The write thing

News-Press success stories

When you spend your days (or nights) either writing or working with writers, it's easy to understand why nearly every newspaper reporter harbors dreams of writing the next great American novel.

The thing is — like so many would-be writers in every walk of life — dreaming is easier than doing.

But for the intrepid few who actually finish a book and, better yet, get it published — there is untold satisfaction. More rarely, there are untold riches.

Past and present staffers at The News-Press are no different. Over the years, readers have enjoyed their columns, been enlightened by their reporting and occasionally cursed their work and good name. Nonetheless, we're proud of the many success stories — great and small — and thought we would share a few of them.

• Prudy Taylor Board

"Blood Legacy," "The Vow" and "Murder a la Carte"

Like so many former News-Pressers who have become authors, Board started her writing career as a feature reporter here. She went on to work as a spokesman for the Lee County sheriff and then worked as a reporter at several local televisions stations. She also was an editor at several smaller papers, including the Sanibel Island Reporter. Still, the call of writing proved too strong, and Board began writing freelance magazine articles.

History and mystery were always passions for Board, and her first two novels depended heavily on these themes. Using her maiden name, Prudence Foster, as her nom de plume, she mixes the occult with police investigations and passionate affairs.

"I'm a native of Fort Myers and that figures in ... all of my stories," said Board from her Boca Raton office. "I've never used the actual name of Fort Myers or Lehigh Acres or that sort of thing, but I've used the history. In 'Murder ala carte,' I borrowed quite a bit of Sanibel's history."

Board has also written a slew of nonfiction books about various people and places in Florida's history.

• Ad Hudler

"House Husband," "Southern Living"

Full disclosure right up front: Ad Hudler is the handsome husband of Carol Hudler, the publisher of The News-Press. Nonetheless, there is no sucking up here.

Ad Hudler is a best-selling author in his own right, with two novels to his name and a third on the way.

He was at The News-Press in the late 1980s and early 1990s, working as a general assignment and features writer. He and Carol went on to live and work in New York, Georgia and Minnesota before returning to Lee County.

Ad Hudler writes about what he knows, including his experiences as a stay-at-home dad (his first book "House Husband") and life in a Southern town (his second "Southern Living"). His next work, titled "All This Belongs to Me," is set at the Edison Home in Fort Myers.

"It's a departure from my previous books," he said. "It's got my brand of humor, but with some spirituality this time. It involves the ghost of Mina Edison (Thomas Edison's wife) in it. It will be locally controversial because of how I handle some long-held traditions surrounding the Edison Home. It's going to be one of those books where everyone thinks they recognize someone, but they can't because I made them up."

Random House is scheduled to release "All This Belongs to Me" in the winter of 2006.

• Joyce Lamb

"Relative Strangers," "Caught in the Act" and "Found Wanting"

Reviewers called Lamb's first book "Relative Strangers" "... a rollicking ride full of blazing passion, non-stop suspense and heart-pounding action." This romantic suspense genre has been a successful one for Lamb, a former editor at The News-Press.

"Caught in the Act" was nominated for a Rita award, which is the Academy Award of the romance-publishing industry. Nora Roberts, best seller extraordinaire, was a fellow nominee (and the winner).

Lamb's time on our subtropical shores left a lasting impression on her work.

"Before I moved to Florida, my books were set in Illinois. In Florida, I saw a much more exciting and exotic locale, with the beaches and palm trees and water," Lamb said. "Not that Illinois is boring — (but) with it being so warm in Florida, characters have to wear less clothing, which makes it much more fun for the romantic parts."

Currently a copy editor at USA Today, Lamb sets many of her stories in newsrooms, using the fiery dynamics inherent to the business to drive her characters.

• Bob Morris

"Bahamarama"

Bob Morris has made quite a splash with the recent publication of his book "Bahamarama" by St. Martin's Press. Called a "marvelous tale" by Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry and described as "sly, smart, cheerfully twisted, and very funny" by best-selling author Carl Hiassen, the book is Morris' first in an anticipated series taking place on various Caribbean islands.

A life-long Floridian, Morris made a name for himself at The News-Press in the early 1980s — both as a reporter and columnist. His experiences here laid the groundwork for his future literary success.

"At the tail end of 1979, I proposed that I should rent a car, hit the road and travel from coast to coast, writing slice-of-life stories that sampled the mood of America as it ended the decade. Amazingly, the editors actually bought it," Morris recalled. "For six weeks, I was on the road. I would drive 200-300 miles a day, show up in a town, find something or someone to write about, and then move on down the road. It taught me how to find that special story in everyone. And that has served me well ever since."

While in Fort Myers, he married Deborah Jo Hardwick. The couple had two children, Bo and Dash. He went on to be a columnist at the Orlando Sentinel, and he enjoyed stints as an editor at Caribbean Travel & Life and Gulfshore Life magazines. Morris also spent time in California, where he created and launched AQUA, which is an international travel magazine for watersports enthusiasts.

Over the years, Morris has published several collections of his newspaper work. He lives in Winter Park, continues to write articles for international publications and is currently working on his next "island" novel, titled "Jamaica Me Dead," which is due in October 2005. Future novels starring his hero, Zack Chasteen, will be named "Cancun Kills" and "St. Bart's Bluff." (You heard it here first.)

• Randy Wayne White

"Sanibel Flats," "The Heat Islands," "The Man who Invented Florida," "Captiva," "North of Havana," "The Mangrove Coast," "Ten Thousand Islands," "Shark River," "Twelve Mile Limit," "Everglades," "Tampa Burn," "The Sharks of Lake Nicaragua," "Last Flight Out," "Batfishing in the Rainforest" and "An American Traveler"

By far the most prolific and high-profile of the former News-Pressers is Randy Wayne White. Famous for his series of "Doc Ford" novels, the New York Times best-selling author has set many of his humorous mystery stories in Southwest Florida. Area readers enjoy watching the plots unfold at places they pass each day.

"This whole area is magic," said White, who lives on Pine Island. "If you're writing a story about two characters and it takes place in Florida ... you must deal with three characters because Florida is a character."

White worked at The News-Press in the 1970s as a reporter and columnist. He also spent part of his youth installing telephone poles and was later a fishing guide on Sanibel for more than a decade.

White says he draws on these experiences when he's writing about his signature character, marine biologist Doc Ford, and his odd menagerie of friends at Dinkin's Bay. White's next book, "Dead of Night," is due in March — one of many projects he has in the pipeline.

"I'm working on a new Doc Ford book, and also a journal about a year in my life... tentatively titled 'House on the Mound.'"

When he's not writing, White spends time windsurfing and hanging with his closest companion, a golden retriever.

• Sara Williams

"The Don Juan Con" and "The Serenoa Scandal"

Sara Williams worked at The News-Press in the late 1980s and early 1990s as both a features reporter and a columnist. Her specialty was reporting on medical and psychological issues.

When it came to writing her first novel, "The Don Juan Con," Williams turned to the true story of a Southwest Florida con man who married wealthy women for their money. Williams took the basic plot and made a mystery novel out of it. This fall, famed Hollywood producer Robert Evans optioned the rights to the book as a potential major motion picture.

"They're looking for a screenwriter," Williams said. "Evans has been hauling the book around (Hollywood)."

When not writing, Williams and her husband are sailors and adventure travelers. They have taken their boat across the ocean, toured famous archaeological sites, and spent time among the indigenous tribes of Honduras.

They divide their time between the San Juan Islands of Washington state and their old stomping grounds here, a locale that figures prominently in "The Don Juan Con."