Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

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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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Writing Update March 2021 – Escape to Baja

March 2, 2021 / / 53 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 March, the question is: “Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Sarah – The Faux Fountain Pen, Jacqui Murray, Chemist Ken, Victoria Marie Lees, Natalie Aguirre, and JQ Rose.

My answer to the question

I have always enjoyed reading. As a young girl, I chose fiction. Teenager Liesbet liked thrillers as much as non-fiction books about animals and travel. When I became an adult and full-time traveler, I found myself reading literature given to me by fellow backpackers or novels discovered at book swaps. Now, I’d love to read more memoirs and non-fiction. If I had time.

Ever since I became friends with authors through my blogging engagements about five years ago, pretty much all I have been reading is books of those talented friends: advance reader copies (ARCs), manuscripts as a beta reader or proofreader, or eBooks I purchased to support those fellow indie authors (which I leave reviews for after reading). I still have a massive TBR list of friends’ books and I swear some of them write faster than I can read! I’m looking at you, Ellen Jacobson, J.H. Moncrieff, Jill Weatherholt, and Jacqui Murray. It doesn’t help that I only manage one book every two months, unless I force myself to read more and then I am not able to engage in blog reading and commenting as much as usually…

Playa Los Cocos

My book news

Like I mentioned last month, Mark and I were ready for a break from the United States, cool weather, and work. So, on February 1st we crossed the border with Mexico and ever since, we have been camping in Baja California with intermittent internet. Book stuff still happened, though.

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Writing Update February 2021 – Doing the Rounds

February 3, 2021 / / 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 February, the question is: “Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Louise – Fundy Blue , Jennifer Lane, Mary Aalgaard, Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, and Nancy Gideon.

My answer to the question

That would be a resounding “yes.” New friendships – virtual and in real life – are the cherries on top when it comes to blogging. I believe every blogger agrees. The conversations that ensue in the comments are what keeps us going. I love those interactions and I have had the pleasure of meeting quite a few bloggers in their own homes, after following their blogs for months or years.

Terri of Second Wind Leisure Perspectives, Janis of Retirementally Challenged, Kathy of Smart Living 365, Donna of Retirement Reflections, Jude of Dr. Sock Writes Here, Duwan of Make Like An Ape Man, fellow IWSG author Ellen of Ellen Jacobson, and Stephanie of SV Cambria come to mind. And if we would have planned our visit to Toronto, Canada a bit better two summers ago, I would also have been able to visit with Debby of D.G Kaye, Writer and Natalie of Natalie the Explorer!

My book news

In my writing update of last month, I hinted at my first one-star review by a certain Lisa G. and how I felt about that. I also mentioned my travel memoir Plunge had been picked by a book club. Believe it or not, there is a correlation; an ironic tidbit I can now share, after my conversation with the sailing women of New England who discussed my book is successfully behind me. I was anxious about that Q&A after the group’s main discussion… Why? Because Lisa G. was the one who picked my book for this book club!

This is what happened: Lisa’s first sentence of the review was “Only reason I finished this book was because it was selected in our book club.” Huh? I was astonished Plunge had already been picked by a book club and wondered which one. As I posted some promo info on a sailing-related Facebook group, another member of this book club told me about their pick and if I would be interested in joining their Zoom event after the main discussion. This is when I found out it was Lisa who instigated the book club and who chose Plunge as its first book! But, she ended up not liking it and making that very clear to me in her review… The Q&A went fine. I was glad she was NOT the moderator. She only asked if I had fun experiences sailing as well. Many! Which I included in my book.

January was an extremely busy month for me. Again. This time with conducting interviews, writing guest posts, preparing a webinar about writing and publishing my book, social media posts, and a phone interview with The Daily News, the local newspaper in Newburyport, Massachusetts. A feature article about me and my alternative lifestyle will be published in their quarterly magazine around mid-March.

Working on promo material in Imperial, CA
Working on promoting Plunge in the desert of Five Palms, CA

Five guest features with me were posted last month: an interview with Marian, a true story (the beginning of chapter one in Plunge) for Hugh, and a Q&A with Jacqui, with Jude, and with Operation Awesome.

More four- and five-star reviews for Plunge showed up on Amazon and Goodreads. The one from Suzanne not only compliments my book and is extremely well written, it also touches upon the essence of Plunge. She really gets what I was trying to achieve with my writing.

My cover made the final round of the “Cover of the Month” contest in January on AllAuthor and finished at #22. Not bad, knowing that about 400 covers were nominated to compete. I can now say I made the “top 25.” 😊 Thanks to everyone for voting.

Plunge ended in the top 25.

The biggest book event I had last month was my “scary” Zoom presentation for the Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA). For the first time in my life, I was one of two panelists at a webinar. I created a 25-minute slide show in PowerPoint (also new to me), did some practice runs in my head, and was nervous about this for weeks. The recording of my presentation will be available on YouTube later this week. I will share a link to this free resource about writing and publishing on social media whenever it is live and on Roaming About in my next writing update (first Wednesday of March).

What’s next?

In August 2020, I began working on Plunge non-stop. Weekends, evenings, on the road. When I wasn’t sitting behind my computer, my brain was going 100mph. I felt overwhelmed and stressed. After six months of this (yes, it’s been that long!), I need a little break. But, of course, I have a hard time allowing myself to slow down. Yet, I don’t live in a camper van to work full-time (and for no income) …

So, here’s the compromise: Mark, Maya, and I drove south for a change of scenery and the prospect of February beach time. We are currently in Baja California, Mexico. Internet has been spotty to say the least. For good or for bad, I have had to let go of my daily “upkeep.”

Our campsite in Baja California the day I wrote this post
Breakfast table this morning

This month has a few things in store: reviews of Plunge should start appearing in print, I hope to secure a couple of interviews with influential travel bloggers, I have a phone interview lined up with a major Belgian newspaper (not sure I’m ready to tackle that “market” yet or whether my Dutch is still up to snuff…), and I plan to target a larger audience, somehow. Stay tuned!

I contributed this post to edition #6 of the #weekendcoffeeshare.

Chatting with Liesbet about Her #1 Debut Novel – Interview on WordDreams with Jacqui Murray

January 24, 2021 / / 1 Comment

Author, blogger, and educator Jacqui Murray was one of the first people to read and review my travel memoir Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary on Amazon and Goodreads. Not only that… She also posted her five-star review on her popular, well-researched, and informative blog WordDreams as a birthday gift to me on November 28th. You can read that in-depth review here. It garnered 115 comments!

In short, Jacqui – versatile, busy, and productive as she is – has been an incredible cheerleader and supporter of me, the aspiring author. After reading Plunge, she had three burning questions. Please, check out what they are and how I answered them on her blog.

***

I have rarely enjoyed a memoir as much as I liked Liesbet Collaert’s, Plunge: One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary. Maybe because at my core, I’m nomadic. She does what I wish I would (and don’t). Here is my review if you’d like to read more about this wonderful life story.

No surprise, I had a few more questions she didn’t cover in her book so Liesbet agreed to drop by and answer them.

***

Thank you, Jacqui, for inviting me to your informative, entertaining, and diverse blog WordDreams after you already surprised me with your fantastic and detailed five-star review of Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary on my birthday in November.

  • Do you like wandering on water in a boat or land in a van better?

What a great question. And, not an easy one to answer. I tend to think that there is a good time for everything, based on our circumstances, desires, and fate. Hopping on a sailboat seemed like the perfect adventure at the time and I enjoyed (most) of that eight-year experience in the Caribbean and South Pacific, until there came an end to it and we moved into a 19ft campervan to explore North America and, hopefully, beyond.

What I’m trying to say is that there are advantages to both lifestyles. While adventuring on land is less challenging than on the water (less life-threatening conditions, less maintenance, lower costs, more freedom to go wherever, the weather is less important and all-consuming, more outdoor space, and prepping/planning isn’t an ordeal), there are many factors that I miss about the boat life.

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Writing Update January 2021 – One Month after Publishing “Plunge”

January 6, 2021 / / 105 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 January, the question is: ““Being a writer, what frustrates you most when reading other people’s books?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner, Sandra Cox, and Louise – Fundy Blue.

My answer to the question

I have little free time to read books, so I am pretty picky about the ones I start and have every intention to finish them. I am also a tad stubborn and hate giving up. So, I never actually dismiss a book. What bugs me most are typos. I find them in every book, even bestsellers, and for some reason (my A-type personality, my background as a teacher?), they annoy me. My eyes are always drawn to them and I have an inexplicable need to fix them. It’s hard to be a perfectionist! 😊

But here’s the rub… The irony… The contradiction… The frustration… I produce typos and grammatical inaccuracies myself! Yet, I don’t find those, because I’m too familiar with the content. If there’s one thing I learned from publishing my own book, it’s that EVERYONE makes those mistakes. And that they are difficult to find, even by professionals. After many rounds of editing and proofreading, Plunge, as it stands right now, published and all, still has three typos in it! Anyone up for a game? One is in the epilogue… It’s so hard to be a perfectionist!

Familiar winter writing surroundings

My book news

Since my travel memoir, Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary, has been published (see last month’s post), I had to change the heading of this section from “My book progress” to “My book news.”

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Writing Update December 2020 – “Plunge” Has Been Published!

December 2, 2020 / / 126 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 December, the question is: “Are there months or times of the year that you are more productive with your writing than other months, and why?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Pat Garcia, Sylvia Ney, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguirre, and yours truly (Liesbet @ Roaming About)!

My answer to the question

Talk about a coincidence…

In the beginning of this year, I wondered: “Are there times of the year that writers are more productive than other months? Why would that be?” I emailed Alex, the founder of the IWSG, suggesting he’d pose this question to the group. He replied that it would be the perfect December prompt. So, now I get to – have to, really – answer my own question! 😊

If I’d live in a house or settled environment, I expect winter would be my most productive writing month as it’s colder out and I wouldn’t feel guilty sitting behind the computer all day. But, as you might now, my husband, Mark, our dog, Maya, and I are nomads (and have been for over a decade), so no “settlement” for us. This means I only manage to write whenever it fits the schedule, the situation, the location, and, mostly, the logistics (internet, electricity, no dramas). Which – if you’ve read any of my previous IWSG blogs – is darn sporadic. I write when I can; when I’m not driving, hiking with Maya, sightseeing, working, running errands, fixing the van, catching up on diaries or my inbox, or sleeping…

Our favorite free campsite this year, in Arkansas

Cold and rainy days would be perfect to write, but they cause other issues with all of us cooped up in a 19ft van. By the way, I keep track of our current location in the right column of this blog.

My book progress

After a long road to completion (five years!), my travel memoir Plunge has been published. I announced that feat here, a few days ago.

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Writing Update November 2020 – The Final Push to Publication

November 4, 2020 / / 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.

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Writing Update October 2020 – Progress and Insights!

October 7, 2020 / / 65 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.

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.

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Writing Update September 2020 – Final Round of Edits

September 2, 2020 / / 60 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 September, the question is: “If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be and why?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the awesome co-hosts are PJ Colando, J Lenni Dorner, Deniz Bevan, Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, and Louise – Fundy Blue.

My answer to the question

If I would be an avid book reader – which I wish I was, but there are not enough hours in my day to be one – I would easily be able to answer this question. I don’t even know what my favorite genre is! These years, I read e-books written by friends or used books given to me by friends and family. My TBR list is huge. I do LOVE reading after all.

Without research or much experience, I think I’d like my perfect beta partner to be a travel writer like Bill Bryson, Jon Krakauer, or Paul Theroux. Not only are these men fantastic, intelligent writers, but – from what I remember – they have a good sense of humor as well.

Lots of thinking goes into this road to publication!

My book progress

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