When I'm not writing or spending time with my son, I enjoy snapping forgettable photos, running through my neighborhood, and hopping on airplanes. I've visited 39 states, 15 national parks, and sadly, 0 foreign countries.Soon I'll have to change the last sentence in that paragraph, because for the first time ever, I'm going overseas! And rather than visit lots of places for a short amount of time, I'm going to visit only one place for two and a half weeks: ITALY! I'm going to wander alone around all the tourist hotspots, while also trying desperately to get lost in the many side streets and alleys that look so amazing in all the photos from Italy I've ever seen. I have no idea how many fantasy books feature ancient cities as their setting, but I'm looking forward to pretending I'm a character in one of those books, exploring all the nooks and crannies of buildings that were built long before anything in America even existed.
I'm nervous though, because I'm nearing the completion of the first draft of my book, and I don't want anything to stop my momentum. So here's my plan. I'm going to get as close to the end of my book as I can before I leave, then try to finish it in the evenings in Italy. Really, I'm not sure I could come up with a better muse than Italy. I mean, the country just begs to inspire writers to reach for ideas they would never think of sitting at home in their office.
My blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and Google+ing will not be as frequent for a while as I divide my time between writing and studying travel books on Italy. If you've ever been to Italy, I'd love to hear about your experiences. And if you've got any advice or things you think I absolutely must do, please let me know!
