b...
www.nytimes.com/2023/11/11/b...
Florida Man Chases Poachers
In “Gator Country,” Rebecca Renner goes beyond the stereotypes to pay tribute to her beloved Everglades.
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2023 at 5:10 PM
Gator Country got the most glowing review in the New York Times Book Review, written by Lydia Millet! Even the review itself is a work of art. My jaw is on the floor. I feel so honored.
www.nytimes.com/2023/11/11/b...
www.nytimes.com/2023/11/11/b...
November 9, 2023 at 4:51 PM
A dog-size lizard is threatening the U.S. South. Can it be stopped?
Argentine black-and-white tegus are breeding in multiple states, posing a threat to native species. But recent efforts to trap them may be paying off.
Read my latest story in Nat Geo:
www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/arti...
Argentine black-and-white tegus are breeding in multiple states, posing a threat to native species. But recent efforts to trap them may be paying off.
Read my latest story in Nat Geo:
www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/arti...
A dog-size lizard is threatening the U.S. South. Can it be stopped?
Argentine black-and-white tegus are breeding in multiple states, posing a threat to native species. But recent efforts to trap them may be paying off.
www.nationalgeographic.com
November 8, 2023 at 5:09 PM
A dog-size lizard is threatening the U.S. South. Can it be stopped?
Argentine black-and-white tegus are breeding in multiple states, posing a threat to native species. But recent efforts to trap them may be paying off.
Read my latest story in Nat Geo:
www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/arti...
Argentine black-and-white tegus are breeding in multiple states, posing a threat to native species. But recent efforts to trap them may be paying off.
Read my latest story in Nat Geo:
www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/arti...
Thanks to Jaime Herndon for the mention in this Book Riot list, "9 New November 2023 Nonfiction Releases To Curl Up With"!
Gator Country is in wonderful company.
The book I'm most looking forward to on this list is The Night Parade by @jaminlin.bsky.social
bookriot.com/new-november...
Gator Country is in wonderful company.
The book I'm most looking forward to on this list is The Night Parade by @jaminlin.bsky.social
bookriot.com/new-november...
9 New November 2023 Nonfiction Releases to Curl Up With
This November's array of new nonfiction releases are perfect for cozying up with as it gets darker earlier.
bookriot.com
November 3, 2023 at 5:14 PM
Thanks to Jaime Herndon for the mention in this Book Riot list, "9 New November 2023 Nonfiction Releases To Curl Up With"!
Gator Country is in wonderful company.
The book I'm most looking forward to on this list is The Night Parade by @jaminlin.bsky.social
bookriot.com/new-november...
Gator Country is in wonderful company.
The book I'm most looking forward to on this list is The Night Parade by @jaminlin.bsky.social
bookriot.com/new-november...
More great news! Amazon editors picked Gator Country as one of the best books of November! (Link in next post)
![Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades
by Rebecca Renner
Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades
Gators, tricksters, double-agents, and poachers collide in this book that has Susan Orlean and David Grann vibes—in other words, Gator Country is heart-pounding narrative nonfiction that reads like fiction. After a hot tip from one of her students questioning the morality of a sting operation to catch poachers, Rebecca Renner sets out to uncover what exactly goes on in the humid waters of the Everglades—“the lungs of [the] planet.” And what she finds is not just a cat (gator) and mouse story of those laying down the law to prevent hunters from absconding with alligator hides to make into designer shoes. It’s a story of the land—who owns it and who doesn’t, who is protecting it and who isn’t (it might not be who you think!)—economic opportunity and its absence, survival and death, and just how deep undercover agents go to catch the “ba](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:gakxj5bwcosqmveokiue7x2c/bafkreicwbm4pgmpbaej5nyuyhy6xbaf5mp4ozv7mnluhk62d3tjr2j7vey@jpeg)
November 1, 2023 at 6:27 PM
More great news! Amazon editors picked Gator Country as one of the best books of November! (Link in next post)
My book, Gator Country, is a best seller in environmentalist & naturalist biographies, and the number one new release in that category.
It was also in the Goodreads newsletter today.
AND there's more good news to come. Pinch me. I must be dreaming!
It was also in the Goodreads newsletter today.
AND there's more good news to come. Pinch me. I must be dreaming!
October 31, 2023 at 5:09 PM
My book, Gator Country, is a best seller in environmentalist & naturalist biographies, and the number one new release in that category.
It was also in the Goodreads newsletter today.
AND there's more good news to come. Pinch me. I must be dreaming!
It was also in the Goodreads newsletter today.
AND there's more good news to come. Pinch me. I must be dreaming!
I'm so sad to hear Louise Gluck has died. Her work was as unapologetic as she was.
I was lucky to study with her at Bread Loaf when I was 21, because she had hand-picked one of my poems. She sang that poem's praises in workshop, but she ripped another one of my poems to shreds 1/4
I was lucky to study with her at Bread Loaf when I was 21, because she had hand-picked one of my poems. She sang that poem's praises in workshop, but she ripped another one of my poems to shreds 1/4
October 13, 2023 at 7:57 PM
I'm so sad to hear Louise Gluck has died. Her work was as unapologetic as she was.
I was lucky to study with her at Bread Loaf when I was 21, because she had hand-picked one of my poems. She sang that poem's praises in workshop, but she ripped another one of my poems to shreds 1/4
I was lucky to study with her at Bread Loaf when I was 21, because she had hand-picked one of my poems. She sang that poem's praises in workshop, but she ripped another one of my poems to shreds 1/4
Read how I first learned about the story that would become my book, Gator Country: "The truth is often stranger than fiction." open.substack.com/pub/renner/p...
The truth is often stranger than fiction.
The first time I heard the story of Operation Alligator Thief, it came to me as a rumor from one of my high school students.
open.substack.com
October 13, 2023 at 7:41 PM
Read how I first learned about the story that would become my book, Gator Country: "The truth is often stranger than fiction." open.substack.com/pub/renner/p...
I'm LibraryThing's featured author of the month! Read the interview I did with them here:
blog.librarything.com/2023/10/an-i...
blog.librarything.com/2023/10/an-i...
October 12, 2023 at 5:33 PM
I'm LibraryThing's featured author of the month! Read the interview I did with them here:
blog.librarything.com/2023/10/an-i...
blog.librarything.com/2023/10/an-i...
My publisher has teamed up with @gatorsdaily.bsky.social to do a giveaway of my book, Gator Country!
It's a gator true crime adventure.
Enter here: read.macmillan.com/fib/gatorcou...
It's a gator true crime adventure.
Enter here: read.macmillan.com/fib/gatorcou...
October 4, 2023 at 2:50 PM
My publisher has teamed up with @gatorsdaily.bsky.social to do a giveaway of my book, Gator Country!
It's a gator true crime adventure.
Enter here: read.macmillan.com/fib/gatorcou...
It's a gator true crime adventure.
Enter here: read.macmillan.com/fib/gatorcou...
The road to my first book's publication has been really emotional so far. One day, I'm on top of the world. The next day, I'm stressed and panicked.
Writers, do you have any advice on how to stay sane(ish) through all this?
Writers, do you have any advice on how to stay sane(ish) through all this?
September 4, 2023 at 5:12 PM
The road to my first book's publication has been really emotional so far. One day, I'm on top of the world. The next day, I'm stressed and panicked.
Writers, do you have any advice on how to stay sane(ish) through all this?
Writers, do you have any advice on how to stay sane(ish) through all this?
I'm considering wading back into book reviewing again, but I'm also terrified of my fellow authors.
A few years ago, someone convinced me I would become a pariah if I even dared to rate someone else's book fewer than five stars.
Were they right?
A few years ago, someone convinced me I would become a pariah if I even dared to rate someone else's book fewer than five stars.
Were they right?
September 3, 2023 at 6:12 PM
I'm considering wading back into book reviewing again, but I'm also terrified of my fellow authors.
A few years ago, someone convinced me I would become a pariah if I even dared to rate someone else's book fewer than five stars.
Were they right?
A few years ago, someone convinced me I would become a pariah if I even dared to rate someone else's book fewer than five stars.
Were they right?
Reality snuck up on me again:
I'm doing a performance next week where all the writers read new work that responds to the news, preferably something funny.
I have nothing. I need to write something brilliant and hilarious in less than five days.
No pressure like the impending dread of an audience
I'm doing a performance next week where all the writers read new work that responds to the news, preferably something funny.
I have nothing. I need to write something brilliant and hilarious in less than five days.
No pressure like the impending dread of an audience
August 31, 2023 at 1:09 AM
Reality snuck up on me again:
I'm doing a performance next week where all the writers read new work that responds to the news, preferably something funny.
I have nothing. I need to write something brilliant and hilarious in less than five days.
No pressure like the impending dread of an audience
I'm doing a performance next week where all the writers read new work that responds to the news, preferably something funny.
I have nothing. I need to write something brilliant and hilarious in less than five days.
No pressure like the impending dread of an audience
Big news! My debut book just got TWO starred reviews.
Publishers Weekly calls GATOR COUNTRY "a triumph" with "a grace and rigor reminiscent of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief."
Kirkus says Gator Country is "Enlightening and full of suspense." "difficult to put down."
I'm elated!!
Publishers Weekly calls GATOR COUNTRY "a triumph" with "a grace and rigor reminiscent of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief."
Kirkus says Gator Country is "Enlightening and full of suspense." "difficult to put down."
I'm elated!!
August 25, 2023 at 3:46 PM
Big news! My debut book just got TWO starred reviews.
Publishers Weekly calls GATOR COUNTRY "a triumph" with "a grace and rigor reminiscent of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief."
Kirkus says Gator Country is "Enlightening and full of suspense." "difficult to put down."
I'm elated!!
Publishers Weekly calls GATOR COUNTRY "a triumph" with "a grace and rigor reminiscent of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief."
Kirkus says Gator Country is "Enlightening and full of suspense." "difficult to put down."
I'm elated!!
Reposted by Rebecca Renner
A magnetar’s magnetic field is so strong that it can crack open the star’s surface to release bursts of energy visible across billions of light-years & astronomers have found a star that might be about to go magnetar 🧪
This Bizarre Star Could Become One of the Strongest Magnets in the Universe
Magnetars possess magnetic fields that are trillions of times stronger than those of ordinary stars. Now we might have seen one of these extraordinary objects about to form
https://scientificamerican.com/article/this-bizarre-star-could-become-one-of-the-strongest-magnets-in-the-universe/…
August 18, 2023 at 9:37 PM
A magnetar’s magnetic field is so strong that it can crack open the star’s surface to release bursts of energy visible across billions of light-years & astronomers have found a star that might be about to go magnetar 🧪