Published in the Daytona News-Journal   AREA AUTHOR Dec. 30, 2012

 

Name: Sandra Walters  Residence: Enterprise

 

Book info: “The Story of Thornby,” Blackwyrm Publishing, 359 pages, $29.95 large-format paperback with 44 full-color photos

 

Summary: The book documents a true “David and Goliath” story — the well-publicized, local grass-roots fight by a group of ordinary people who took on Volusia County's largest city in 2001. The eight-year struggle to save the historic Thornby property on Lake Monroe included arson, hurricanes, political chicanery, personal attacks and 11 public hearings. The book features lots of local history, as well as a section of tips on how to successfully “fight City Hall.”

 

Author bio: Since moving to Florida from Pittsburgh in 1971, Sandra Walters has lived and worked as a paralegal all over the state. The Thornby fight was her first foray into politics and the workings of government. It taught her more than she ever thought she could learn about what goes on behind the scenes. Now retired, Walters uses her time for community causes, as well as enjoying hiking, bicycle riding, reading and traveling with her husband.

Available: amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, as well as at Family Book Store, West Volusia Historical Society and The Muse Book Shop, all in DeLand, and Barrel of Books and Games in Mount Dora.