There is something about the Florida Keys that makes you want to change your plans.
Maybe it happens when you cross into Key Largo and suddenly the water changes color.
Maybe it is somewhere along the Overseas Highway when the windows go down, the palm trees start flying past and whatever seemed terribly important back home suddenly feels a little less urgent.
Or maybe you start thinking…
What if I just stayed?
That feeling is part of what makes Runaway to the Keys by Miki Bennett such a fun read.
But underneath the romance, boats and beautiful Florida Keys setting, there is another story happening.
It is about choosing your own path.
And that may be the part I loved most.
Meet Skylar: The Woman Who Finally Says, “This Is What I Want”
Skylar could have taken the path everyone expected her to take.
She was good at real estate. She had a family business waiting for her. From the outside, the sensible choice probably looked pretty obvious.
There was just one problem.
It wasn’t what she wanted.
Instead, Skylar decides to build a charter boat business in the Florida Keys.
Her father agrees to loan her the money, but with a catch: she has to pay him back within a year.
And he doesn’t exactly seem convinced she’s going to succeed.
You know what happens when someone tells a determined woman, “I don’t think you can do it,” right?
Challenge accepted.
🌴 Think about this: Have you ever made a decision that everyone else thought was a little crazy, but you knew was right for you?
Because that is where Runaway to the Keys gets interesting.
Yes, there is romance.
Yes, there is Garrett.
And yes, there is plenty of Florida Keys atmosphere.
But Skylar’s decision to bet on herself is really the current running underneath the whole story.
And That Part of Skylar Came From Somewhere
When I talked with Miki Bennett, she told me something that made Skylar’s story click into place.
Miki grew up working in her family’s businesses. Her parents eventually owned four successful RV dealerships, and she had been involved in the family business since she was young.
She was good at it.
But it wasn’t necessarily the life she would have chosen for herself.
Sound familiar?
Miki told me Skylar was, in some ways, the version of herself she had wanted to be.
The person willing to say:
I know I’m good at this.
I know this is what everyone expects.
But I want something else.
And really, haven’t most of us had some version of that moment?
It might not involve buying a boat and running off to the Florida Keys.
Although, for the record, I fully support that storyline.
Maybe it’s a new job.
Starting a business.
Moving somewhere new.
Creating something.
Traveling.
Or simply finally admitting that the thing you’ve been doing for years doesn’t fit anymore.
Barstool Question 🍹
You’re sitting somewhere overlooking the water and nobody else’s opinion counts.
If you could choose your next chapter based entirely on what YOU wanted, what would you do?
Don’t overthink it.
That’s usually when the interesting answers show up.
Miki Bennett Didn’t Plan to Become an Author Either
Here’s another reason the theme works so well.
Miki never planned to become a writer.
She was an artist. A creative person. Someone who liked making things with her hands.
Becoming an author wasn’t sitting on the life-goals list.
Then, after some difficult experiences in her own life and with her family, one of her doctors suggested that she write about them.
She tried.
And it was hard.
So hard that she realized telling the story as nonfiction wasn’t working for her.
Then one morning an idea showed up:
Make it fiction.
That changed everything.
Miki took pieces of life, changed them, reshaped them and created characters around them.
The result became her first Keys story, Keys to Love.
She wrote that book in about 30 days.
And when she reached the end?
Another character was already asking for a story.
Then another.
And another.
Which eventually led to Garrett and Runaway to the Keys.
Funny how that happens.
One decision turns into another, and suddenly you’re somewhere you never planned to be.
Wait… Is Runaway to the Keys Part of a Series?
Sort of.
And this is actually one of the fun things about Miki’s Florida Keys books.
You can read Runaway to the Keys as a standalone book.
You don’t need to read everything else first to understand Skylar and Garrett’s story.
But characters wander in and out of the other books.
Garrett first appears in Forever in the Keys, and Skylar and Garrett pop up again elsewhere in Miki’s Keys world.
So if you enjoy spotting familiar faces in books, reading more of the series gives you those little:
HEY! I know them!
moments.
Think interconnected neighborhood rather than one giant story you have to read from Book 1 through Book 47 before you’re allowed to know what’s happening.
You can jump in here.
And if you fall in love with everyone?
There is more waiting for you.
Why the Florida Keys?
Now we get to my favorite part.
Miki first visited the Florida Keys in 2011.
She already loved beaches and the Caribbean, but the Keys felt different.
You’re still in the United States, but somewhere along the drive things begin to shift.
The water.
The palm trees.
The island pace.
The friendliness.
That feeling that you’ve gone much farther away than you actually have.
You know exactly what she’s talking about, don’t you?
There is a moment when you cross onto the islands and your brain seems to announce:
Okay. We’re in the Keys now.
Miki told me the water was one of the things that hooked her first.
Living in Charleston, she was accustomed to the Atlantic. But the clear tropical water of the Keys was something different.
And once the Keys got her?
They stayed.
They eventually became the backdrop for book after book.
How Well Do You Match Miki’s Keys Style?
Okay, let’s play.
Pick your answer before reading Miki’s.
Sunrise or sunset?
Miki refused to choose.
Her perfect combination?
Sunrise around Seven Mile Bridge and sunset at Mallory Square.
Fair answer.
Favorite Key?
Another refusal.
She loves them all because each island has its own personality.
Also fair.
Snorkeling or relaxing on the boat?
Twenty years ago: snorkeling.
Today: give her the boat, the water and somewhere to sit.
I feel this answer deeply.
Duval Street nightlife or somewhere quiet?
Quiet wins.
Give Miki a beach, a clear night sky and stars.
Key lime pie?
Keep it simple.
No elaborate reinvention required.
Just give her a good classic slice of key lime pie.
Breakfast in the Keys?
Lorelei in Islamorada.
Dinner?
Sunset Grille in Marathon, with that Seven Mile Bridge view helping make the case.
Now keep score in your head.
Are you more of a Miki-style quiet Keys person, or are you headed straight for Duval Street with a frozen drink in hand?
A Florida Keys Book Born From Real Life
One of my favorite parts of talking with authors is finding the tiny pieces of reality hidden inside fiction.
Miki uses a lot of them.
Her family’s RV business helped inspire another series, including Camping in High Heels, about a travel blogger who is challenged to go camping despite knowing almost nothing about it.
That adventure eventually leads to Key West too.
Miki also pulls little pieces from travels, relationships, family experiences and the unexpected situations that happen when you’re away from home.
Which makes sense.
The trips that go perfectly aren’t always the ones we keep talking about.
It’s usually:
“Remember when we almost…?”
“Remember the time we accidentally…?”
“Remember THAT vacation?”
Those become the stories.
And eventually, sometimes, they become books.
Speaking of Adventures…
Miki doesn’t call it a bucket list.
She calls it an adventure list.
I like that much better.
Two things still waiting on hers are parasailing and zip-lining.
She also wants to take an airboat ride.
So let’s add another question.
What’s on YOUR Florida Keys adventure list?
Something you’ve seen a hundred times but haven’t done yet?
A seaplane to Dry Tortugas?
Parasailing?
Snorkeling?
A fishing charter?
Seven Mile Bridge?
A sunset sail?
A quiet weekend doing absolutely nothing?
That last one absolutely counts.
The Keys Aren’t Finished With Miki Yet
Although it has been a while since Miki released a new book, she told me she is beginning to feel pulled toward writing again.
She’s also been spending more time creating artwork, working on DIY projects and exploring all the different creative things she enjoys.
Her new creative home is called Mosaic Sea Turtle, which might be one of my favorite descriptions of a multi-passionate person.
A mosaic is made from lots of different pieces.
The sea turtle moves slowly and steadily.
Put the two together and you get the idea:
You don’t have to do only one thing.
You also don’t have to do everything at once.
And maybe that’s another version of choosing your own path.
Miki has ideas for more stories, including possible future books connected to characters we’ve already met.
One of those characters?
Max from Runaway to the Keys.
She even has an outline.
And there’s another idea involving historical Key West.
That one immediately got my attention.
Want to Read Runaway to the Keys?
If you haven’t read it yet, you can absolutely start with Runaway to the Keys without reading Miki’s other books first.
If you are already a fan, you can explore the other stories and start spotting familiar characters as they wander through her fictional Florida Keys world.
And if you’re in Key West, stop by Island Books and check for a copy there. I always love supporting our little independent bookstore whenever possible.
I’ll also include links below where you can find the book online.
Shop Runaway to the Keys on Amazon
Shop through Bookshop.org and support independent bookstores
Some links may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps keep more Fun in Key West stories coming your way.
One More Florida Keys Adventure…
Our conversation with Miki was sponsored by a pretty amazing piece of Florida Keys history.
The African Queen in Key Largo.
And yes.
THAT African Queen.
The historic steam launch made famous by Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn is right there in Key Largo, and you can actually climb aboard and cruise the canals.
It’s one of those experiences that combines movie history, Florida Keys history and a little adventure into one very Keys afternoon.
You can learn more here:
Before You Go…
Think about this:
If you could change ONE thing about the path you’re currently on, what would it be?
Big or small.
Serious or completely fun.
Maybe your answer is:
I’d spend more time in the Florida Keys.
In which case…
I think you’ve come to the right place. 🌴
