Randy Wayne White turns surviving Hurricane Ian into a novel

When Hurricane Ian turned toward Sanibel Island, Randy Wayne White faced an impossible decision.

Evacuate, and the storm could head for his new location like it did during Hurricane Irma — when his son ended up stranded on I-75 with a pregnant wife and their pets.

• Or stay and risk a direct hit that could rip his home to shreds like Hurricane Charley did when he lived in Pine Island.

He gambled — and lost nearly everything.

Why it matters: White poured his experience of surviving a storm — plus the horrific aftermath — into the latest novel in his Doc Ford series, "One Deadly Eye."

What he's saying: Selene talked to White about the storm and writing the book. The interview has been edited for brevity.

Selene: How did people react to learning you didn't evacuate?

White: "I've gotten a lot of criticism for staying, but I will point out I did not advertise that Randy White is not leaving. I did not tell anyone. I didn't encourage anyone not to leave.

• But on the positive side, I have an FCC Ham radio. And because of that, the next day I was able to have people evacuated and help people who were in dire straits get to the hospital."

Why turn this experience into a Doc Ford novel instead of a memoir?

"One Deadly Eye is, in my mind, the best thriller novel I've ever written. It's also among the most literate and literary. It's a serious, serious novel. But it reads like the speed of a passing hurricane.

• I have a contract for an autobiography, and hurricanes will be included — not just the most recent, but my experiences going through them.

• But the novel … it really was grounding for me to have something purposeful, where I could call upon the notes, the very detailed linear observations I made during the hurricane and use that in the scaffolding of the novel."

For the record, you're not telling people to ride out a storm for the sake of a story, right?

"For the record, I'm telling you: 'Get the hell out.'"

What's ahead: "One Deadly Eye" comes out Sunday. White, now a Tampa Bay resident, will be at Tombolo Books at 7pm Monday to celebrate.