Florida’s History Detective
Sally J. Ling is a historian and literary sleuth, unearthing truths and weaving gripping mysteries from the sands of Florida’s past. Her nonfiction work sheds light on Florida’s obscure and little-known true stories, and her fictional mysteries bring audiences the same flair for intrigue and precision—rich in historical detail, complex relationships, and sharp dialogue.
These nonfiction stories will inspire, educate, and provide jaw-dropping amazement at Florida’s incredible history:
- Al Capone’s contentious time in Miami,
- An over 135-year-old state mental institution steeped in dark secrets,
- A WWII top-secret military base tasked with the installation, maintenance, and operation of America’s most important war-worthy device,
- The real story about Florida’s involvement in bringing illegal booze into the country during the Prohibition era, Unsolved murders, Mysterious ancient artifacts, and more.
Author
As an author, Sally has written six historic nonfiction books, each about a fascinating aspect of Florida history. Her fiction books and current projects each have a strong Florida history component.
SPEAKER
She has shared stories with audiences at numerous educational institutions, social and philanthropic organizations, and historical societies throughout Florida. She enjoys sharing Florida’s rich history and never miss an opportunity to talk about writing and the excitement of discovering a good story.
Sally has been a guest on NPR (National Public Radio and TV) many times, and a guest lecturer with the LifeLong Learning Society at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.
Because of her book Run the Rum In, she had the privilege of participating in two documentaries depicting South Florida during the Prohibition era and was associate producer and on-camera speaker in WLRN’s documentary “Prohibition and the South Florida Connection” that premiered November 2011. The documentary is still running on PBS channels. In 2012, the film was nominated for a Suncoast Emmy Award. She also participated in a series entitled “Gangsters” for the National Geographic Channel.
EMMY AWARD WINING DOCUMENTARY!
JOURNALIST
As a journalist, Sally covered important people, events, and organizations in South Florida. She’s interviewed Olympic champions, world-renowned men-of-the-cloth, Carnegie Hall performers, high-powered developers, politicians, and TV personalities. She also covered Mickey Mantle memorabilia, World War II exhibits, historic walking tours, restaurateurs, and entrepreneurs. She’s even been a ghostwriter.
For four years, she was a special correspondent for the Sun Sentinel newspaper in South Florida where hundreds of her articles appeared in the Community News section. As a freelance journalist, dozens of her articles appeared in South Florida magazines.
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