My word for 2023 was joy. Was it a good word? Did it fit? Did I experience joy?
I’ve seen a lot of people grateful to kick 2023 out the door and hope for better in 2024. I’ve also seen a lot of people grateful for 2023, and even more hopeful for 2024.
Count me in the latter bunch.
In many ways, last year was difficult. There were deaths among family and friends that completely rocked us.
I’m also still figuring out what post-cancer life means. I think I’m fine, and then I’ll see my scars and suddenly I’m not. The date on the calendar will remind me of an anniversary of diagnosis or surgery or treatment and I’ll be a big ol’ ball of messiness.
I’m still scared, although the fear isn’t ever-present any more.
Writing through Alex Paige helps. She’s my protagonist in my mystery series. As a fellow travel writer and recent breast cancer survivor, she allows me to relive not only the icky memories like rashes and hedgehog hair, but also the exquisite strength I feel and the multitudes of kindness I received.
Cancer gave me more than fear, worry, and pain. It also gave me the gift of my dreams, because there’s no way I’ll now settle for anything less than fulfilling my purpose.
That means, while I said yes to more writing, more speaking, and more curated travel in 2023, I also said No a lot. I got really, really good at saying No, and I plan to continue being really, really good at it.
Eventually, I’ll write a book about my cancer experience. Until then, Alex and I will navigate healing together.
Business-wise, it was a very good year. I spoke again at multiple Travel and Adventure Shows. I taught a writing workshop in Wichita and spoke at a conference in Kansas City. I joined a speakers bureau. I created a self-publishing course to make it easy, or easier, for people to become authors.
I published five new books. Five. One anthology, two novels, one travel guide, and one for a client. I also updated my road trip guide and re-issued it under a new name.
I didn’t travel quite as much in 2023. Part of that was due to an unexpected move in July. But the good news is, we love our new place and it was a move we needed, even though we didn’t necessarily want it just yet.
However, I still traveled more than your average bear. Above I mentioned curated travel. What I mean by that is I didn’t do as many press and FAM (Familiarization) trips hosted by destinations. I’m leaning more into self-funded experiences, so I can create my own itineraries based on what I, and you, are interested in.
And, I finished up the year strong with a life-changing hop across the pond.
Without further ado, here’s a recap of 2023, a year of challenges, growth, No’s, and yes, joy.
2023 Travel Year in Review
January
Mr. TLT and I rang in the new year in Asheville with my parents, as we often do. It was a fairly relaxed visit, with great food, seeing their friends, and hiking.
I also found out Living Landmarks of Chicago was the #1 Best Seller in Midwest US Travel Guides. Now that’s definitely a joyful way to start the year!
We ventured to Rosemont mid-month for the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show. This was our best one yet, meeting hundreds of new people, giving away dozens of pounds of candy, and selling tons of books.
I’ll be back at the 2024 Chicago Travel and Adventure Show, January 13 & 14. Come say hi! I’m speaking about Road Trips from Chicago and there will be special giveaways.
I spent the rest of the month creating a new cover for Peril on the Peninsula and updating and converting COMPLETE Road Trip Guide to Planning Your Perfect Road Trip.
February
February was… hard. It began with the Chicago Auto Show. We were having a great time, hanging out with industry friends, when we got a call no one wants.
There was an unexpected death in the family. It was devastating.
Fortunately, we were already scheduled to be in LA and Denver for two more travel shows, both destinations where we could see family during this awful time.
Putting on a brave face at the shows was hard, but we did it.
Coordinating the travel for those shows was also challenging. The Denver show took place the weekend after LA, so we ended up flying to San Diego (my in-laws live in Oceanside), then flying to Denver, then taking Amtrak home.
Where we stayed in bed for three weeks because we’d caught bronchitis.
March
Being ill meant we didn’t go anywhere. There were two bright spots, thought. The Ft. Dodge Visitor’s Guide came out. I had a piece in there about finding Jim’s ancestors in Webster County. The other was publishing Revenge in the Rockies, my second novel.
April
Travel resumed this month, although I didn’t go very far. Most of my adventures were in Illinois as I drove around the state a couple of times researching Midwest State Park Adventures. I visited every single state park, car camping along the way.
I also hopped up to Madison for my friend Dannelle’s book launch of 100 Things To Do in Wisconsin Before You Die, then had a one-night sabbatical in Lake Geneva on the way home.
April’s also the month Jim and I launched our Kickstarter for the audiobook of Living Landmarks of Chicago. Little did we know what would be involved in creating that book, and how long it would take.
May
We spent our birthday month at home, primarily because I was publishing Midwest State Park Adventures. This book was, to put it lightly, challenging. Twelve states, covered by authors in each state, and maps and images and grids listing every single state park made this a logistical and formatting beast.
It left no room for anything else during the first half of the month, but I got it done. We got it done.
I also launched my online self-publishing course and had a colonoscopy in May.
Oh, joy.
(p.s. Schedule your colonoscopy. Please. While you’re at it, if you’ve got mammaries, schedule your mammogram.)
June
Ah, June. This month began with an overnight in one of our happy places, Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa in Galena. They’d renovated their spa and invited us to check it out. Yes, please!
I got home and left two days later with two of my travel writing (and real life) friends. Lori of Lori Loves Adventure and Veronica of Hip Grandma Life and I took off on a #HipTouristAdventure to Kansas. Those two had never driven Route 66 in Illinois or elsewhere, so we drove as much as we could of the route in my home state.
I tell you, what a blast we had! What a joyful, ridiculous blast! I’d travel with those two again in a heartbeat.
Our final destination was Kansas City for the Midwest Travel Network Annual Conference. I was speaking about self-publishing (hence, the reason for creating my course in May despite the craziness of publishing that anthology).
The conference was also an opportunity to learn from others in the industry, to network, and to explore.
We went hiking, shopping, zip-lining, ate tacos and barbecue and made even more friends.
And, Dannelle and I, and all our Midwest Adventures co-authors, received the Collaboration of the Year award. How cool is that?
I got home, spoke at Northbrook Library about planning your perfect road trip, then turned around and drove to Shipshewana.
There, I researched Indiana Amish Country for Show Me Shipshewana. I wrote this book in collaboration with LaGrange County Convention and Visitors Bureau. They pointed me in the right direction, introduced me to some key people, and off I went.
July
July 21. That’s when we had to be out of the place we’d called home for five years. Our landlord decided to increase our rent by $4000, and we said NOPE.
July 3, morning. We called a realtor, referred by a friend.
July 3, evening. We looked at the first place she sent us. What sold me? “Backs up to wetlands.”
July 5. Approved. We picked up the keys July 10. The entire month, as you can imagine, was spent packing and moving, except for another presentation I gave at Northbrook Public Library.
Moving wasn’t how we expected to spend that month, but when we were all moved in?
Joy!
August
This month was all about two things: getting settled into our new home (and taking advantage of the pool!) and finishing my third novel.
Betrayed at the Beach was supposed to be done in July, but you know what happened to that month.
I wrote 22,000 words in eight days and had the book in my hands by August 15. The best part: readers have loved it!
Oh, and I also helped a friend and client publish her first book, handling much of the behind-the-scenes work.
September
On the road again! Mom and Dad flew to Europe for a river cruise and a stay in Amsterdam and asked me to cat- and housesit. I’d do it anyway, but the fact that they live in Asheville was a total bonus.
I packed a self-care suitcase, convinced I’d spend time all by myself doing things like knitting, taking baths, reading books that have been on my TBR list for ages, etc. etc.
HA! Travel writer, know thyself.
My trip to Western North Carolina started with an overnight in Frozen Head State Park northwest of Knoxville. I slept in the back of our Outback, which made it mighty convenient to get up and go.
I took my time getting to Asheville, first driving the Devils Triangle, followed by the Tail of the Dragon. Wheee!!! So many curves, so little time.
That afternoon and the next day, I focused on completing Show Me Shipshewana. But after that?
I WAS IN ASHEVILLE. There was no way I could stay home.
Instead, I visited 31 breweries in 12 days. (It was research. I swear.) I went to the arboretum and downtown and farmers markets and all sorts of other stuff. I had lunch with an old friend and drinks with a new one.
Mom and dad got home and I picked them up from the airport. Dad joked that he wanted shrimp cocktail. He should know better than that (or maybe he does), because I arrived with a cooler. Who’s the best daughter?
We took a day to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, and then I drove home a couple days later, stopping in Cumberland Falls and camping overnight at Bee Rock in Kentucky, then made a quick stop in Brown County, Indiana because I wanted better photos of Brown County State Park.
And then I started writing Ruin on the River, which is set at a beer fest in Asheville (see – told you it was research!).
October
My travel writing workshop, organized and hosted by the Midwest Travel Network, always takes place the first week in October. This sixth live event was in Wichita, so off I went. This time I took Route 66 in Missouri and Kansas.
I’d driven the entire route in 2011 with Mr. TLT, but I wanted a refresher.
The workshop was an unmitigated success. Wichita is amazing. I mean, I got to pet a sloth, hold hands with an otter, and had about a dozen lorikeets land on me!
I learned how to cook Wichita favorites, visited the Pizza Hut Museum (for real), learned more about the city’s aviation history, and so much more.
And one of my students told me she learned more from me in twenty minutes than she had from a three and a half month university writing course.
If you want to be a better writer, check out my course, Travel Writing Mastery!
Before I left Wichita I stopped at Old Cowtown Museum and had a bonus surprise, running into Vanessa Whiteside selling her latest book, Secret Wichita.
On the way home, I stopped once again to see my ancestors’ graves in Plymouth, KS. I’d learned about my connection to this blip of a town west of Emporia during a visit to Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
A couple weeks after I got home, I got to see Lori again. She was in town to explore Elgin and celebrate its fall fun.
Now that was a weekend of joy! One of the main reasons I love this industry is because of the people.
In August, I had been invited to judge the annual awards for the Midwest Travel Journalists Association, and in October I submitted the winners. I saw many, many familiar names, but I made every effort to choose the absolute best writing and photography.
November
November 1 brought the first snow of the year. Ever since we’d moved to our new home, I’d envisioned what it would look like in winter. It was just as beautiful as I expected.
Jim finished the audiobook of Living Landmarks of Chicago, and we uploaded it everywhere! (It’s best to get it directly, because you’ll also get the e-book for free.)
The rest of the month was pretty quiet. I did head to Skokie to cover the opening of Downton Abbey: The Exhibition, and I joined a speakers bureau and gave my first presentation for them, but other than that, I mainly wrote. Mom and Dad came out for Thanksgiving, which was delightful.
One joyful thing: I found out The Local Tourist is the #60 travel blog in the world!
Another? I made Peril on the Peninsula permanently free on November 6. It’s a loss leader – the idea is like the samples at Costco. If you like it, hopefully you’ll keep reading the series.
By November 30, 4,753 people had downloaded my book. SQUEEE!!!
The best news is, they like it. There have now been over 7,000 downloads and I’ve got a 4.4 rating with 157 ratings.
Maybe more impressively, I’ve got a 4.4 with 85 ratings on Goodreads. Goodreads people are notoriously more critical than Amazon raters.
I’ll take it.
December
If you follow me on social media, then you know where I went in December.
I WENT TO LONDON!!!!
This trip, my first international flight and the first time – ever – using a passport, was life-changing. Transformational. I have so much to process and think about. I’ve got notes upon notes.
I’ve been home less than a month. It’s going to take some time for me to sort through everything. And to sort through the thousands of photos.
What an experience.
What a year.
What joy!
On to 2024
We closed out 2023 quietly at home. As I thought over the past year, with its considerable ups and painful downs, I reflected that it was a mixed bag.
Most years are. Life is. There’s some good and some bad, hopefully more of the former than the later.
Overall, I had much more joy than I had sorrow.
In 2024, I’m continuing my practice of saying Yes to what fills me with joy and No to what prevents me from living the life I believe I’m supposed to live. For that reason, I’ve decided not to publish any more of the Midwest Adventures books. While I love my co-authors and am proud of the work, I’m going all-in on my own author career.
I’ve got big dreams. I looked them in the eye in 2020 and have grown more comfortable with them. This year, I plan to fulfill them.
And that’s my word of the year. Fulfillment.
I hope you’ve also had more joy than sorrow and are able to pursue your dreams.
Happy New Year!