Fort Lauderdale native Christie Caliendo's debut novel, "Lesser Haven: A Florida Novel."
Courtesy: Christie Caliendo
Fort Lauderdale native Christie Caliendo has officially traded her legacy of making newsroom deadlines for literary suspense with the release of her debut novel, Lesser Haven: A Florida Novel. It’s billed as a Southern Gothic tale steeped in Florida grit, psychological tension and the eerie beauty of the state’s most overlooked landscapes. Set deep in the wetlands near Lake Okeechobee, the novel follows a burned-out reporter who stumbles into a remote community where secrets fester just beneath the surface.
At its core, Lesser Haven is a Florida story through and through. The protagonist, Callie Crispen, mirrors Caliendo’s own background as a journalist, navigating a world shaped by moral gray areas, isolation and the unspoken rules of rural life. As Callie investigates a mysterious young girl living on the fringes of society, the novel peels back layers of a region few outsiders ever truly see.
“I grew up in Fort Lauderdale, in the middle of this growing coastal metropolis, which shaped my love of the ocean and all things island and beach life,” Caliendo tells Browardist. “But I was also surrounded by people who hunted, fished and wandered deep into the wild parts of Florida. That contrast has always shaped how I see this state.”
The book draws heavily from Caliendo’s longtime connection to Lake Okeechobee and the surrounding communities, an area she describes as both haunting and magnetic. “It amazed me that a world of airboats, lake fishing and deep-rooted local culture existed so close to where I lived, yet remained largely unseen,” she said. “Lesser Haven grew out of that sense of discovery.”
A former journalist turned communications professional, Caliendo brings a reporter’s eye and a novelist’s heart to her fiction, exploring themes of isolation, identity and the cost of uncovering hard truths. The result is a moody, atmospheric debut that places Florida’s lesser-known interior squarely in the literary spotlight.
Lesser Havenis available now through major booksellers, including Amazon.
