It took a veritable hurricane of writing, but I’ve finished up my drafts on my 20th book, “North Florida: An Explorer’s Guide.” There’s nothing odder than reading the promo copy for your book online when you’re in the midst of writing it. My health hasn’t been up to par and I’ve let a lot slide, including deadlines. Glad to have this done. North Florida and the Florida Panhandle are my favorite places to hang out. Heck, I work there, and Rob and I honeymooned there. If you haven’t spent time checking out North Florida, I suggest you do, but buy this book to help you find your way!

I am woefully behind on blogging and on keeping my Florida Hikes site up to date, thanks to a convergence of things. As the dark clouds gather yet again this afternoon and I sit here and stare out my window at them, they remind me of things undone. I have a book due, and I must finish writing it this weekend. I’ve been working on it since 7 AM, but the storms came through once and I shut down the computer when the lightning started and sat and finished reading another novel. It’s a tough way to push for deadline. Florida’s summer weather doesn’t cooperate. This is the part of writing that agonizes, the final push to make sure that everything’s in and everything’s right.

My trip to Isle Royale, one of America’s most remote National Parks, and to the Copper Country of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula is currently chronicled at the Ocala Star Banner online.

{published Mar 2003 in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette}

Wind billows through the open windows of my brother-in-law’s car as we negotiate a series of hairpin turns where Mount Pantokrator meets the sea. Below us lies the village of Kalami, beloved home of novelist Lawrence Durrell. Judas trees flaunt their brilliant purple blooms against a backdrop of snowcapped peaks. The silvery leaves of centuries-old olive trees shimmer in the April breeze. It’s springtime in Corfu, when the hillsides explode in a profusion of color. Purple anemones and blue windflowers wave like tiny flags on the grassy slopes. Vivid red poppies dance along the side of the road. Fragrant orange and lemon blossoms lend splashes of white to the deep green canvas. I am here to visit my sister’s new home, and I find my expectations turned upside down. Read the rest of this entry »