Research is one of my favorite parts of writing, and I took to traveling, if at all possible, to the locations of my novels in the past few years. Actually standing in the place where my story happens has made my writing richer and deeper, as I can weave in the sights, smells, and sounds of a place along with the emotions it stirs up. For my most recent release, What I Promise You, I traveled to Barcelona and Southwest France, and along the way, I picked up quite a few interesting tidbits. First of all was the geography. When…
Tag: travel
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Historic Scotland
Recently my family and I were able to travel around historic Scotland researching our ancestral ties to this beautiful country. One of the amazing places we visited was Paisley Abbey where our ancestors, the Lords Cathcart I & II, were interred. We searched and searched all over the huge church for their tombs. But we needed to know some crucial information. Traveling Historic Scotland can flip your assumptions 180 degrees. Paisley Abbey was built over time in the 12th century. Major benefactors included the Cathcart family. Over the centuries, major benefactors and important people in society were very often buried…
A Guide to Getting Away to Write
by Judith Couchman At some point in a writing career, most authors entertain the idea of getting away to write. We think about peace, quiet, focus, solitude. No interruptions. And the beauty of working in a seaside condo or a woodland cabin. Sounds wonderful, right? It can be. Or it can balloon into disappointment. It depends on how we prepare for it. Yes, prepare. Prepare by setting guidelines for an enjoyable writing venture. Guidelines can sound like knocking the romance out of a get-away dream. However, if we adopt a laissez faire approach to a writing trip, we can wind…
Seven Tips for Great Travel
“No way,” I said to the lady across the counter at the airport, “that bag has my make-up. Isn’t that crazy? When I was told my bags took their own trip to a different location, I panicked. Not worried about my clothes, books or material for the presentation, I was fretting for my make-up. Why are we that way? Why do we allow our muscles to stiffen over silly things? We fret about the glitches that really don’t matter that much.