Susan Willoch Shaver, author of
Surviving “Paradise,” a personal account of the hell she suffered living in Sarasota, FL–and how you can avoid the misery in a city like that one…
I grew up in metro Atlanta, born and raised and was a single mom to two girls for 15 plus years. I graduated from Agnes Scott College, a private women’s liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. It was founded by my family, my great-great grandfather founded it and named it after his mother. My grandfather, Milton C. Scott, who I mention in my book regarding my interest in volunteering with the Senior Friendship Center in Sarasota, was probably the most influential person in my life. He was a wonderful man, a great man, a good man and a very successful and wealthy man. He was stern but kind and had a wonderful sense of humor. I was very close to him. We had a lot of fun with sports…especially the UGA vs. Georgia Tech rivalry. He went to UGA, my father played football for Georgia Tech under legendary coach Bobby Dodd. I have been a GT fan all my life, naturally and my grandfather and I would exchange poems and messages prior to the UGA-GT rivalry game. He was an awesome story teller. If you read the book, well you find that my endeavor to give back and volunteer went about as well as everything else did for me in Sarasota. I was assigned to a deaf man, a painter, who had lost his wife and really did not want the company. After a few attempts at getting together to play cards, he decided to go swimming and “stand me up”. Did not go so well.
I have always loved the beach. My family owned property in Hilton Head, SC for twenty years and some of my most fond memories are of being there with my girls where everyone seemed to just be “happy”. When I became an empty-Nester..I knew I wanted to live somewhere else, but somewhere that was my own. I looked in the Clearwater-St. Pete area of Florida but eventually found my way to Sarasota. I had such high hopes!
Alas, it was not to be. The Bulgarian neighbors on the left were the death of me. They partied and fought and sold drugs. They were even investigated for involvement in human trafficking. The Sarasota Sheriff Dept. did not offer much help. Eventually, I was forced to seek help with a lawyer and go after both the HOA and the Bulgarians, but they had disappeared during the dark of night. I was hoping for an ideal life, quiet and peaceful and with about a 10 mile drive to the beach but instead I got a huge serving of hell. Moreover, I got very little support from the HOA and/or local law enforcement. Thus, a lawyer and eventually mediation and a resolution. By then, the markets had crashed and the real estate market was the worse since the great depression. I was forced to sell for next to nothing and move on to Savannah. I enjoyed downtown Savannah and then spent a year in Jacksonville, OK southern beach town but not so great apartment complex before returning to Atlanta.
I decided to write this book because I thought it was such a crazy story, you just cannot make up this level of crazy! Colorful characters and it often seemed like I had found myself in a Lifetime movie. I thought, I just have to share this.
I think it resonates with anyone who has moved away for the first time, hoping for good things. Finding one’s self dealing with ridiculous people and circumstances, well, perhaps people can relate. Bad neighbors…and I don’t mean just arguing over where to put a fence or cutting down a tree. I mean BAD NEIGHBORS!! No quality of life.
I also have a screenplay that was adapted from the book. It is a bit darker, more edgy. The book has more humor and wit. The screenplay is one that offers more danger. My goal is to sell the rights to both the book and the screenplay. I feel it would make a great movie.
I wish to eventually (sooner as opposed to later) relocate to Palm Springs, CA. I love California…laid back and away from the east coast. I first fell in love with Palm Springs because I first loved Roger Federer. I am a sports fanatic (life long) and I love Roger Federer. I decided in 2013 that at the top of my bucket list was to see Roger Federer play in person. So, off to the the BNP Paribas Tournament at Indian Wells I went. I was in awe of the Palm Springs scenery and atmosphere. I have been back every year since (sadly, Federer did not play last year and I do plan to attend in 2017). There is NO TRAFFIC, it is quite, serene, peaceful and I feel very comfortable there. Then again, I have to be careful as I have only experienced it during the tennis tournament (when there is still no traffic) and I know I need to be there during the regular rhythm of everyday life. But I have big hopes and dreams for a happy and healthy life there.
What makes for a great city? What makes for a great place to live? Well, I think there are places to visit and places to live. I love New York. I love Chicago. I used to love Atlanta, not so much now but I have always been very proud to say I was from Atlanta, GA. Time, age, where you are in your life..all these things factor in. As much as I love the beach, Palm Springs seems like a peaceful desert oasis. And, it is only an hour and a half or less from all the beaches in both LA and San Diego. I am searching still for that place that is “my own” and I have high hopes for Palm Springs.
I love books, I love movies, I love travel and seeing this beautiful country. I love yoga and I really love sharing good stories with people who enjoy sports, pop culture, arts, and history! I think we learn from movies and books, life lessons and sometimes lessons about ourselves and who we are and who we aspire to be.
Most of all…I am a “keep it simple” kind of gal. I love to laugh and have fun. I was very inspired by a recent movie based on a book..Me Before You. The message I took from it was that we only get one life and we have a duty to live it, and to live boldly, not settle. I really believe that is empowering. To quote the late, great Jimmy V,, live every day as if it were your last. Laugh, think and be moved to tears. I want to find that right place and live that life. It was not in Sarasota. But maybe it is in Palm Springs. Again, to quote Jimmy V..don’t give up, don’t ever give up!! I believe that!