Gulf Coast Real Estate Blog

The sugar-white shores of the Alabama Gulf Coast hold a special place for many people that have dipped their toes in the Gulf of Mexico and made lifetime memories with family and friends.  When looking to the experts about the area, there is no one better than the Kaiser family that understands how special this slice of paradise is, as they have been a part of the vacation rental, real estate development, and sales for over 40 years.  

Someone else we consider an ambassador for the beaches on the Gulf Coast of Alabama...New York Times Best Selling Author, Andy Andrews.  Andy has written 3 New York Times Best Selling books.  The Noticer and The Noticer Returns highlight the Alabama Gulf Coast as the backdrop for his stories.  He crafts a narrative that beautifully intertwines fact and fiction giving readers a glimpse of this area and the people who make it so special.  

And because both the Kaiser family and Andy know just how amazing this area is, they have teamed up to highlight Andy’s books, showcasing local favorites that keep visitors coming back to the beaches of the Alabama Gulf Coast, year after year.  

We’ve gone behind the scenes with Andy to talk about one of his best-selling books, The Noticer.  The Noticer was published in 2009 and takes place in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama.  This is the first book from The Noticer series.  

As the book brings to light local favorites such as Sea-N-Suds and the iconic landmark, the Alabama Gulf State Pier, Andy reminisced when he and former Alabama Governor, Bob Riley, stood on the newly rebuilt pier, the longest now on the Gulf of Mexico, for the inaugural ribbon cutting in 2009.  You see, at the age of seventeen, Andy wasn’t standing on the pier with the Governor of Alabama, he was living under the pier and at that time, felt like life had nothing left to offer him.  This becomes the setting of the book, The Noticer, as young Andy meets Jones, not Mr. Jones, just Jones.  

History of the State Park Pier: 

Conveniently located in the Alabama Gulf State Park between Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, the Gulf Shores State Park Pier was ceremoniously reopened in July 2009 after the original pier was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.  At the time of completion in 2009, the pier was considered the longest pier in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Shores State Park Pier is a remarkable 1,540 feet long and roughly 41,800 square feet. 

Throughout the book, as you eagerly turn page after page, Jones mysteriously shows up just at the right time to part his insightful wisdom on various life-changing circumstances that are presented throughout the book, Andy shares a few interesting facts and thoughts from the book.   

Currently, The Noticer has been translated in over 40 languages across the world.  However, the title of the book has been translated into many different titles because Noticer is not a word!  Andy was determined that the book would be titled “The Noticer” because that is in fact what Jones called himself, contrary to the publisher’s unwillingness because the title isn’t a word.  Of course, neither were Google or many other words that have become common in today's society. 

Another interesting revelation that Andy has experienced over his career, as he has traveled the world and spoken at many events and functions is, people on more than one occasion have timidly approached him saying, “please don’t think I’m crazy, but I have met Jones.  Of course, when asked, “Who do you think Jones is?” Andrews always replies back, “Who do you think Jones is?”  

Circling back around to the inspiration of his books.  When asked what makes this area so special of a place to have it as the setting for many of his books.  Andy simply answers….“It’s the people.”  

Andy goes on to say that he has been in the entertainment industry in one way or another for many years and he remembers the people who were not very welcoming to him until he reached a certain level of stardom, but the people on the Gulf Coast are just as nice to him today as they were when he was that young man living under the pier, taking odd jobs, and helping tourist clean their fish.  Andy says, “People think that they want to go somewhere exotic and exciting, but really people want to go somewhere where they’re greeted like family and continue to come back because of the lifetime memories they make.”  

Within the pages of The Noticer, Andy depicts real places and people within the community as part of his story that it’s all about perception.  Our hope at Kaiser Sotheby’s International Realty is that people from all over the world have the opportunity to experience what our beautiful Gulf Coast has to offer and write their own story, whether it’s for an annual vacation or for a lifetime.  We welcome you to our paradise! 

The best is yet to come from The Noticer collection.  The third installment of the series, JUST JONES will be released on September 8, 2020.  To stay up to date with all of Andy Andrews’s books, podcasts, blogs, and much more, visit AndyAndrews.com.