More of Mandy Miles' Tan Lines: Only in Key West: A hilarious look at island living and life in general. This item is unavailable.More of Mandy Miles' Tan Lines: Only in Key West: A hilarious look at island living and life in general

The End of the Road is Just the Beginning... Key West dangles temptingly from the edge of the “real” world; stunning, captivating and intriguing in its anything-goes attitude. The simple promise of an endless summer attracts throngs of winter’s temporary refugees. But it’s not just the weather that draws some of us always back to the end of a long, hot road, where anything goes, nobody cares and everyone applauds a sunset that tie-dyes the twilight. Our offhanded and unaffected attitude evolved through humid centuries of close coexistence on a remote outpost. Seafarers, cigar makers, smugglers and scribes shared this speck of limestone long before the world discovered frozen drinks and four-day cruises. Yet deep within today’s sunburned frenzy, there still exists a decidedly diverse, yet fiercely loyal community that thrives in an enduring independence borne of isolation and cooperation. To those who answer its call, Key West is more than warm weather and cold drinks. It is bizarre and hilarious. It is exhilarating and exasperating. It is magical and mysterious. It is opinionated and passionate. It is family. It is home. Key West is everything anyone needs it to be. The island’s favorite humor columnist Mandy Miles packs a vacation into a paperback, reminding tourists, locals and natives why we answer the island’s call and what happens here in “real life.” But don't take our word for it. Here's what real readers are really saying about "Tan Lines": “I love reading it every Sunday. You are a very talented writer with a sharp sense of humor.” John Richmond, Key West, Fla “Just wanted to say thank you to you. It's like I am reading about my own life when I read about yours.” Ann Jonas, Key West, Fla. ‘Mandy is the best columnist I’ve ever read…she has a way of describing and commenting that is a true gift.” Carol Fris, Johnstown, Pa. “I could not let another Sunday go by without letting you know how much I enjoy reading your "Tan Lines" column. You brighten my day and my week by your wit and hilarious topics… You are a great addition to The Citizen and I wish you all of the success in the world or at least, our little town. Enjoy your life and keep the funny stories coming.” Ellie Stricker, Decatur Island, Wa. “Just felt the need to say that I love your weekly articles. I have cried, smiled, laughed, been upset, etc. Thanks for sharing. I get the paper mailed to me so I can keep up and read your columns.” Jon Clifton, Wilmington, Del. “I want to tell you that your columns are always special as I can so often relate to all that you say. Thanks again for having the courage to share yourself with your readers. That is why you are beloved in Key West!” Lynda A Frechette

About the Author Mandy Miles was known as Mandy Bolen when she arrived in Key West, Fla. in July 1998. Fresh out of college and drawn to the island of endless summer that had beckoned since her first visit at the age of 16, Mandy eagerly accepted a job as a fledgling reporter with the Key West Citizen. She covered meetings of the county commission, city commission, school board and every other board that meets twice a month in the Florida Keys. She covered crimes, fires and first days of kindergarten. Then in 2001, she volunteered to try her hand at column-writing and started revealing her “Tan Lines” week by week. People seemed to like what she wrote, so she kept doing it, often driving her friends crazy with the weekly panic of finding a topic. Eleven years later, she is still a fixture at the Key West Citizen, currently as its business editor and resident columnist. Mandy Bolen became Mandy Miles on April 10, 2010, when she married the love of her life, Capt. Stan Miles, at the Key West Garden Club. Cold drinks and colorful people in a hot town have provided enough education, insight and insanity to keep her notebooks full for more than a decade. But weekends in Key West still find Mandy lying on a pool float or beach chair – working on her “Tan Lines.”