An amazing writing friend of mine, Bobby Hutchinson, said
to me once, "Nancy, our books are therapy. We always write about what's
going on in our lives." I scoffed at the time but I've come to see how
true that is.
Obviously, if you're writing vampire murder rampages or
something it's less true, but even a vampire murder rampage is a metaphor for
something.
So, anyway, I've been writing lately about people
traveling to pursue some sort of quest. And in my own life, I'm at a stage
where my kids are launched and I've got time to travel and do the things I've
been putting off. So, of course, Bobby was right. Bobby is annoyingly usually
right.
In Kiss a Girl in the Rain, the first of my brand new
contemporary romance series called Take a Chance, my hero, Evan Chance, is at a
crossroads.
He's turning 35; he's a successful corporate lawyer who's
been working crazy hours on a path he's not sure he ever chose. When his hippy,
dippy mother sends him the bucket list he wrote when he was twelve, and tells
him he should do some of those things, the notion pulls at him. What if?
Through various crises he ends up chucking his
successful, empty life to hit the road. Item one on his list was Ride a
Motorcycle Across America.
Of course, being the directed, super-focused kind of guy,
he's got to learn some lessons. For instance, things rarely go the way you
think they will on a quest. That's the fun of adventure. Evan only gets two
hundred miles from home when an accident derails him, and he meets a very
homely dog and a very pretty doctor and -- well, you'll have to read the book.
The other project I'm just launching is a three book
series called Changing Gears (are you seeing a pattern here? Take a Chance?
Changing Gears? Hmmm). Changing Gears is a motorbike store that's semi-famous.
They can find any bike you could ever want, and fix what ails it. Of course,
there's something a little magical about the place and its strange owner.
In three books, three different couples find their lives
changing directions as love knocks their careful plans astray.
So, I've been thinking about bucket lists lately. I'm a
passionate hiker.
In the last couple of years I've hiked in Peru, the
Canadian rockies, and most recently I did a solo trip to the Grand Canyon. In
the next year, I'm booked to hike Mont Blanc and tentatively Kilimanjaro. Those
are my bucket list biggies. I'd also like to learn to speak Spanish and I'd
like to live in Europe for a few months. I'd also like to grow my newsletter
list. If you feel like helping me out with that, hop on over to http://www.nancywarren.net and sign up.
You get the greatest chocolate chip cookie recipe. So, I'm wondering, What's on
your list?
Big or small, it doesn't matter. It's fun to dream.
Leave your thoughts in the comments section. I'm offering
an ecopy of Kiss a Girl in the Rain and one of Wild Ride as prizes.
Thanks to Lee for having me and remember, every day we
should do something that scares us just a little bit.
Nancy
16 comments:
Hi all, It is raining so hard here today that the dog refused to go on a walk! It's a good day to write, though. Hope everyone's having a great day.
I loved Kissed a Girl in the Rain and Fast Ride. Hiking isn't in my future although here in AZ we have plenty of mountains to hike in. It rained some of our yearly 7" a couple days ago. Now everything is clean and fresh instead of dusty. I'm enjoying your books and looking forward to the rest of the Changing Gears and Take a Chance series.
Thank you Judy! I was recently in Sedona. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I'd like to get back there and do some more hiking. So many peaks, so little time. It's like books...
Hi Nancy,
I'm stuck at home today with my kiddos since suddenly the weather went from sunny 80 to icy 15 and the schools closed so I thought I'd pop in an show my support.
I loved Kiss a Girl in the Rain and I'm just getting started with Fast Ride. I think your plans are creating some great reads. And as for my own bucket list, I don't have a whole lots on it. The two things I'd live to see accomplished some day is to travel the US with my kiddos and see the sites. And the other, I'd love to finish my book and get it published. It's a true story but I think it would pass as a fiction just fine.
Congrats on such amazing works Nancy. Can't wait to read more.
Thanks, Amanda. I have the bestest street team evah!! I thought after I wrote my post that I sound like I'm Edmund Hilary or something bouncing up and down mountain peaks every five minutes. The truth is I love it but it's hard and I really struggle. But maybe that's what makes it fun. I think traveling with your kids is a wonderful goal. I still love to travel with my kids though in truth I usually travel to them as one is in Korea and one in Montreal right now. And good for you on writing a book. I hope you finish it soon.
I'm happy to be a part of you Street Team!
Traveling is hard with kids. Mine are young still right now so I feel like I'm just playing the waiting game for the big travels. We take mini trips now so we are always close to home if needed. I couldn't imagine traveling to another county. Terrified to fly though I might one day. But it's so awesome to see the world.
As for my book. It's mostly complete. Just needs a little work. A few additions where I originally left out information. Things like that.
Thanks for your reply! I look forward to reading more of your work and helping wherever I can. =)
Congrats Nancy on the new release!!! Thanks for sharing :) I'm in my 30's and I always felt that bucket lists were for when you were much, much older. But now that I'm watching my best friend, who is a year younger than me, fight stage 4 colon cancer I realize that we should have tried harder at making and doing a bucket list. He doesn't have much time left and I'm learning to live without regrets. So I'm going to make my bucket list and in his honor, I'm going to accomplish it! :)
Travel to Ireland and Australia and also the Western United States! This is my bucket list.
mlawson17 at Hotmail dot com
Erin, that's beautiful. I'm so very sorry for your friend. I hope he's helping you with the list. They don't have to be big things, just things that mean something to you. You never, ever know what's around the corner. You really do have to celebrate every day. Hugs.
I love Ireland. Actually, I've only been to Dublin, but Dublin is a writer's city. They revere James Joyce and Oscar Wilde the way we get all excited about football heroes and movie stars. Australia is completely amazing. And the Western US, well, what's not to love? It's fun to pull up the things you want to do, isn't it? Enjoy your travels.
Hi Nancy! Loved this! I don't have much in the way of a bucket list. My main focus is to raise my kids to know how to respect others and become productive adults. After I found out I had thyroid cancer, things I wanted to do really became unimportant to me. Now I am all about family. (Not that I wasn't before. Just more so now.) And even though thyroid cancer is a less scary cancer to have, it still puts a scare in ya as well as putting things in perspective. I will admit though that I still want to go back to Aruba one day.
Some of the things on my bucket list are:
To learn how to drive- I started learning for the written exam.
Travel to Australia, Ireland and Scotland.
Win the lottery LOL
Hi Kimberly, Cancer sure is a big old wake up call. Hope your health is good now. I can't think of a better goal than to raise great kids. Aruba…sigh...
Moran, good luck with the driving. Then, when you travel to Australia, Ireland and Scotland you will have to drive on the other side of the road ;)
I have officially been in remission for 1 1/2 years. So yes, I am doing much better. Thanks. I ended up with chronic post surgical neck pain but in the grand scheme of things, it's not such a big deal. It even kinda serves as a reminder to me.
My husband and I are on a quest to see all of the National Parks. We've started our journey but still have many miles to go.
Post a Comment