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A Life Less Ordinary

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Writing Update August 2021 – Back to Promo for Plunge & A New Release from Jacqui Murray

August 4, 2021 / / 57 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 August, the question is: “What is your favorite writing craft book and why?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are PK Hrezo, Cathrina Constantine, PJ Colando,Kim Lajevardi, and Sandra Cox. Click on their names to see what they’re up to this month.

My answer to the question – What is your favorite writing craft book and why?

I don’t use writing craft books. In the initial stages of creating my memoir ages ago, I enjoyed and benefitted from Your Life as Story by Tristine Rainer and I did read Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir.

Authors helping authors

Laws of Nature by Jacqui Murray

I’m excited to announce the recent release of Laws of Nature, written by my supportive, intelligent, organized and creative friend, the versatile blogger and author Jacqui Murray. This is the second book in her prehistoric fiction series Dawn of Humanity. I have not purchased Jacqui’s newest novel yet, but the first two books of her Crossroads Trilogy are eagerly waiting on my Kindle. I am fascinated by the premise, the era, and the setting of these intriguing series.

Here is more information about Laws of Nature:

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Writing Update July 2021 – Book News from Belgium

July 7, 2021 / / 71 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 July, the question is: “What would make you quit writing?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Pat Garcia, Victoria Marie Lees, and Louise – Fundy Blue. Click on their names to see what they’re up to this month.

My answer to the question – What would make you quit writing?

The answer that makes most sense for me is “Being physically and/or mentally unable to write anymore.” I always write. If nothing else, I still jot down a diary entry every evening (since 1989), which takes between 20 and 40 minutes! Too long, really, especially since I proofread and edit each sentence.

Mark, Liesbet, and Zesty in California

The thing that slows down other writing is my adventurous lifestyle. As I mentioned before, if I had to choose, I’d rather travel than write. In general, I don’t have to choose, but when it comes to bigger writing projects, like a book, I cannot combine my life on the road with a full-time job (which authordom is) behind the computer.  

My promo news

I have been in Belgium visiting family and friends for almost two weeks. Mark joined me last Thursday. Life has been extremely busy and overwhelming. I tried to get press meetings out of the way before Mark arrived, because Dutch became my primary language during that time and because I didn’t want to “waste” the precious, yet short time we have here together.

In June, this happened with my travel memoir Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary: 

Promotion:

  • I put extra effort in Facebook posts for groups where promotion is allowed. I made my blurbs more relevant and compelling to the audience and incorporated a link to my book instead of blatantly sending potential readers to Amazon.
Liveaboard Lifestyle post
All Things Sailing post
  • One of those well-composed posts I put on two big boating group sites with a combined total reach of 100K members (All Things Sailing: 76.2K members; Liveaboard Lifestyle: 39.3K members) and finally had it take off after unsuccessful plugs for Plunge. It led to tons of comments, shares, and extra sales.

Spike in sales due to vigilant (free) promotion on Facebook

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Writing Update June 2021 – Six Months after Publishing & Promoting Plunge

June 2, 2021 / / 61 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 June, the question is: “For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are J Lenni Dorner, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, Lee Lowery, and Rachna Chhabria. Click on their names to see what they’re up to this month.

My answer to the question – How long do you put your first draft aside?

Since I’ve only written one book, I don’t have much experience with shelving first drafts before tackling them again with fresh eyes. This elapsed time period for me – in the past and possibly in the future – is dependent on what I’m doing at that moment. If I’m traveling full-time, I work whenever I can and this might mean the first draft (a good stopping point) might get put aside until the next substantial slot of time becomes available.

I wrote Plunge largely while Mark and I were house and pet sitting throughout the United States (2015-2019). Since my main project then was this book (whenever we were actually living in someone’s house and not in our camper van), I immediately moved from my first draft to the second one and kept improving and condensing whenever I could. I can’t help but edit and reread my existing paragraphs before starting on the next chunk/chapter, so my first draft – which took three years – was in pretty good shape by the time it was finished.

My book news

Can you believe that six months have passed already since I released Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary? In this section, I report on what has happened in the last month, regarding my book news and promotion efforts. If you are interested in an overview of all the marketing methods I have entertained since the publication of Plunge, have a look at my post of last week: “10 Free Ways to Publish Your Book – What Works & What Doesn’t?”

How did April 2021 look like?

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Writing Update May 2021 – Back for Promo Work (in New England)

May 5, 2021 / / 63 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 May, the question is: “Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn’t expect? If so, did it surprise you?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Erika Beebe, PJ Colando, Tonja Drecker, Sadira Stone, and Cathrina Constantine. Click on their names to see what they’re up to this month.

Plunge in the local bookstore called Jabberwocky

My answer to the question – Have any of my readers ever surprised me?

That would be “yes.” In different ways. Beta readers made me realize that not everyone has my sense of humor, my comfort level of sharing/learning about relationship intimacies, and my drive to be open, honest, and transparent. All good input! You see your own writing often as the gospel and get carried away within that mindset.

Then there is the (public) feedback. That one-star review of Lisa G. I have hammered on before (here and here), but just yesterday, I noticed two other one-star ratings (no elaborations) pop up, which brings that dismal total to four on Amazon. Those one-star smudges do surprise and bug me. If you don’t like a book, why not give it two or three stars? And I’m pretty sure that my memoir isn’t written poorly or plastered with typos and grammatical errors, “valid” reasons for such a negative verdict…

Reviews Amazon

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Writing Update April 2021 – Baja Bounty

April 7, 2021 / / 49 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 April, the question is: “Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are PK Hrezo, Pat Garcia, SE White, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diane Burton! Click on their names to see what they are up to this month..

My answer to the question – Do I take risks when writing?

People who have followed this blog for a while know that I am not averse to risk taking. Although I call my swift decisions, adventurous lifestyle, and “going with the flow” attitude “calculated risks.” 😊 You only live once, so you better do the things you’re passionate about, and enjoy your precious time on earth. That sometimes involves expanding horizons, nudging comfort levels, taking risks.

I don’t feel like I’m taking big risks with my writing as it reflects my personality and doesn’t push my personal boundaries. That being said, I am aware that my travel memoir Plunge is different and a tad controversial. For starters, the story is set in the present tense, taking the reader along for the ride – physically and emotionally. I don’t cover things up, have no taboos, and touch on the good as well as the bad and the ugly when it comes to my alternative lifestyle and 24/7 relationship with my husband. This makes some readers uncomfortable; they are not used to “brutal honesty” and don’t care for an exposed soul (another aspect that makes my memoir unique).

Based on that – and the fact that this approach led to a one-star review and some criticism – I guess I am a bit of a risk-taker in my writing, too!

Sunrise at the beach

My book news

Mark, Maya, and I spent February and March enjoying our lives in Baja California, Mexico. This was a reward for all the hard work finishing and publishing Plunge last year. I knew that once we arrived on the peninsula, internet would be sparse and unreliable and that my time would be better spent charging my batteries (other than usual work commitments). Therefore, I laid a lot of groundwork spreading the word about my book before we crossed the southern border of the US.

Relaxing and reading

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“Plunge” in the Ironwood Forest – My Book & I Featured on Make Like An Ape Man

February 13, 2021 / / 0 Comments

My good friend Duwan, a fellow nomad, adventurer, vanlifer, ex-sailor, and frugal spender, wrote a touching and compelling post about me and my travel memoir, Plunge, on her informative and entertaining blog Make Like An Ape Man. I have linked to her posts before, as we’ve been on a similar path and traveled together in the past, but this story of hers had me truly amazed.

Her prose is humbling and flattering and provides a different, more personal side to anything else being published about me (except for my memoir itself :-)). Plus, it has some funny photos! Check it out here. You won’t regret it!

Saguaro cactus in the Ironwood Forest National Monument

November 25 – December 1, 2020.

Towards the end of November three couples and the lovely canine, Maya, converged in Tucson. All ex sailors (except for Maya). All now wandering around on the hard. We had met one of the couples, Scamper Squad, years and years ago after reading their blog and discovering they were working on their boat in the same marina as us in Indiantown, Florida. We were introduced to the other couple, Mark and Liesbet, through their blog after my friend from Scamper Squad suggested that I check it out. Like us, they had sailed, had house sat, and were traveling the country in a van. We eventually met them in person in Arizona a couple of years ago. Now the three wandering couples were in the same place at the same time, and we had big plans.

Gilded Flicker in the Ironwood Forest

We all left Tucson for the Ironwood Forest National Monument – about 25 miles out of the city – and set up camp. Thanksgiving was coming up, and even though it isn’t a holiday Greg and I normally celebrate, we thought it’d be fun to share some good food with our friends. After all, this would be the first Thanksgiving that Liesbet, who is Belgium born, would celebrate as an American citizen. But even better than that, two days later Liesbet would celebrate her 45th birthday and the publication of a project five years in the making, a memoir of her traveling and sailing life during her 30s.

Our camp in the Ironwood Forest National Monument

When Greg and I first set sail a few people told me we should write a book. I thought, OK, but we really hadn’t done anything yet. Any wannabe adventurer can buy a boat and think that they are going to be sailors – lots do. And then after we got on the water there seemed to be so many people doing it. And there were already so many people who’d already written books. I wasn’t sure what I could add to the canon of nautical memoirs.

And at first, I wondered this about Liesbet’s book too. But Liesbet has had a much more interesting traveling life than we have. Since falling in love with travel in her teens, she has hitchhiked in Europe, backpacked in Asia, traveled North America in a truck camper, and sailed through the Caribbean and the South Pacific. She has only lived a few years of her adult life in a traditional dwelling, has traveled in six out of the seven continents (planning to tick that last one, Antarctica, off her list in the coming years), and has visited over 60 countries.

Continue reading here.

Liesbet Collaert Interview and Her Book, Plunge – Guest Feature on Priorhouse

February 6, 2021 / / 1 Comment

This past week, author, photographer, and blogger Yvette had me over for a chat at her insightful, diverse, and creative blog Priorhouse . She read my book, interviewed me, highlighted quotes, shared her takeaways from Plunge, and left additional thoughts in the comment section. Check this feature out here.

Good Morning Readers,

Today I want to share the Priorhouse Interview with blogger Liesbet Collaert.

How did this interview come about?

I have been following Liesbet’s blog on and off for a while now and so I wanted to jump on board (pun intended) with the sharing of her new book, a short memoir called Plunge.  

Interview: 

Thank you, Yvette, for featuring my life, writing process, and debut travel memoir Plunge on your blog today. I’m looking forward to interacting with your readers!

Question #1: What is your brief bio?

Hello everyone! My name is Liesbet Collaert and I recently published my first book, Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary. I was born and raised in Belgium, where I worked as a teacher until 2003. In that fateful year, I took my passion for traveling westwards, crossed the Atlantic Ocean by plane, and never returned. I was 27. 

Eighteen years later, I am still a nomad, with a string of sailing and RVing adventures under my belt. My husband, our 60-pound rescue dog, and I are currently living on the road in a 19ft campervan, exploring North America. Writing became my job as well as my hobby. I translate documents (English and Dutch), create articles, co-edit a Caribbean boating magazine, maintain a blog, take photos, and focus on other writing projects. Because of our unique lifestyle and low expenses, we manage to satisfy our free spirits, minimalistic ideas, few responsibilities, and desire to live on our own terms. Indefinitely.

Question #2: Tell us about the book

Continue reading here.

Spotlight on New Book Debut Author Liesbet Collaert – Guest Interview on Operation Awesome

January 31, 2021 / / 2 Comments

This past week, my interview with J. Lenni went live on the blog Operation Awesome. Why should you read yet another feature about/with me? Because you can win a free eBook copy of Plunge when you answer the question I pose to readers in one of my answers. Check it out here.

Operation Awesome Spotlight #20Questions in #2021 of #NewBook Debut Author posted by @JLenniDorner of @OpAwesome6

Plunge: One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary by Liesbet Collaert

1- How has the global pandemic impacted your travels and nomadic lifestyle?

By April 2020, campgrounds (even the free ones without amenities, which is where we always stay) and facilities started closing. My husband, dog, and I were in Florida at the time. The logistics became tricky, so we decided to abandon our lifestyle for the time being, drove to Massachusetts, and stayed at my in-laws over the spring and summer. They could use our help because of the pandemic. We ended up spending six months there, staying six feet apart and avoiding the main part of the house. Mid-October, the three of us hit the road again, heading west.

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Hire a professional (copy) editor before publishing your book!

3- What most motivates you to read a new book?

Recommendations from others – fellow authors, bloggers, friends, family.

4- What was the most surprisingly delicious food that you ate while on the road?

Continue reading here.

Author Interview: Liesbet Collaert – Guest Appearance on Dr. Sock Writes Here

January 29, 2021 / / 1 Comment

This week, fellow author, blogger, and educator Jude has me over on her blog Dr. Sock Writes Here, for an interesting Q&A. She is another virtual friend that I had the pleasure meeting (on Vancouver Island) in 2018. I enjoyed answering Jude’s thoughtful, organized, intelligent, and inspiring questions and I think you will enjoy our interaction!

Liesbet, Kali, and Darwin in the Bahamas

Today I am happy to bring you an interview with the writer, Liesbet Collaert. Liesbet has recently published her travel memoir, Plunge. It is a fascinating account of ten years that she spent living on a sailboat and exploring parts of the world that most of us only dream of. 

Jude: 

You have spent most of your adult life travelling throughout the world, and you describe yourself as a nomad. In what ways is your nomadic life different from a typical western lifestyle?

Liesbet: 

The beauty of a typical western lifestyle, in my opinion, is the stability, comfort, and familiarity it offers. You know what to expect, you have neighbors/friends/family/ colleagues around, you easily find products in your grocery store, you have favorite restaurants, trails, outings, hobbies, and your planned activities usually work out.

Life on the road, or the water, as a nomad is insecure, unfamiliar, and rather challenging because of these reasons and others. Yet, the adventure and freedom make it worthwhile. My husband and I love that novel feeling of each new place, have learned to be flexible, and keep our expectations low or non-existent. We are self-contained, fix issues ourselves as much as possible, and don’t rely on people. We figure things out as they come and enjoy discovering unique locations, cultures, foods, …

Another big difference are the amenities everyone takes for granted: running water, unlimited electricity, reliable internet, a washer and a dryer. Each time I stay in a house of relatives, I embrace my hot, pressurized shower, the space in my room (I can walk more than one step before I bump into something), the fact that my computer can stay plugged in, and the real bed. If there’s a comfortable couch, I might never leave! 😊

 Jude: 

Your memoir, Plunge: One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary, spans about a decade. Why did you focus your memoir on those ten years in particular?

Liesbet: 

That’s a great question, Jude! I knew so little about writing books that the first time I ever considered this project, I didn’t even know that my kind of story was called a memoir.

Continue reading here.

Taking the Plunge: Liesbet Travels the Sea – Interview with Marian Beaman on Plain & Fancy

January 22, 2021 / / 1 Comment

Marian Beaman is the author of Mennonite Daughter, a fascinating book about her Mennonite upbringing. Find my 5-star review of her book here. Marian also blogs at Plain & Fancy and has been incredibly supportive of my writing journey and my debut memoir, Plunge. This week, she is featuring me on her website with an author interview in which you are bound to learn a little bit more about me.

Almost exactly one year ago this week, Liesbet, Mark, and Maya visited our home, via their RV Zesty. I wrote about our 4-hour visit HERE.

Liesbet and I spent part of the time discussing her work-in-progress memoir, PLUNGE, here just a manuscript on her Tablet

* * *

PLUNGE has made a big splash in the memoir world, and I’m pleased to feature Liesbet’s splendid memoir/travelogue here. Let’s start with a Q & A.

Three fun facts about yourself

  • I don’t have a phone
  • I never took any writing or English literature classes
  • I’ve been writing a diary every day since I was fourteen

You have been a writer for a long time, journaling and writing numerous articles for travel magazines. When did you realize you wanted to write a memoir?

Continue reading here.

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