Sailing – Page 2 – Roaming About

Category: Sailing (page 2 of 2)

Plunge on Pre-order & A Special Dedication

Today, November 15th, 2020, would have been my dear oma‘s 100th birthday. Mark and I planned a trip to Belgium to celebrate that special event. Covid or not, we’d do the effort and make the commitment. Unfortunately, she passed away in the spring of 2017, at age 97. I wrote about my relationship with her here and posted a Dutch poem about her here.

Oma and Liesbet in 2014

I think about my oma a lot. She played an important role in my life – when I was a toddler, a teenager, and, especially, an adult. I often said she was my best friend and savored every chance I had to visit her when in Belgium. My travel memoir, Plunge, is dedicated to her (and one other person). While she wouldn’t have been able to read the book – she didn’t speak English – she would have been immensely proud of her “favorite” grandchild!

It was my intention to launch Plunge today, but that timing was too tight. If Mark, Maya, and I would have remained in “our room above the garage” in Newburyport, Massachusetts, it might have been possible. Working full-time from the road is tricky. But… the next best thing to commemorate my dear oma on the day she would have become a centenarian is by putting Plunge (the eBook anyway; it wasn’t possible for the paperback) on pre-sale.

Yes!!! The digital version of my book is ready for pre-order on Amazon as of today, for the special price of US$4.99. This will go up to US$5.99 on the date of the actual release, which is set for November 28^th. On that day – if Amazon cooperates 😊 – both the eBook and the paperback of Plunge will be available. Leaving reviews are possible on Amazon starting that day and on Goodreads any time.

Plunge available for eReaders

Thank you, everyone, for following my journey – on the blog and in the book – and for sharing in the excitement!

To pre-order Plunge in the US: click here.

To pre-order Plunge in Canada: click here.

To pre-order Plunge in the UK: click here.

To pre-order Plunge in Germany: click here.

To pre-order Plunge in Australia: click here.

To pre-order Plunge in Belgium and the Netherlands: click here.

Writing Update November 2020 – The Final Push to Publication

November 4, 2020 / Liesbet / 58 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional. For November, the question is: “Why do you write what you write?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria.

My answer to the question

Why do I write what I write? The easiest and “best” answer is: because I enjoy it. But there are nuances to this answer, as I constantly write. Pretty much as long as I’m not exploring or sleeping, I write – diaries for myself to look back at in the future and to potentially refer to; my blog to keep family and friends abreast of our adventures; articles to share fascinating destinations and experiences with readers and to make money; emails to stay in touch with loved ones; blog comments to show support and interest in the lifestyle and work of others; comment replies because I appreciate conversations with readers and learning more about them; and my book to follow a passion, inspire, encourage people to think outside the box, and feel a sense of accomplishment.

My book progress

In case you don’t know yet, my husband, dog, and I are back on the road indefinitely. We left our “home base” in Massachusetts about three weeks ago and took our camper van south through a few states and then west through some more. We are currently in Arkansas. I always keep track of our current location in the right column of this blog, if you’re curious about our whereabouts.

As expected, it has been incredibly difficult – insane, really – to keep up progress towards the forthcoming publication of my travel memoir, Plunge. Besides the driving (often on windy, secondary roads), research for fuel and free camping, exercising the dog, running our usual errands (dump station, gas station, laundromat, grocery stores, fixing stuff that breaks, picking up packages,…), emails, blogs, volunteer work for others (a translation for a family member; proofreading for a friend), and my normal jobs, there was/is still heaps to do on my book. I usually work at night and go to bed exhausted, especially after long driving days or short excursions. The chaos surrounding the US election, the approach of the pandemic, and the sudden passing of my aunt haven’t helped my emotional state.

Cover Reveal of “Plunge”, My First Travel Memoir

October 21, 2020 / Liesbet / 79 Comments

A Dog and a Plane – Two Photo Stories Set in St. Martin

October 14, 2020 / Liesbet / 52 Comments

Photo courtesy of Axel Busch

This is my photo contribution for #wordlesswednesday, Becky’s #kindasquare challenge, and Cee’s On the Hunt for Joy Challenge, as I combined wordless photos (“let the photos tell the story”) that are square and involve technology. 🙂

Have you ever been this close to a landing plane? Have you ever sailed in or visited St. Martin?

Writing Update October 2020 – Progress and Insights!

October 7, 2020 / Liesbet / 65 Comments

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the awesome co-hosts are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner.

Book progress

Wow. September passed in the blink of an eye. And, wow, what a busy month! I’m finally making good progress on my road to publication. But let me tell you, trying to self-publish your book in a satisfying, professional manner – eBook and paperback – requires heaps of concentration, dedication, time, stress, and the necessary frustration. The learning curve is steep, every decision is important (and there are many), every attempt at research sends you down a rat hole, and everything takes forever.

My title and subtitle

At least a year ago, I settled on the main title for my book: Plunge. Yet, I kept changing and reconsidering the subtitle, placing voting polls on a couple of writer-focused Facebook groups, bugging friends about it, throwing a few options at you, my Roaming About readers. At last, because I really had to (a cover-in-progress ought to have the correct subtitle!), I settled on one. I sure hope I don’t change my mind again. Ladies and gentlemen, the official title of my upcoming travel memoir is Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary.