Gallery

A group of boats floating on top of a body of water.
Breathtaking aerial view of Cabbage Key, a rustic island resort on the Southwest Florida coast. A common backdrop in the “Pine Island Sound Mysteries” series.
A sign in front of the water with a boat on it.
The channel into Cabbage Key from the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW), the only way to access this historic gem.
A restaurant with tables and chairs covered in moss.
The legendary “dollar bill bar” at Cabbage Key, rumored to be the place Jimmy Buffet wrote “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”
A man holding up a picture of two men.
John staying in Rinehart cottage at Cabbage Key and happy to see an old photo from the 1950’s of his grandfather and friends on the wall. The man on the left is Tom Phillips, one of the original developers of Pine Island, and the man in the middle is the Lee County commissioner, Harry Stringfellow (the main road on Pine Island is named after him). The man on the right is John’s grandfather, Dawson McDaniel, who was the tax collector in Lee County for two decades.
A sign that says welcome to cayo costa state park.
The bayside entrance to the Cayo Costa State Park, an island in Southwest Florida, just south of the historic village of Boca Grande.
A view of the ocean from above.
John’s characters Beth Mancini and Karen Jacoby fought for their lives while at an isolated beach-front cabin on Cayo Costa in “The Trophy Wife Divorce.”
A circle of rocks in the shape of a heart.
The pioneer cemetery on Cayo Costa. The buried treasure in “Cayo Costa Cross” was a rumor passed from generation to generation in the character Lynn Chapman’s family. When Lynn finally decided to divorce her controlling husband, Bobby, the secrets of the location of the buried treasure are exposed.
A boat with the name " pine island school mysteries ".
John was always easy to spot traveling in his boat in Pine Island Sound.
A small island in the middle of an ocean.
Historical fish shacks in Pine Island Sound, which were built in the 1920’s. The fishermen lived there and stored their catches on ice until a weekly supply boat picked up the fish to send via rail from Port Charlotte to northern cities.
A red house sitting on the shore of a body of water.
A close-up of a fish shack in Pine Island Sound.
A boat is in the water near a dock.
This is an old picture of the “Punta Blanca” fish shack. John’s grandfather, Dawson McDaniel, and his uncle, Frankie Daniels, owned this fishing shack in the 1970’s. John spent most weekends there with his family catching fish and exploring the barrier islands.
A black and white photo of two men fighting.
John helping his grandfather clean redfish in the mid-1970’s.
A tree with many leaves on it's side
The Pineland Indian mounds that are the location of a double-murder in “Pineland Gold.”
A white post office with palm trees in the background.
The Pineland Post Office, the second-smallest post office in the country.
A walkway leading to the beach at sunset.
A sunset from Tarpon Lodge, which is across the street from the Pineland Indian Mounds. Some people believe this is the best place for sunset dining in Southwest Florida.
A table with several books on display.
Holiday House benefit book signing at Tarpon Lodge.
A man holding up an item at a book fair.
Sanibel Shell Festival book signing.
A man sitting at a desk with another man.
Even the Mayor loves John’s books! John with former Mayor of Fort Myers, Randy Henderson.
A group of people posing for a picture.
Reach out to John to book him for a private event or a book club appearance. John loves sitting down and telling colorful stories about the rich history of southwest Florida barrier islands.
A man holding up a fish while standing on top of a boat.
When John isn’t writing, you’ll find him fishing the waters of Pine Island Sound and beyond.