Book excerpt: Florida as symbol and myth is the subject of this collection of new critical essays exploring fiction written by female Floridian authors. In the words of author Karen Russell, the Sunshine State is "virtually past-less, seasons are out of the question, and it's built on a primordial park full of monsters." Discussing the state as setting, the essayists--also Floridians--suggest that it is a creation of the stories told about it. Each of the book's 12 chapters covers one author, including a brief biography followed by one (and twice, two) essays on some of the author's works. The book's final section includes interviews with authors Lynne Barrett, Jeannine Capo Cruz, Vicki Hendricks and Angela Hunt.