I love to travel! Born in the sign of Sagittarius,  I definitely have a wanderlust and have been fortunate to visit many countries and parts of the USA. Travel gives me the opportunity to learn, to meet people, and to get inspired. The writer in me enjoys the scents, the sounds, and the sights of new places.

Aside from packing my clothes, my camera, and books to read while away, I pack a journal or two. Sometimes it’s a plain notebook, and other times it’s a fashionable travel journal. Regardless, what matters is being there, writing about the people and places I visit, and invoking my muse to create stories. While it’s easy these days to Google information, I think that to actually be at a place that becomes the setting of a story lends credibility to the writing.

That’s what guided me in writing my western historical romance Wildflowers. On one of my many trips to visit my family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I took a side trip to Independence, Missouri, the jumping off point for the pioneers going west.

My work-in-progress is partly set in Cork, Ireland, and uses the historical as well as the cultural background of the land of my ancestors. It will be a generational saga based on immigrant experiences.

I may not use all of what I discover or experience on my voyages, but somewhere in the recesses of my imagination, they linger to be called forth sometime. So, while glancing at the scenery, taking a tour, or reading historical guides, my journaling will provide the fodder for what I might write later.

Oh, the wanderlust is calling, time to pack up my journal!