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Book Birthday!

11/24/2020

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Rumble Strip World: Voices from the road is now available! It's been a wonderful four months since we began this project in August 0f 2020, while on a socially-distancing, virus-avoiding, quarantined and then isolated-in-a-car road trip in North America. I interviewed forty people about thirty-seven trips in sixteen countries. Then I transcribed the interviews, edited them for length and clarity, wrote the chapter transitions and introduction, and consulted on the design and production processes. 
And now here it is! 
We're selling it only through the online bookstore Blue Norther for the next few months and perhaps permanently. It's an experiment. 
It's appropriate that it's being released Thanksgiving week as I am so grateful to all the road trippers who talked with me about their memorable experiences. I have heard from about a dozen others who'd like to tell me about their road trips -- and so it's likely there will be another volume of Voices From the Road on the way for next year. 
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One week to Publication for Rumble Strip World: Voices from the road

11/18/2020

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Rumble Strip World. Voices from the road
Thanks so much to those of you who have engaged with us on social media in the past week as we have mentioned your interviews! We have put up eighteen names so far and next week we will post the next eighteen on Instagram and Twitter.
 
We haven’t finalized the details for publication day on November 24th. One minute, I’m thinking ‘Zoom call, or Crowdcast, Virtual Book Launch’ and the next, I’m feeling so Zoomed, and virtualled out that I’m leaning toward just an email and post or two.
A few years ago, we were thinking of doing a big party as a fundraising event. Quite a few people just felt overwhelmed and exhausted at the idea of one more thing to dress up for and someone suggested we organize a ‘non-event’. Tickets were printed and sold for a certain date when you were supposed to just stay home. We made a ton of money for our worthy cause (I think it was the Red Cross, but it might have been a library board.)
These days I’d love to get an invitation to a regular party but it’s all about Zoom and staying safe now. 
 So, we might try a ‘non-Zoom non-party’. 
 
Reading recommendations
We’re all spending a lot of time reading these days and I’m seeking recommendations on travel books. My favorites are Bill Bryson and Elizabeth Gilbert; I’m also just about to start in on Cross Country by Robert Sullivan. I’d love to hear about the ones you’d recommend I read.
 
Project for Spring 2021
Rumble Strip Books will be releasing an anthology of Legendary Road Trips—a collection of essays by travelers who love to write and who have a story they want to share. Submissions have been coming in, but we are open to more. Please take a look at the guidelines here. https://www.rumblestripbooks.com/legendaryroadtrips.html
If you’re on the website at www.rumblestripbooks.com, you’ll find them on the Anthology Guidelines tab. It’s a non-paying gig, but if your piece is selected, you’ll receive some marketing buzz and a copy of the book in print.
 
Balcony view, instead of a windshield
It seems like you don’t have to go very far to experience a storm this year. Last week, Eta came through. 
 
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Storm Watching

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Half day trip to the beach

11/12/2020

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Counting down to November 24th!
Launch date for the fifth book in the Rumble Strip series. Thanks so much to those of you who have already pre-ordered! The printer has promised to deliver next week. 
 
A good book for teens and preteens
I had a friend mention the other day that Rumble Strip World. Voices from the road would make a great holiday gift or stocking stuffer for teens or preteens who are interested in travel – or for those you’d like to inspire to want to come on a road trip with you. 
 
Sneak peeks on Social
Starting next week, day by day, on Instagram (@rumblestripbooks) and Twitter (@rumblestripbook,  because twitter limited the username to 15 characters) -- 
I’ll be posting the names of all 36 sources of stories for Rumble Strip World. Voices from the road, plus a few words about their road trip memory. Please share to any family, friends or followers you think might be interested. Books only available at  https://bit.ly/3nMWIQJ
 
Advance Review Copies
We will be printing a small number of copies to send to book reviewers in the media and other authors who would be willing to provide a short review. (We do have a number of authors who were interviewed for Rumble Strip World, but sorry, no, they can’t be reviewers.) If you know of anyone, could you please let me know, at gail@windwordgroup.com?
 
Short getaways
It’s been an intense week and the list of possible tension-relievers hasn’t included a nice, long road trip for a while. But “staycation” is a word that’s entered all of our vocabularies now, and even an hour or two can help. This week, we socially distanced at a beach, strong wind blowing, sun shining, birds reminding us that we share the planet. 
 
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Table of Contents for Rumble Strip World.Voices from the Road

11/4/2020

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I’m enjoying reading and rereading the transcripts of the interviews I’ve done for Rumble Strip World: Voices from the road. We’ve had a few inquiries about who is in the book, what countries are covered, anything about family or solo travel, etc. and so I thought I’d share the Table of Contents.
 
Lauren and Steven Keys
National Parks USA

Bill Widmer
Maine, USA

Simon Tam
Massachusetts, USA

Kate Roca
Around Lake Michigan, USA

Tina Klinefelter
Rocky Mountains, Canada

Brandon Magnuson
Mount Fuji, Japan

Ed and Jennifer Coleman
Baja California, Mexico

Kate Roca
Michigan, USA

Talek Nantes
Italy

Cody Miller and Anna Quinn
Yosemite and Glacier, USA

Ron Blake
Wyoming, Nebraska, USA

Greg Cayea
Peru

Geena Truman
Iceland

George Holliday
Croatia

Ngozi Edema
Alberta, BC, Canada

Chizoba Anyaoha
Bali

Michael Puldy
Florida, Texas, California, USA

Jackie Lambert
Romania

Jennifer Melroy
Alaska, USA

Gloria Bell
Arizona, USA

Sage Scott
The Netherlands

David Pressler
Connecticut, New Hampshire, USA

Robert Kienzle
Thailand

Brittany Delacruz
Montreal, Canada

Bonnie McKenna
Texas, USA

Phil Partridge
Spain, France, Italy

Jennifer Broome
Maine, Vermont, USA

Judi Cohen
India

Varun Sharma
Bali

Emma Morrell
Namibia

Emily Underhill
Southwest USA

Alyssa Musto
Southwest USA

Fred Siegel
Canada to Alaska

Johnny Welsh
U.S. southwest, Mexico

Alyssa Long
Kentucky, Colorado, USA

Saurabh Saxena
New Zealand

Jenny Lynn
South Africa, Tanzania

David Stone
Florida, Ohio, USA, Ontario, BC, Canada

 
 
On Instagram
I’m not doing any traveling right now, so for @rumblestripbooks, I’m combing through photos from previous trips and posting three times, on a different theme each week. This past week it was cars – convertibles, to be specific. One my own, two from car shows in Savannah and Amelia Island. If you’d like to add your own photo of a convertible, please post to #rumblestripbooks. 
Next week, it’s either beaches or mailboxes.
 
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5 Weeks to Publication!

10/28/2020

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​November 24, 2020 – Save the Date!
We’ll be holding a Virtual Book Launch of some kind. Join our email list if you want the details the minute they’re available.
Subscribers to the email list get early notice of any news like that, chances to win free copies of the books, and other items that don’t show up on the website. I try to get this blog posted to the website within a week of sending it out to subscribers, but …
  • Please let us know by emailing info@windwordgroup.com if you want a jpeg of the cover to post on your social media or Facebook, and we’ll send you one.
 

 You can follow us on social. Instagram is @rumblestripbooks, twitter is @rumblestripB.
 

The Next Book
 Since I’ve started mentioning this upcoming book on my social media and on Rumble Strip Books’ Instagram, I’ve heard from people who want to know if there will be a Volume 2 and whether they can tell me their story. I have my hands full getting this one ready (in time for the holidays!) but if it goes well, then, yes, I’d love to do another collection. Let me know if you’d like to be added to the list of possible story sources.
 
Sitting still for a while in Florida
The view through the windshield for the past few weeks has been mostly palm trees. After an 11,000-mile trip north, west, back east, then down south, we’ve put it in ‘park’ and settled down to work on processing all the information and experiences we took in on this socially-distancing, gatherings-avoiding trip of 2020. We hope it will grow into a book next year, but right now it’s just a lot of scribbled notes and thousands of photographs.
 
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Palm Tree and Sky, Key West
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Now Available for Preorder

10/14/2020

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Excited to tell you that we’re now set up to take orders for our book about unforgettable moments on memorable road trips. Official publication date is November 24, 2020 but U.S. customers can visit the Blue Norther Bookstore online at the publisher website here to arrange for copies to be mailed the minute the book drops. 
If you are thinking of ordering more than one or two copies, as holiday gifts, it would be a good idea to reserve your books, to make sure they’re sent on the 24th.
 
You can save ten per cent by ordering now, until. November 24th. 
 
The book will only be available online, at the Blue Norther Bookstore. We’ve used Amazon in the past (and other Rumble Strip and WindWord Group books are still available there), but for this new one we’re going to handle the orders directly to ensure as prompt and responsive a turnaround as possible.
 
For Canadian, UK, Asia Pacific, Australian, European, and all other non-U.S. customers: We’ll be handling orders via email, in order to customize shipping and taxes. Please contact admin@windwordgroup.com to let us know what books you want to order and we’ll use an invoicing method.
 
There! That’s enough administration. Back to the exciting part—Rumble Strip World Voices from the Road is almost ready! The book has stories from motorcycle rides in Japan and Thailand, camper van journeys through all of the U.S. national parks, a cross-country drive in a 1963 sports car, and a rock ‘n’ roll band tour on one of the coldest nights of the year. 
 
If you are thinking of ordering in quantity because of the holiday season, please let us know as soon as possible so that we make sure the print run is big enough and we can get the books to you in time. 

​Favorite Photo of the Week

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Met these two while driving one day in Kentucky.
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Thank you!

10/7/2020

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The collection of interviews for Rumble Strip World: Voices from the Road is now up to 31! 
I’ve heard stories about motorcycle trips to Mount Fuji, van trips through the national parks, bicycle trips around Lake Michigan, Porsche trips from coast to coast … and many more. I’m looking forward to bringing out the book before the holidays and to showing you the cover design in my next blog. 
If you’ve been planning to contact us, or to suggest to a friend or relative that they “help a reporter out”, please email info@windwordgroup.com by October 15. That’s when the interviewing phase ends and the production starts.
 
Social Media and Web
 
#rumblestripbooks on Instagram
If you have travel photos you want to share on Instagram, please add the Rumble Strip Books hashtag to any others that you use. 
On twitter find us at @RumblestripB
 
The WindWord Group Publishing & Media
Rumble Strip Books is one of the WWG imprints. We post to Instagram @windwordpadm and on Twitter @windwordpublish. You can follow us (and like the page!) on Facebook at WindWord Group Publishing & Media. 
 
On the web https://www.windwordgroup.com

Favorite Photo of the Week

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         Reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose

                                                                                                             Pomona Mills Park, Thornhill, Ontario
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Calling for more road trip stories

9/23/2020

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The windshield view has been blurry these past weeks, thanks to Covid-19 and to the wildfire smoke in California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. 
But we've been enjoying #travelmemories, while working on two new books.
The first project is Rumble Strip World: Voices from the Road.
Update! This is a title change.
Thanks so much to those of you who have already done interviews with Gail for this book. Publication date is set for November 24, 2020. 
We are into cover design mode right now, and collecting photographs of vehicles. If you are one of those whose memorable road trip story will be included, and you'd like to see the vehicle you used featured on our cover, ​please email us at admin@windwordgroup.com


The second project is Rumble Strip: Legendary Road Trips
If you have written a story for this collection and sent it in, thank you! We will be evaluating submissions from writers throughout the fall and are aiming for a May 2021 publication date for this Anthology. Submission Guidelines are on the Rumble Strip Books website.                               

Find us on Instagram @rumblestrip books and #rumblestripbooks.
Please follow -- and I'll follow back!
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Georgia Billboards

9/3/2020

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We recently took to the highway through the U.S. South and I couldn’t help but notice that the roadside reading market seemed a bit slow. A lot of signs were shouting RENT ME. Not all of them, though. There were still lots to look at, from the Bible-verses signs alongside the adult superstore signs to the attorney customer-seeking signs to the vasectomy customer-seeking signs. My favorite, this trip, was the one calling an answer to the traveler looking for a road snack. 


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'Old Florida' style on the Gulf Coast

7/27/2020

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​The global pandemic and the local statistics have us staying close to home these days. The view through the windshield takes in the palm trees and canals in a Gulf Coast Florida city. 
 
This week, we ventured sixty-two miles to Boca Grande, a gorgeous strip of beach on Gasparilla Island. The tourist maps use little yellow and red umbrella symbols to show the public beaches that dot the shoreline and the islands between Naples and Sarasota, but there were none pictured on this stretch near Boca Grande. 
 
I was not expecting a beach day, just an opportunity to see some new territory, with houses and gardens that have been described as gorgeous. But after crossing the water (with a small fee of $6, cards only, no cash), I was delighted to find an access point to the Gulf waters, with free parking, lots of empty spaces, and a beach with only four other people on it. 
 
After a relaxing barefoot walk in the sand, the drive through town took us past charming beach houses, as promised, and the Gasparilla Inn and Club, an appealing glimpse of ‘Old Florida’, with a gleaming, two-story-columned main building and about twenty cottages and villas nearby. 
 
Our last stop on this single-day, stay-safe road trip was the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. Built in 1890, the lighthouse is the oldest structure on the island. This spot is popular with people who want to fish, and was a lot busier. Coolers, umbrellas, beach chairs, big fishing tackle boxes, an old-school CD player blasting classic rock, and no face masks added up to ‘not my scene right now’, and we put it in the rear-view mirror. 
 

 

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    Author

    Gail is the author of Rumble Strip Canada 150, USA Off the Interstate, Europe, Benelux (And a Boat), and World Voices from the Road. 

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