Florida Hustle
A Novel
Aspiring filmmaker Michael Donnelly has two obsessions. One is Italian horror movies and the other is Dawn Karston, a teen-age scream-queen, known for dying horribly in a string of cheap slasher flicks.
Michael, who shares a Palm Beach mansion with his defense contractor father, believes Dawn deserves better material and that he is just the 17-year-old for the job.
About Paul Wilborn
Award-Winning Author And Journalist
A delightfully dark, comic adventure; masterfully crafted and wickedly funny
With it’s relentlessly clever plot, Florida Hustle is an antic, very Floridian tale, populated with larger-than-life characters and full of Carl Hiaasen–style dry humor and Elmore Leonard–style sharp descriptions. The captivating characters all have penchants for funny one-liners, and a kind of zany logic binds their very strange separate worlds. Florida Hustle is filled with fun, adventure and lots of human insight.
Florida Hustle manages to be a “coming of age” story, an “on-the-road” adventure, and “a comic thrill ride” all at the same time. It also recreates the sweltering landscapes of 1980s Florida, where the lines between con and hustle blur, where horror movie sets sprout like weeds, and there’s an oddball roadside attraction around even bend in the highway. Thanks to Wilborn’s style and pacing, readers find themselves fully immersed in the story, and binging on chapter after chapter as they race to the conclusion.
Join seventeen-year-old Michael Donnelly on the quest to reach his scream queen. You’ll love the ride! In its coveted “starred” review, Kirkus Reviews called Florida Hustle: “An irrepressible Florida frolic filled with lost dreams, forlorn love, and horror movie lore. “
Welcome to the World of "Florida Hustle" - A Gripping Tale of Obsession, Cons, and Hustles in 1980s Florida
Step into the shoes of Michael Donnelly, a seventeen-year-old cinephile with two consuming passions: Italian horror movies and Dawn Karston, a notorious B-movie scream queen whose on-screen deaths have captivated Michael’s imagination. Living in a lavish Palm Beach mansion with his defense contractor father, Michael believes that Dawn deserves better material and is convinced he’s the right man for the job.
Faced with the prospect of being locked away in a luxurious retreat for the wealthy and deranged, Michael flees to a seedy motel in West Palm Beach. There, he joins forces with an aging con man and his fiercely ambitious teenage girlfriend, unaware they have ulterior motives. As the trio embarks on a treacherous journey to reach the “Swamp Fiend 2” set in the Florida Everglades, they find themselves entangled in a web of competing cons and hustles.
Intrigued? Dive into the pages of “Florida Hustle” and let yourself be swept away by its fascinating narrative, complex characters, and thrilling twists. Prepare for an unforgettable reading experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you pondering its themes long after you’ve turned the final page.
Step into a World of Obsession, Betrayal, and Thrilling Adventures That Will Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat
Florida Hustle, a groundbreaking coming-of-age novel by author Paul Wilborn, takes readers on a wild ride through 1980’s Florida. Mixing adventure with humor, Florida Hustle travels from the plush landscape of Palm Beach to the swampy depths of the Everglades.
Captivated by a B-movie scream queen, Michael Donnelly breaks away from the confines of his family’s opulent mansion and embarks on a journey to the Everglades, where Dawn Karston is filming Swamp Fiend 2. Teaming up with an aging con man and his ambitious girlfriend, Michael finds himself caught up in a mire of competing cons and hustles.
Paul Wilborn’s engaging writing style, quirky characters, sharp descriptions, and funny one-liners make this one of the best examples of a “Florida novel.” Critics have compared Wilborn’s writing with the books of Carl Hiassen and Elmore Leonard. In a “starred” review, Kirkus called Florida Hustle “an irrepressible Florida frolic filled with lost dreams, forlorn love, and horror movie lore.”
Florida Hustle is also a compelling piece of historical fiction, transporting readers to a time when Florida was morphing from a land of beaches and roadside attractions into a mega-state. It’s also a snapshot of B-level Hollywood in the early 1980s, when the success of the horror films Halloween and Friday the 13th spawned hundreds of copycat slasher films, many made on the cheap in Florida. While not a horror novel, Florida Hustle immerses readers in the world of horror filmmaking.
Paul Wilborn’s 2019 story collection, Cigar City, won the fiction gold medal in the Florida Book Awards. Along with a starred review, Kirkus named Florida Hustle “One of the 100 best indie books of 2022.” As a journalist, Paul Wilborn captured multiple awards from the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors.
For all the fans of comic fiction, dark humor and anyone seeking a fast-paced literary escape will find all that and more in Florida Hustle. Head to the website or Amazon to order your book now.
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Embark on a wild ride through 1980s Florida with ‘Florida Hustle’ by Paul Wilborn
Get ready for a wild and hilarious adventure with Florida Hustle, the groundbreaking coming-of-age novel by acclaimed author Paul Wilborn.
Captivated by a B-movie scream queen, Michael Donnelly breaks away from the confines of his family’s opulent Palm Beach mansion and embarks on a journey to the Everglades, where Dawn Karston is filming Swamp Fiend 2. Teaming up with an aging con man and his ambitious girlfriend, Michael finds himself caught up in a swamp of competing cons and hustles.
Paul Wilborn’s engaging style, quirky characters, sharp descriptions, and funny one-liners make this one of the best examples of a “Florida novel.” Critics have compared Wilborn’s writing with the books of Carl Hiassen and Elmore Leonard. In a “starred” review, Kirkus called Florida Hustle “an irrepressible Florida frolic filled with lost dreams, forlorn love, and horror movie lore.”
Florida Hustle is also a compelling piece of historical fiction, transporting readers to a time when the Sunshine State was morphing from a land of beaches and roadside attractions into a mega-state. It’s also a snapshot of B-movie Hollywood in the early 1980s, when the success of the horror films Halloween and Friday the 13th spawned hundreds of copy-cat slasher films, many made on the cheap in Florida. While not a horror novel, Florida Hustle immerses readers in the world of 1980s horror filmmaking.
Paul Wilborn’s 2019 story collection, Cigar City, won the fiction gold medal in the Florida Book Awards. Along with a starred review, Kirkus named Florida Hustle “One of the 100 best indie books of 2022.”
As a journalist assigned to roam Florida in the 1990s, Paul Wilborn captured multiple awards from the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, and was recognized with the Paul Hansel award as “Florida’s Best Journalist” in 1998.
Fans of comic fiction, dark humor and anyone seeking a fast-paced literary escape will find all that and more in Florida Hustle.
Head to the website or Amazon to order your book now.
Florida Hustle is a comic adventure by the talented author Paul Wilborn that hurtles readers back to 1980s Florida, a place of luxury mansions, cheap motels, B-movie sets, where the sunny allure of sandy beaches gives way to the swampy depths of the Everglades.
Captivated by a B-movie scream queen, Michael Donnelly breaks away from the confines of his family’s opulent Palm Beach mansion and embarks on a journey to the Everglades, where Dawn Karston is filming Swamp Fiend 2. Teaming up with an aging con man and his ambitious girlfriend, Michael finds caught up in the quicksand of competing cons and hustles
Paul Wilborn’s engaging style, quirky characters, sharp descriptions, and funny one-liners make this one of the best examples of a “Florida novel.” Critics have compared Wilborn’s writing with the books of Carl Hiassen and Elmore Leonard. In a “starred” review, Kirkus called Florida Hustle “an irrepressible Florida frolic filled with lost dreams, forlorn love, and horror movie lore.”
Florida Hustle is also a compelling piece of historical fiction, transporting readers to a time when the Sunshine State was morphing from a land of beaches and roadside attractions into a mega-state. It’s also a snapshot of B-movie Hollywood in the early 1980s, when the success of the horror films Halloween and Friday the 13th spawned hundreds of copy-cat slasher films, many made on the cheap in Florida. While not a horror novel, Florida Hustle immerses readers in the world of 1980s horror filmmaking.
Paul Wilborn’s 2019 story collection, Cigar City, won the fiction gold medal in the Florida Book Awards. Along with a starred review, Kirkus named Florida Hustle “One of the 100 best indie books of 2022.”
As a journalist assigned to roam Florida in the 1990s, Wilborn captured multiple awards from the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, and was recognized with the Paul Hansel award as “Florida’s Best Journalist” in 1998.
Fans of comic fiction, dark humor and anyone seeking a fast-paced literary escape will find all that and more in Florida Hustle.
Head to the website or Amazon to order your book now.
Paul Wilborn
Books by Paul Wilborn
FAQ's
A: The book falls under the genre of dark comedy and humorous fiction. It takes place in 1980s Florida and revolves around a young filmmaker's journey filled with cons and hustles.
A: The lead characters are a young horror movie fan, an aging con man, and his ambitious girlfriend. The young fan, who hopes to make his own films, is obsessed with a B-movie scream queen who is shooting her latest film in Florida. With a detective and two biker brothers on his trail, he joins forces with the con man and his girlfriend, and they go in search of a film set hidden in the heart of the Everglades.
A: The central conflict revolves around the protagonist's pursuit of his passion for filmmaking and his infatuation with the B-movie scream queen. As he joins forces with the con man and his girlfriend, they all find themselves embroiled in a tangled web of competing cons and hustles, leading to a series of gripping , suspenseful and often, comic situations.
A: The story is set in 1980s Florida, primarily in Palm Beach and the Everglades. The author vividly captures the atmosphere and essence of Florida during that era, which adds to the charm and authenticity of the narrative.
A: The storyline delves into themes of ambition, obsession, deception, and the allure of the film industry. The characters’ pursuit of their dreams and the lengths they go to achieve them form the story's core, highlighting the darker aspects of human nature, in a state where everyone has a hustle.