Randy Wayne White
Encyclopedia
Randy Wayne White is an American
writer of crime fiction
and non-fiction adventure tales. He has written New York Times best-selling novels and has received awards for his fiction and a television documentary. He is best known for his series of crime novels featuring the retired NSA agent Doc Ford, a marine biologist living on the Gulf Coast of southern Florida
. White has contributed material on a variety of topics to numerous magazines and has lectured across the United States. A resident of Southwest Florida
since 1972, he currently lives on Pine Island, Florida
, where he is active in South Florida civic affairs and with the restaurant Doc Ford's Sanibel Rum Bar & Grill on nearby Sanibel Island
.
, and spent his early life on a small farm outside Pioneer, Ohio
. His summers were spent in Rockingham, North Carolina
, his mother's hometown. In the 1960s his family moved to Davenport, Iowa
, where White attended Davenport Central High School and competed in baseball, football, and springboard diving. After graduating in 1968 he spent time in travel before settling in Southwest Florida in 1972. Although the Vietnam War was raging during those years, he performed no military service according to his own bio, yet there are persistent rumors that White maintained a classified relationship with a national intelligence agency while working for Outside Magazine and other magazines for which he traveled internationally and wrote. He is also close friends with noted author Peter Matthiessen whom, as has been documented, was co-founder of the Paris Review, which was financed by the Central Intelligence Agency. After "traveling" for five years after high school, White worked for the Fort Myers News-Press
for four years during which time he obtained a captain's license. He then bought a used charter boat and operated as a light-tackle fishing guide at the Tarpon Bay Marina on Sanibel Island
for thirteen years.
Randy Striker. After the federal government closed Tarpon Bay to powerboat traffic he became a full-time adventurer and writer.
White has traveled extensively and participated in a wide variety of adventures, including dog sledding in Alaska, helping to re-establish Little League baseball in Cuba, and ferrying Cuban refugees to safety during the Mariel boatlift
.
St. Martin's Press published his first Doc Ford novel, Sanibel Flats in 1990 with a three-book contract and option for the fourth. Dissatisfied with the money paid for and the scant promotion of his first three books, White signed with G.P. Putnam's Sons for the fourth book under much more favorable terms and has been with that publisher ever since.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer of crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
and non-fiction adventure tales. He has written New York Times best-selling novels and has received awards for his fiction and a television documentary. He is best known for his series of crime novels featuring the retired NSA agent Doc Ford, a marine biologist living on the Gulf Coast of southern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. White has contributed material on a variety of topics to numerous magazines and has lectured across the United States. A resident of Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida is a region of Florida , United States located along its gulf coast, south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee and mostly north of the Everglades...
since 1972, he currently lives on Pine Island, Florida
Pine Island, Florida
Pine Island is a census-designated place in Hernando County, Florida, United States. The population was 64 at the 2000 census. Pine Island Park , is a area on the Gulf of Mexico at 10800 Pine Island Drive that includes a swimming beach and swimming area, picnic tables, shelters, barbecue...
, where he is active in South Florida civic affairs and with the restaurant Doc Ford's Sanibel Rum Bar & Grill on nearby Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island is an island located on the Gulf coast of Florida, just offshore of Fort Myers. In 2000, it had an estimated population of 6,064 people...
.
Biography
White was born in Ashland, OhioAshland, Ohio
Ashland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Ashland County. The population was 21,249 at the 2000 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, and spent his early life on a small farm outside Pioneer, Ohio
Pioneer, Ohio
Pioneer is a village in Williams County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,369 at the 2010 census.-History:Earliest recorded settlers of Pioneer were P.W. Norris and Owen McCarty , who were hired to clear James A. Rogers land in 1842-3. That land was section 17 of Williams County...
. His summers were spent in Rockingham, North Carolina
Rockingham, North Carolina
Rockingham is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States named after the Marquis of Rockingham. The population was 9,672 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richmond County...
, his mother's hometown. In the 1960s his family moved to Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, where White attended Davenport Central High School and competed in baseball, football, and springboard diving. After graduating in 1968 he spent time in travel before settling in Southwest Florida in 1972. Although the Vietnam War was raging during those years, he performed no military service according to his own bio, yet there are persistent rumors that White maintained a classified relationship with a national intelligence agency while working for Outside Magazine and other magazines for which he traveled internationally and wrote. He is also close friends with noted author Peter Matthiessen whom, as has been documented, was co-founder of the Paris Review, which was financed by the Central Intelligence Agency. After "traveling" for five years after high school, White worked for the Fort Myers News-Press
Fort Myers News-Press
The News-Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper located in Fort Myers, Florida serving primarily Lee County, as well as parts of Hendry, Collier, and Charlotte Counties....
for four years during which time he obtained a captain's license. He then bought a used charter boat and operated as a light-tackle fishing guide at the Tarpon Bay Marina on Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island is an island located on the Gulf coast of Florida, just offshore of Fort Myers. In 2000, it had an estimated population of 6,064 people...
for thirteen years.
Literary career
White began writing novels while working as a fishing guide. His first seven novels were written under the pen namePen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Randy Striker. After the federal government closed Tarpon Bay to powerboat traffic he became a full-time adventurer and writer.
White has traveled extensively and participated in a wide variety of adventures, including dog sledding in Alaska, helping to re-establish Little League baseball in Cuba, and ferrying Cuban refugees to safety during the Mariel boatlift
Mariel boatlift
The Mariel boatlift was a mass emigration of Cubans who departed from Cuba's Mariel Harbor for the United States between April 15 and October 31, 1980....
.
St. Martin's Press published his first Doc Ford novel, Sanibel Flats in 1990 with a three-book contract and option for the fourth. Dissatisfied with the money paid for and the scant promotion of his first three books, White signed with G.P. Putnam's Sons for the fourth book under much more favorable terms and has been with that publisher ever since.
Fiction by "Randy Striker"
- Key West Connection (1981)
- The Deep Six (1981)
- Cuban Death-lift (1981)
- The Deadlier Sex (1981)
- Assassin's Shadow (1981)
- Everglades Assault (1982)
- Grand Cayman Slam (1982)
Doc Ford novels
- Sanibel Flats (1990, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-92602-2)
- The Heat Islands (1992, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-92977-3)
- The Man Who Invented Florida (1993, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-09866-9)
- Captiva (1996, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14140-5)
- North of Havana (1997, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14242-8)
- The Mangrove Coast (1998, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14372-6)
- Ten Thousand Islands (2000, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14620-2)
- Shark River (2001, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14729-2)
- Twelve Mile Limit (2002, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14873-6)
- Everglades (2003, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15058-7)
- Tampa Burn (2004, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15181-8)
- Dead of Night (2005, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15244-X)
- Dark Light (2006, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15336-5)
- Hunter's Moon (2007, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15370-5)
- Black Widow (2008, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15456-6)
- Dead Silence (2009, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 978-0-399-15540-6)
- Deep Shadow (2010, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 978-0-399-15626-7)
- Night Vision (2011, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 978-0-399-15705-9)
Non-fiction
- Batfishing in the Rainforest (1991, Lyons & Burford)
- The Sharks of Lake Nicaragua: True tales of adventure, travel, and fishing (1999, Lyon's Press, ISBN 1-55821-904-8)
- Last Flight Out: True tales of adventure, travel, and fishing (2002, Lyons Press, ISBN 1-58574-383-6)
- "Dr. Pepper" in Outside 25: Classic tales and new voices from the frontiers of adventure, edited by Hal Espen (2002, W.W. Norton, ISBN 0-393-05186-2)
- An American Traveler (2003, Lyons Press, ISBN 1-59228-033-1)
- A Fishing Guide's Guide to Tropical Cooking (2006, Algonquin Press)
- Randy Wayne White's Gulf Coast Cookbook: With memories and photos of Sanibel Island, photographs by Carlene Fredericka Brennen (2006, The Globe Pequot Press, ISBN 1-59228-096-X)
Contributions to periodicals
- Contributing editor and columnist for Men's JournalMen's JournalMen's Journal is an American men's lifestyle magazine focused on outdoor recreation and comprising editorials on the outdoors, environmental issues, health and fitness, style and fashion, and "gear". It is owned by Jann Wenner of Wenner Media....
- Contributing editor and columnist for Men's HealthMen's Health (magazine)Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...
- Contributor to National Geographic AdventureNational Geographic AdventureNational Geographic Adventure, formerly known as Adventure One but now commonly known as Nat Geo Adventure, is a subscription TV channel part of National Geographic Channels International and News Corporation...
- An editor-at-large of OutsideOutside (magazine)Outside is an American magazine focused on the outdoors. The first issue debuted in September 1977 with its mission statement declaring that the publication was "dedicated to covering the people, sports and activities, politics, art, literature, and hardware of the outdoors..."Its founders were...
Television
- Gift of the Game (2003, Uncommon Productions, produced by Bill Haney and John MacNeil, directed by Bill Haney, written by Bill Haney and Randy Wayne White)
Awards and honors
- "Best of Show" at the Woods Hole Film FestivalWoods Hole Film FestivalThe Woods Hole Film Festival was founded in 1991 by Judith Laster and Kate Davis.Over the years, it has grown from a one day invitational event to an eight day event with films submitted from around the world. The Festival is held each year from the last Saturday of July through the first Saturday...
for the documentary Gift of the Game. - Sanibel Flats on the list "Hundred Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century" by the American Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
- Conch Republic Prize for Literature
- John D. MacDonaldJohn D. MacDonaldJohn Dann MacDonald was an American crime and suspense novelist and short story writer.MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many of them set in his adopted home of Florida...
Award for Literary Excellence
Civic participation
- Member of the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission (four years)
- Member of the Florida Bar Association Grievance Committee (four years)
- Co-founder of Big Brothers in South Florida