Monday, February 22, 2016

What I love—Road Trips

Yes, I know it’s February, and, yes, Valentine’s Day is what everybody thinks about, but I’m not much of a Valentine gal. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy chocolates, and fresh-cut flowers are a staple in my home, but those aren’t my favorite things.

To tell you the truth, I’m not a terribly romantic person, which makes me laugh, since I write romance novels. Go figure!

Next to writing, road trips rock my world. I don’t just love them in February. I love them whenever the mood strikes my husband and me to take one. As it turns out, we will be taking one in February, and we will be on the road February 14. Hubby knows better than to give me chocolate (I’m trying to lose weight), and where on earth would I put a vase of fresh-cut flowers in my car? One little bump or sharp turn, and there would be a flower explosion—better to wait until we get home, right?
Right!

When I was young, my husband and I worked for an airline. We traveled abroad quite a bit—then we had kids. The travel stopped, save to visit family. When our kids were young, we moved from Texas to North Dakota. Talk about culture shock. We loved it there, however. I home schooled and we were able to visit several surrounding states. And so started my love of road trips. Visiting Mount Rushmore and Glacier National Park was just the beginning. Our move to Ohio introduced us to Amish country.

I was hooked.

It took 39 years of married life to say we visited all 50 states. Now that we reached that milestone, what’s next? Simple—more road trips.

Traveling allows me to work on my photography, and is a constant source of inspiration. Whether we’re driving the back roads of Texas, snaking our way through the Rocky Mountains, speeding across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, or traveling the coast, settings and story ideas are there for the taking.

My first CR book, “The Rose Ring,” was originally set in New York City, but it never felt right, so I went back to my love of mountains and open spaces. Not only is the love story a better one, the family dynamics and secondary characters are a lot more interesting.

I may have gotten a late start as an author, but I’m thankful that early retirement has allowed my husband and I the freedom to explore this wonderful country—one road trip at a time.



https://www.facebook.com/inspywriter/
The Rose Ring: http://amazon.com/dp/B00LTZESEY

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