On every journey, I pick new things up and leave old things behind: belongings, attitudes, friendships. I love Alaska so much that it wasn’t until after my talk in Bellingham, Washington that I realized something had dislodged inside me on my last visit to the Last...
Books
WE NEVER STOP BECOMING – Even After the Story Ends and the Book Tour Begins
If I were a visual artist, I’d draw my book tour for you in a series of sketches: half-finished lines and curves full of electric highs and exhausted lows, the faces of old friends softened by nostalgia, the faces of new friends clarified by discovery. My friend Angie...
AM I THERE YET? – Days Melt Together on Mad Road Trip
This story ends at the Seattle talk show New Day Northwest, where I appeared right after musician Lukas Nelson, son of Willie Nelson, and a unique talent in his own right. I’d never heard him before and I was impressed: Lukas Nelson is the son of Willie Nelson, and a...
TURN RIGHT AT SHOSHONI – On the Road, Is a Long Day a Wrong Day?
I’m not doing this right. Every time I travel, that thought occurs to me at some point. I woke up yesterday morning at 7:30, and was ready to go by 9:00, which made me feel so grownup and responsible. Then I remembered I hadn’t yet checked the driving directions from...
FIRST STOP: CHEYENNE – Just 17 More Stops for “They Only Eat Their Husbands”
It was only two hours to Cheyenne, Wyoming - a drive I’ve made before. The first time was just over twenty years ago when I interviewed for a reporting job at a local TV station. I suppose it’s for the best that I never got that job, or I wouldn’t have become a...
JOIN THE ADVENTURE! – “They Only Eat Their Husbands” hits the road today
The day is finally here, the first day of my four-week book tour, and as usual, despite my careful planning and preparation, I'm still running around at the last minute: paying that last bill, printing up those workshop handouts, changing my mind about today's...
PAINTING AROUND THE WORLD WITH A TEENAGE DAUGHTER: A Mother-Daughter Trek – by Guest Trekker Judy Edwards
My decision to leave and travel around the world with a 13-year-old was not impulsive but directed. At the time, I hardly realized the impact on everyone who was involved with this journey. The gift of telling the story from my current perspective is interesting in...
LITTLE COUCH-SURFER GIRL – A Shoestring Book Tour for a Shoestring Travel Memoir
Like many inveterate wanderers, I’ve done my share of couch surfing. But never until now have I asked complete strangers if I can spend the night on their couch. Like many new authors, I have a marketing budget of zero. But how could a traveler sell an adventure...
WHY THE PRINCESS HIT THE ROAD – A Valentine from An Adventurous Woman
Allow me to share with all of you this valentine to my husband. Dale, you may recall I told you this fairy tale 14 years ago, though it's grown up a bit since then. Happy Valentine's Day to my soul mate, with all my love... Why The Princess Hit The Road by Cara Lopez...
WHAT WERE YOU DOING 25 YEARS AGO? – An Embarrassing Answer to a Mysterious Question
Award-winning mystery writer Stacy Juba recently asked me, and several other authors, an interesting question: "What were you doing 25 years ago?" If you'd like to know my embarrassing answer, read my guest post at Stacy's blog, where she writes about Mysteries,...
