Published Travel
A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions: From Mermaids to Singing Towers
Many of Florida’s classic attractions still exist – and even thrive – in the shadow of mega-theme parks and interstate highways. A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions takes you to these places and more on an unforgettable journey across the Sunshine State.
At the 2017 Royal Palm Literary Award Banquet, author Doug Alderson won First Place for A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions: From Mermaids to Singing Towers. Each year at the RPLA Banquet, authors experience the joy of earning accolades for all the hard work that is often done in the privacy of the home with little to no recognition. We’re showcasing the best of the best with our First Place winners spotlight. Not only does RPLA recognize extraordinary talent, but we’re giving readers an opportunity to sample excerpts from the winning stories.
Doug Alderson is the author of thirteen published books. He has won three first place Royal Palm Literary awards for travel books and several other state and national writing and photography awards.
Click here to read an excerpt from A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions.
An interview with Doug Alderson:
Q: Where do you get your story ideas?
A: Some of my books started with a magazine article and when I realized how much in-depth and colorful information I uncovered, I would decide to expand it into a book manuscript. My two ghost story books for children started with oral stories I developed while teaching summer camp. For A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions, I was kayaking along the back channels of Silver Springs with a friend and we started gliding past ruins of a Seminole village, pioneer camp and a large log fort, all once part of the vast offerings that had made Silver Springs one of the top tourist attractions in Florida during its hey-day. We began to list some of the Old Florida attractions that are still open such as Weeki Wachee and its mermaids along the Gulf Coast, and the Bok Tower near Lake Wales. The book idea began to gel.
Q: Anything in particular about your award-winning RPLA entry that you’d like to share?
A: The book merged my love for Florida history, Florida kitsch, and vintage Florida postcards. Fortunately, my publisher for this work, Pineapple Press, wanted numerous illustrations and they published the book in full color! They also created an attractive map showing the existing attractions that I covered, so they really came through. The book was also a great excuse to visit attractions that have always been on my bucket list. I would usually arrange for a visit ahead of time and, as a result, I had great tour guides who gave me background information and a behind-the-scenes look. I made sure to thank them and send them a free copy of the published book. I was also one of the last people to interview Howard Solomon, creator of Solomon’s Castle near Bradenton, before he passed. His family loved the chapter I wrote and they carry the book in their gift shop.
Q: Who do you credit with inspiring your writing?
A: I was fortunate in having several mentors over the years along with some authors I always admired. I started writing for magazines when I was eighteen. My mother was my first editor followed by a neighbor with an English teaching background. I’ve also enjoyed working with editors with the three book publishers I’ve worked with, the most notable being Sharon Dorr of Quest Books. She was so inquisitive and enthusiastic about the subject matter covered in The Vision Keepers that I added several more pages that helped to round out the book. When the book was published, we met for the first time at a trade show and I gave her a Native American shell carving and she gave me a buffalo medallion since we both felt enriched by the editorial process.
Q: Any tips for new writers?
A: Follow your passion but also be patient. I’ve done some long walking journeys in my youth—the Appalachian Trail, a walk across the United States and a walk through Europe–and I found that writing a book is similar. You can’t focus on the end or how many miles are ahead because it would be easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged. The key is to focus on one step at a time, one day at a time. The book will then start feeling like a rewarding journey full of welcome surprises and a few small challenges that can be overcome. One step will lead to another and there are often some fun twists and turns along the way. And be open to advice or help from others!
A message about supporting literacy in Florida:
If every member of FWA went to Smile.Amazon.com, chose Florida Writers Foundation, Inc. as their charity and, instead of logging into Amazon.com, logged into Smile.Amazon.com, FWF would receive 0.5% of the purchase funds. Every time.
We could significantly fund the literacy efforts of our organization. No money out of your pockets…just some invested time to set this up.
How easy for us to make a difference. To see all of our work, please read the pages of our website www.floridawritersfoundation.com. You’ll be proud.
Melody Dean Dimick,
President, FWF
Herb Sennett
I grabbed this book as soon as it was released. My wife and I have lived in Florida for more than thirty years and had never heard of many of the sites listed and detailed in this wonderful travel book. In my humble opinion, it is an absolute “Must-have” for anyone living in or visiting the state of Florida!
Doug Alderson
Thank you, Herb. One of the rewards of writing a book like this is receiving comments such as yours. I have heard from several people who planned fun vacations using this book and that made me feel good. It inspires me to keep writing.
Virginia Nygard
Well done! Love the old postcards in the text.