When Pino Turolla turned out to be such a great success, Cameron Buckner agreed to do another collaboration with me. I can’t tell you how exciting that was for me. I truly do love that man. He’s been just about the best friend a person can hope for to both me and my husband. And his wife is pretty cool, too.

Anyway, I was looking around for something that we could both sink our teeth into, and I realized we do have a common denominator. Cam and I both grew up on the Mississippi River. He grew up a lot farther south than I did, but we both have river water in our veins. So, I knew it had to have something to do with water. I’d been reading a few books on the subject of swamps, and I remember my fascination with them when I visited family in Arkansas as a kid. It seemed like a match made in heaven.

I promise the rest of the stories are fabulous, but the first story doesn’t have much punch to it, but I want you to know that I had a great uncle who was the best storyteller I ever knew. This was my one chance to share with the world my one big adventure with him. It may bore you. I hope it doesn’t. Just know that it’s my tribute to him. I miss you, Uncle Nolan.