Ghostly Florida, with Prizes!

This week, Books Make Me Happy blog and a handful of UF/PNR authors are celebrating stories set in sunny Florida. The authors showcased have offered excerpts, written cool blog posts, and are all participating in a blog hop GRAND PRIZE giveaway full of books and other goodies. Be sure to click on the header above to see the complete list of participating sites. Check out each day's excerpt and the Featured Author's site for fun posts and chances to win!! Today is MY turn to be featured!! You can find my excerpt on Books Make Me Happy HERE. Be sure to check at the bottom of today's post for the rafflecopter entry form for the Grand Prize!

The invitation to participate in this awesome collection of Florida stories got me to thinking about when and how I came to know and love the Sunshine State. I have never lived there, but my visits left a lasting impression, and a yearning to return and explore more of the beauty that is Florida.

 Everyone has their own vision of Florida. For some it is the urban excitement and glamour of Miami, the isolation and island vibe of Key West, or the family adventure of Orlando.

For others the Space Coast inspires awe and admiration for the men and women who took us to the moon and beyond. 

The Gulf Coast boasts some the world's most beautiful beaches, with sand so white it looks like snow. 

 And no matter where you go, you can sense those who came before. When we visited Launch Complex 34, the site of the Apollo I fire, we could almost feel the presence of the pioneers who gave their lives.

In the Panhandle - my favorite place - there are piney woods and small towns that feel like they fell out of a time warp. Viewing an abandoned hot springs you can picture the resorts that stood there in the last days of the Victorian era, when Northern ladies and gentlemen rode the train down from New England to "take the waters." Chatauqua theaters still stand in many small towns, including this beautiful example in DeFuniak Springs.

 If you asked me whether I believe in ghosts, I would have to answer that I don't not believe. But even my skeptical and practical brain has to admit that there are some things you just can't account for, and perhaps a ghost is the best possible explanation. And if I admit to the possibility of ghosts, then Florida seems like a very good place for them.

 I can't give you a definitive reason, I just know that the atmosphere seems right - the small towns, the sense of history, the battlefields, the family cemeteries, and the reminders of a time before our modern world of high-speed everything. Miami might be up-to-the-minute, and Orlando may have the most family-friendly experience-of-a-lifetime attractions. Tampa can boast of its sports franchises, and St. Augustine has the longest history of any city in Florida. But for me the Panhandle is the proper mix of old and new, of small towns and larger cities, natives and newcomers. And all of it overlaid with a rich history.

This the place that inspired my Haunted Gift Shop book series.  It's a place I love to visit - in person or just via words and pictures - and my favorite part of Florida.

What's yours?

CLICK HERE to enter for a chance to win the awesome Grand Prize of Florida goodies!  And leave a comment below for the chance to win a signed copy of MURDER BUYS A T-SHIRT (the firsts book in the series) as well as an awesome Florida surprise!

And if you're interested in a conversation about Florida in history and in fiction, please listen to our podcast "Hang 10" on Soundcloud, or the enhanced slideshow version (with bonus Florida pictures) on YouTube.