David McCheyne Newell (23 March 1898 – 1986) was an American journalist, novelist, and children's writer perhaps most famous for his books regarding early twentieth-century rural life in West Central Florida. In and the fictional narrator, Billy Driggers, tells true-to-life stories about the people of Florida's Gulf Hammock (the coastal land between Cedar Key and the Withlacoochee River) and the surrounding environs during the interwar years. Earlier writings included The Fishing and Hunting Answer Book, illustrated by Lynn Bogue Hunt, a children's book titled American Animals, "Cougars and Cowboys" (New York. The Century Co., 1927) and numerous short stories and articles.