August 2010

My friend, Virginia Stanley, was raving about STILTSVILLE at library conferences I attended in both January and March. As I value her opinion, I gave it a shot and fell in love with it! Susanna Daniel’s debut novel takes place in the Miami area, which I’ve come to love after some visits over the years.

I was familiar with a lot of the locations mentioned in the book, like the pool at the Biltmore Hotel (my favorite pool anywhere!) and the Cape Florida Lighthouse near Key Biscayne. I saw the remains of the actual Stiltsville --- a collection of houses built high on stilts in Biscayne Bay, which is the inspiration for the title and story --- from the top of the lighthouse. The love story that unfolds in STILTSVILLE was very touching, and I felt a real connection to the characters, like I had known them already. The personal touch of having visited many of the landmarks was a special treat. And I love the cover, too.