By Karna Small Bodman
Recently we have enjoyed reading various posts from guest bloggers praising their hometowns. Now, I want to tell you about my very favorite place to live and write: Naples, FLorida.
If you can “get your ducks in a row” and come to visit this glorious enclave, you will discover a vibrant community, thriving businesses, gorgeous beaches, the second highest number of golf courses in the state, and especially an intellectual cornucopia of speaker series luring top level CEOs, politicians, medical leaders, and writers among others who come to town to give speeches about their careers and later, many decide to relocate here. In fact, all of these attractions, plus the fact that we have NO state income or estate taxes recently drew over 700,000 people to move to Florida – and thousands more keep coming every day from all over the country! As for Naples, it recently was named Number One of “best places to live.” True indeed.
A number of bestselling authors have made Naples their home. I had the pleasure of signing books last week with 45 other authors at the annual Local Author Fair at our Library. Also, I’ve been delighted to know, socialize, and occasionally share signings with each of these three wonderful Naples writers who have recent releases:
The first is long time bestseller, Scott Turow whose new thriller, Suspect, was released in July of this year. Described as “A riveting legal thriller in which a reckless private detective is embroiled in a fraught police scandal.” Turow’s books have been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects.
Second is Janet Evanovich, dubbed by the New York Times as “The most popular mystery writer alive.” She began her writing career when she was home in New Jersey caring for her children. She first penned a dozen romance novels which hit bestseller lists. But then she and her husband moved to Naples, and she decided to switch genres creating the Stephanie Plum series about a hard working but under-appreciated bounty hunter. The 30th book in the series, Dirty Thirty, was released some six weeks ago on October 31. With her usual humor and great writing style, Booklist gives this one a starred review saying it is “An uproarious, crazy, laugh-a-minute caper with her most likable and notorious crime buster.”
Third, long time Naples’ resident, Robin Cook, releases his newest medical mystery-thriller, Manner of Death this week. Robin is widely credited with introducing the word “medical” to the thriller genre after the publication of his 1977 breakthrough novel, Coma, which was made into a highly successful film directed by Michael Crichton, and later adapted into a two-part television miniseries that aired in 2012. Robin is not only an author, but a doctor who has successfully combined medical fact with fiction to produce thirty-nine international bestsellers.
Finally, I have been so inspired living here that the first chapter of my latest thriller, Trust but Verify, opens at the Naples Ritz Carlton on the beach. If any of you readers would like to escape the wintry North, as we say here in Naples, “Come on down. We’ll leave the light on for you!”
Have you been to Florida? If so, where did you visit and have you ever entertained the idea of moving there?
Karna Small Bodman is the author of five international thrillers that have hit #1 in Thrillers on Amazon and won several awards, as well as a series of children’s picture books. Her books were inspired by the six years she served in the Reagan White House, first as Deputy Press Secretary, later as Senior Director of the National Security Council where she was the highest-ranking woman on the White House staff. On book tours she has given over 400 speeches and interviews nation-wide. When not writing or traveling, she is serving on several boards and swimming laps at their homes in Naples, FL, Washington, DC and Rancho Santa Fe, CA.
I live only an hour-plus north of Karna but, in many ways, a cultural world apart. Not to slam Fort Myers, but it has a sliver of Naples-like life along its downtown, and that’s about it.
Sorry I missed that author’s event!!!
Love Naplea! I was there for SIBA in 2012. Write on, Karna.