His major characters are modest and flawed. He himself, has embraced Sarasota in ways McKinley Kantor and John MacDonald never would have thought of. Both, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of ‘Andersonville’ and the creator of blockbuster thriller ‘Condominium’ were private Siesta Key figures. Kaminsky is a multi-faceted Sarasotan.
I met the youthful 69 year old creator of Lew Fonesca, Sarasota based hero of the series whose most recent product is titled “Midnight Pass”, at Sunrise Café for lunch. It’s one of both of our favorite in-town eating places.
The stocky writer appeared rested and serene but he confessed he just finished playing a double header of softball in a local league.
“I played second base in the first game and right field in the second game. The second one was easier because the other team only had three southpaws who hit to right field.”
He also gives a free critique on a selected Burns Court art film at Barnes and Noble’s book store the last Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM.
Since coming to Sarasota in 1989 to head the Florida State University Film School at the Asolo Campus, he has been writing full time since 1994. He has also given writing classes and holds book signings at Sarasota News and Books on Main Street.
“I go to lots of films and have made many friends in Sarasota,” he smiled. I asked if notably difficult Dick Morris is among his friends and he said, “Yes, we have never had the first disagreement.”
His busy local life is highlighted by a heavy writing schedule which has resulted in two new books completed and awaiting publication.
He holds a PhD in writing and has three other series besides a Sarasota missing person mystery featuring a depressed widower, Lew Fonesca.
Another series is set in Chicago and features a team of homicide detectives, Abe Lieberman and Bill Hanrahan.
Another series is set is in post-glasnost Russia with Moscow homicide sleuth Porfiry Rostnikov as the principal character. Finally, Toby Peters is a Hollywood private eye series set in the forties. The hero interacts with real celebrities in fictional circumstances.
“All this takes a lot of research and contacts. I use the internet. e-mail and personal friends for source material,” he explained.
“Only the Sarasota series is comparatively easy,” he said. “All I have to do to get plot ideas is read the newspapers.”
A case in point is his 2003 investigation of a Sarasota missing person that holds together the very personal ‘Midnight Pass’. In it short, depressed and insecure Lew Fonesca inhabits a tiny apartment office room right near the real life Dairy Queen downtown on US 301. He does his drinking at the Scoreboard Lounge across the street and eats at the old Waffle Shop that has been in the same location across from the dance studio near his fictional office. He rents cars at nearby Enterprise Car Rental near the Hispanic grocery. All have fictitious names and characters. Other real life local charm is injected into the mystery and includes two homeless men we have all seen: one bearded who resides under the bridge nearby, the other an incomprehensible shirtless Afro-American most often seen on lower Main Street right near Sarasota News and Books.