Flying Fish

by Vern Hobbs

Fishing is suddenly banned, but the hard scrabble fishing village of Juniper Key, Florida refuses to die quietly…

As hope fades, “Smiley” Randolph, editor of the town’s weekly newspaper, finds himself face to face with the ghost of a long dead community icon! The ghost insists that Smiley must steer the locals away from deep-seated prejudices and convince them to embrace the teachings of two unorthodox strangers. Will quiet and shy Smiley find the courage to become a leader? Only the ghost knows for sure!

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2010

Reviews

[Mike Addington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flying Fish is the name of a corporation that seeks to dislodge the inhabitants of a small fishing community on Florida's west coast. With no other means of support besides fishing, the community of disparate souls who have found acceptance in the welcoming confines of Juniper Key are desperate to find alternative income, but the isolation that attracted them to Juniper Key has become an obstacle. The characters that Vern Hobbs has developed are the key to this entertaining chapter of some of the key social and environmental issues facing many of the working class today. How to balance a natural way of life in the face of so-called "progress." "Flying Fish" is not preachy by any means but does invoke thought not only in the material realm but also through the strange happenings associated with the building of a casino on the nearby Indian burial grounds. Be ready for a few hours reading because "Flying Fish" draws you in as slowly but surely as the various lifestyles of the Juniper Key's citizens.