Willie Sawgrass

Inspired by stories passed down through the author’s family, Willie Sawgrass is a middle-grade novel that takes place in the wilderness of Southwest Florida during the early 1900s when the cattle and fishing industry were strong but rum running was more lucrative. The main character, Willie, isn’t sure how old he is. He lives in a shack in the Florida scrub with his ignorant and abusive pa who doesn''t want him. Pa eventually sends him away to live with a young Miccosukee woman with a son of her own named Nakee who has a white father.

Willie is not accepted by the native boys of the village, and tries to prove himself to them. The native boys use shell hatchets, but Willie''s prize possession is his metal hatchet that he masters for its many uses in his life. Willie and Nakee, form a tight bond and have many adventures together, including fighting an alligator and confronting a family of skunks. They eventually get stranded at sea in a dugout canoe only to be rescued by the well-educated Captain O''Keef. He takes the boys aboard the Bonnie Sue, as extra deckhands on the big fishing schooner and teaches them the importance of reading and writing.

Things are going well for the boys and they''re feeling comfortable in their home on the Bonnie Sue, but everything changes after they rescue two men and some cattle from a sinking ship. Captain O''Keef and his crew sail to Cuba to sell the cattle, but things don''t go as planned for the captain which creates a mystery for the boys. Prohibition is in full swing in the U.S., and defying the captain''s orders, the crew finds a way to load the Bonnie Sue with crates of high-quality Cuban rum to sell in Florida. Willie and Nakee find themselves amid shady characters, but manage to solve the mystery and get their revenge in the end.