I’ve got Florida on my mind
Why am I posting a photo essay about Florida all of a sudden? My pal Morgan Dragonwillow recently vacationed there, so now I’m daydreaming about a road trip down the Intercoastal Highway…
I snapped these shots while dining near Key West. I can’t recall the name of the place, but it was a beachfront restaurant on a pier jutting into the clear, blue water. The joint was jumping, and the servers did a great job keeping up with the frenzy. They didn’t just have humans to wait on, either. Shortly before sunset a school of hungry fish showed up – a group of regulars including a small shark – and they expected to be fed, too!
Daydreaming about Unexpected Florida
Florida is full of offbeat and overlooked places, and I can hardly wait to return for a vacation/research trip. I’d love to write a quirky travel guide similar to Unexpected Texas, except this one would be called Unexpected Florida. (Bet ya saw that name coming, eh?)
Heck, I’ve already visited the quirky-and-mysterious Coral Castle, the delightfully retro Mai Kai Tiki bar in Miami and a fascinating shipwreck museum. I’ve even had a bona fide polydactyl Hemingway cat follow me through a cemetery in Key West as I searched for the headstone of an infamous hypochondriac which reads, “I told you I was sick!” (I’m gonna have to dig up those photos.)
If you know of any quirky places that should be included in a travel guide to offbeat and overlooked places in Florida, let me know.
I’ll take all the excuses for a Key West road trip I can get!
My ROW80 Check-in: Writing Research is addictive!
Enough daydreaming! It’s time for a ROW80 check-in.
This is my first check-in this round, and it’s quite overdue. Row80 helps me focus, and that’s exactly what I need to do this week – make clear, definable goals because there is a lot I want to accomplish this summer.
First off, I am working on a new book called Paranormal Texas: Your Guide to Haunted Travel Destinations near Dallas & Fort Worth, which I plan to release in the fall. I’m already having a blast researching it! But I know from experience that writing research is a lot like gambling. I always think I’ll hit the jackpot if I keep at it just a little bit longer. If I’m not careful, I’ll fritter away all my writing time researching things, then find myself scrambling madly to catch up.
So, by next week’s ROW80, I plan to have a clear timeline laid out for the following:
– an ongoing marketing plan for Unexpected Texas
– a detailed timeline for getting the manuscript of Paranormal Texas written, including planning research trips, interviews, and other bits and bobs.
– planning the launch for Paranormal Texas.
– following up with everyone I met at the DFW Writer’s Conference.
– following up with everyone I met at the Granbury Paranormal Expo
– getting my editorial calendar planned for the May, June, and July’s blog posts.
– anything I’ve forgotten to mention at this moment! (Which is probably plenty.)
What is ROW80? Here’s how you can join in:
ROW80 is an online support group for writers. If you’re a writer, feel free to join in! For details, check out: the official ROW80 website.
ROW80 Linky:
That’s how my writing goals are going. How are yours coming along? Here are links to all the other Row80 writers. Check them out: