A Little Down Time, a Lot of Writing Time

Last year at this time I was side lined with a heel bone spur surgery that took weeks to heal, not a good thing for a writing hiker / outdoor enthusiast especially when one book, "Best Tent Camping Alabama" was just set to hit the book stores and needed PR time and another, "Hiking Alabama (4th Edition)" was contracted and I had to hit the trail to research 50+ hikes.

But somehow it all came together and everything worked out fine. "BTC Alabama" made it out successfully and "Hiking Alabama" is now in the editing stages. BUT...and there's always a but...I'm down again with another bone spur on my right heel. Surgery went well yesterday and I'm doing much better than the first time, probably because I know what to expect.

This just gives me the perfect opportunity to move forward with more projects I've been wanting to do. Oh yes, there are hiking projects now in the works, one about hiking the "Third Coast" (the Gulf Coast from Lousiana to Florida) and an historic hikes of Alabama manuscript, but also a few things outside my comfort zone. The highlight being a documentary on the book Tamra Carraway and I worte called, "Baseball in Mobile."

The documentary process is an interesting one and I will try to post and share my knowledge with you as the journey begins.

4th Edition of "Hiking Alabama" is "In The Can"

The research (translation: hiking way over 50 hikes) for the latest edition of "Hiking Alabama" is done and the manuscript is off to the publisher, Falcon Books.
          This edition is a departure from past editions, the biggest change everyone will notice is that all photos and maps will be in color. There is also a new "Trail Finder" section that helps hikers find the trek that best fits what they are looking for in a hike, like best trails for waterfalls, swimming, history, or family hikes.
          Readers of previous editions and die-hard Alabama hikers will find that a few of the hikes from the past have been dropped to an "Honorable Mention" status. Since the first edition was published in 2001 the number of trails in the state has increased tremendously and I wanted to include several of the new trails. The only way to do that was to bump some down, but that doesn't mean that they aren't great trails!
          Another change is the length of the hikes. I've found that most people are looking for quick day hikes so I've limited the length of the hikes in the book but have added plenty of information so that you can extend the hikes into longer, full-day hikes or weekend (or longer) backpacking trips.
          So, the editing begins! I'll keep you posted on the progress. Happy trails!

"Best Tent Camping Alabama" PR Begins / "Hiking Alabama" 4th Edition Update

I'm on the road again this weekend doing research for the fourth edition of "Hiking Alabama". Severe weather in north/central Alabama forced me to cancel last week's trip but we're back on it Saturday. 

I'd like to thank John Pilati for being such a good host last week on his talk show, "Straight Talk" heard over WGOL 920am in Franklin County. It was a great first interview for "Best Tent Camping Alabama". I really enjoyed myself. John also penned a piece for the Franklin Free Press on the book.  

Speaking of "BTC Alabama", the book should be hitting shelves right now. There are a lot of appearances and signings coming up. The first one will be June 1st at the Books-a-Million in Gulf Shores at 1pm. Hope to see you there.

Hiking Alabama 4th Edition Well Underway

I have to tell you, since the first edition of "Hiking Alabama" almost eleven years ago, Alabama has truly become a hiking destination. I'm really enjoying getting out and checking out the many new trails in the state and revisiting old favorites. I originally had a list of the hikes I was definately going to include in the book. Only trouble is, I keep finding something new that I want to include.  It's a good bad problem.

What's even better is seeing the hundreds of families out there on the trails. Children of all ages from infants in carriers to teens joining their parents for an outing in the woods. I was at Red Mountain Park last Saturday and there must have been a good mile of cars lining both sides of Frankfurt Road at the trailhead, most of them loaded with families. A great sight.

So, the research continues. Heading to the northeast corner of the state this weekend.

"Best Tent Camping Alabama" Set for Release

(Pre-order your copy today)

It was a long hard road but "Best Tent Camping Alabama" is due to hit bookshelves on April 9th! I can't thank the staff at Menasha Ridge Press enough for the hard work in putting this together especially the work of Amber Henderson who was a joy to work with and made the editing process a breeze.

It was a long haul. I truly believed in this book and sent my first proposal to Menasha Ridge two years ago. Acquisition Editor Susan Haynes also believed in the book and went to bat for me. It's rare that an AE believes in something so much that they would keep pressing until the proposal was accepted. I can't thank her enough for her determination.

Then, in the middle of my research, I had surgery on my leg so traveling to all of the campsites had to be delayed. But Menasha was a great company to work for and they worked with me by extending deadlines so that I could recover. I finally got back on my feet, finished the manuscript, and here we are.

The book highlights 50 of the best tent camping sites in the state. I hope you will use it to explore the many wonders and beautiful campgrounds Alabamahas to offer then be inspired to go out and find the hundreds of other campgrounds waiting for you.

"Hiking Alabama" 4th Edition Underway

Finally, research for the fourth edition of "Hiking Alabama" Falcon Books) is underway and I'm really excited. The first edition was released in 2001 by a small publisher out of Virginia, Beachway Press. Back then there were some established trails in the state but many more were simply bushwhacking through the woods. Today, thanks to Alabama’s Forever Wild, ADECA, the Nature Conservancy, and the MANY non-profit conservation and trail building groups throughout the state, Alabama has become a major hiking destination with hundreds and hundreds of miles of trails leading you to some of the most beautiful landscapes you can find anywhere in the country.

Editions two and three of the book were simple updates. I was asked to only update existing trails and maybe add one or two. But now, a full-fledged re-write is underway and let me tell you, this time around it's difficult, not because the trails are difficult to hike but because there are so many. Hundreds and hundreds of miles of established hiking trails traverse the state leading us to waterfalls, canyons, beaches, black water rivers, swamps, rock shelters, and more.

I originally planned out a schedule of the trips I would take, planning every weekend that I would be on the trail between the day I signed the contract and my deadline, grouping trips together as much as possible. That schedule was quickly thrown out the window. Every weekend I find somewhere new and more interesting to visit.  

I'll keep you posted on my whereabouts and the writing process as I wing my way to the July deadline.

By the way, for those of you who have been asking, this new edition will be in color - color photos and maps.

"Living in a Banana Dream" Going Through a Makeover

Some of you have been asking how my collection of short stories, "Living in a Banana Dream" is doing. Good question. First, a little history. 

This is a collection of stories about growing up in a time when the toughest part of the day was making sure you had enough kids for a pickup game of baseball or the anguish of going out on your first date. It's told in what humorist Jean Shepherd called, "the universal 'I'". These are stories that could be about you, or you, or me. 

Well, after shopping it around and getting a lot of positive feedback from publishers and agents, but no takers, I sat down and took a look at the manuscript and agreed with the pros who had reviewed it - it needed a little tightening up.  

So, the manuscript is currently undergoing a little makeover and will be hitting the streets again by this fall. We'll see what happens then. It will definitely be hitting the e-book market by then. I'll keep you updated.