Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Whimsical Wednesday: How Did This Travel Thing Happen Anyway?

Wow. I can't believe three weeks have transpired since my last post. Boy, when a once dedicated blogger falls, she really falls. Sadly, my only excuse is work... of the travel variety, of course. Over the past few weeks, I've finally finished my Moon Florida Keys travel guidebook, signed a contract for the latest edition of Moon Michigan, discovered that some of my travel secrets were included in a cool collaborative project intended to benefit a global clean water initiative, compiled a list of America's top 15 budget-friendly destinations, and participated in a 20-station satellite radio tour about said budget-friendly destinations. During this curious radio tour, several hosts asked me how I ended up in my present travel-writing career. Without hesitation, I blamed – I mean, thanked – my mom for my current endeavors. It was she, after all, who took me on my most memorable road trips as a kid – to places as far afield as San Antonio, the Rocky Mountains, Washington, D.C., even Canada. No wonder I do what I do for a living – albeit, a meager one. If only I could make room for some time to finish my novel – and check in with my ol' blogosphere pals. 'Cause, boy, do I miss keeping up with their thoughts and adventures.

So, that said, I'm just curious... what have y'all been up to lately?

8 comments:

Becky said...

Wow, you're busy! Congrats about all of the much-earned accomplishments! We're enjoying our new home in Oregon, kids only have a hand-full of days left of school :-O, then I hope to do some local traveling with MY kids!!

Laura Martone said...

Yep. Too busy. Wahhh! I miss the blogosphere. :-(

But thanks for the congrats. Let's just hope I can do my next guide a little better - with a little less hair-pulling - haha!

In the meantime, I'm so happy to hear that you're enjoying your new home in Oregon, although, of course, I kinda wish you were still here in Michigan. :-) And I hope you have oodles of fun with your boys. How are they liking Oregon, BTW?

P.S. Sorry that I have yet to reply to your last couple emails. I aim to catch up this weekend. Ugh.

Stephanie Damore said...

Hey Laura, good to see a new post. I'm just getting back into blogging myself. We've been busy getting ready to move and all that entails. Too much to do and this lovely heat is making me LAZY. But, I do miss my blogging buddies. So here I am making a valiant effort to get back in the loop. Cheers!

Laura Martone said...

Good to see you, too! Believe me, I understand the need to step away from the blogosphere for a while. I've missed it something awful, but other things - like work and family - have had to take precedence. I hope to catch up with my blogging buddies - like you! - soon, too.

In the meantime, good luck with the upcoming move - and enjoy the heat! It's making me a little lazy, too... which isn't necessarily a bad thing. :-)

R.R.Jones said...

Well, what am I doing?
Nothing is the answer to that. I seem to have hit a brick wall. Working shifts in a steelworks, being a full time dad, playing the drums in a band and working around the house seems to have taken up all my energy. I won't say time because that isn't true, I still read and watch a film now and then. However, I don't seem to get any writing done nowadays; I've dried up.
When I do put finger to key, what comes out is stilted and unusable. I really hope I get out of this rut I'm in... which leads me onto a question for you.

What does a professional scribbler do when they hit, "The Wall" as it were? Any tips? I'm all ears...
;-)

Marguerite said...

Congrats on your many great accomplishments, sha! Just having fun and enjoying life, here, except for the oil spill.:) Such a tragedy!

Laura Martone said...

Hi, R.R.! I appreciate your checking in. Seems like you have a lot going on right now (You work in a steelworks? Wow!). Still, I'm sorry to hear that you've hit a brick wall with your writing. As a professional "scribbler," I've never really hit a brick wall with my travel writing. Guess deadlines and contracts force me to focus - but my fiction is another story. At the moment, I'm "stuck" - in love with my novel but not sure how to make it better. Or at least more appropriate for the current state of publishing. But I've taken a long break from it, and that seems to have cleared my head a little, made me eager to try again.

Laura Martone said...

Thanks, Marguerite! I'm so glad to hear that you're having fun down south - despite the tragic oil spill. I sure do miss Louisiana - and pray for it every day.