Author Lee Melsek’s New Book, "Finding Huck: Adventures Down Yonder Short Stories From Estero Island," Captures the Author’s Childhood Growing Up on Estero Island

High Springs, FL, October 08, 2025 --(PR.com)-- Lee Melsek, who holds a degree in mass communication and journalism from the University of Southern Florida, has completed his new book, “Finding Huck: Adventures Down Yonder Short Stories From Estero Island”: a stirring account that explores the simpler times of living on Estero Island, reliving the area’s glory days before tourism and the state government lead to the island’s development that overwhelmed and changed the community.

Throughout his career, author Lee Melsek has received numerous accolades, including two National Headliner Awards, two National Press Club Awards, three Florida Press Club Awards, the Trial Lawyers of America Award, and the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors Gold Medal for public service. He also earned first place for investigative reporting and was part of the team that won the national Robert F. Kennedy Award for Journalism for a yearlong series on the plight of Black communities in Southwest Florida, titled Far from the Dream.

“The island was ours, far from the cities, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and ancient Estero Bay,” writes Melsek. “We were free. Settled among seven miles of sugar sand beach, palm and pine forests, waters full of fish and a population small enough to know each face, each name. It was the fifties and America was at peace, nowhere more so than on this skinny, dead-end island blessed with clean tropic breezes and the best of neighbors. A time before street lights and stop lights and highrise buildings and hucksters peddling fantasies of utopia.

“Single moms were pioneering a fledgling business community, a few famous actors, athletes and aspiring authors were sheltering for privacy and a young family from northern Illinois was learning this strange new land required patience.

“This is the island’s memoir, who we were, how we lived in a time long since replaced by a crush of traffic, unabated development and overwhelmed by a government and tourist industry unwilling to slow the chaos. A time long before the island’s soul vanished in the mutiny.”

Published by Newman Springs Publishing, Lee Melsek’s enthralling tale will captivate readers as they step back in time to discover the beauty and peace that Estero Island was once known for. Deeply personal and emotionally candid, “Finding Huck” is a beautiful tribute to the author’s childhood paradise, as well as a warning to how quickly paradise can be destroyed.

Readers who wish to experience this mesmerizing work can order “Finding Huck: Adventures Down Yonder Short Stories From Estero Island” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iBooks Store, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Newman Springs Publishing at 732-243-8512.

About Newman Springs Publishing:

Newman Springs Publishing is a full-service publishing house for serious authors. Each title produced by Newman Springs Publishing undergoes every step of the professional publishing process, including editing, layout, cover design, circulation, distribution, and publicity. All titles are made available in both eBook and print formats. Newman Springs Publishing distributes to tens of thousands of retail outlets throughout North America and internationally. All manuscripts in any genre are welcome to be submitted for review; If the manuscript meets the necessary criteria and is accepted for publication, Newman Springs Publishing will work closely with the author to bring the book to the retail market for a relatively inexpensive initial investment.