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Travellers Calabria Contest: Q and A with Travel Writer Lara Dunston
Welcome to the first day of our Q and A with Travel Writer Lara Dunston!
Remember that I’m giving away FIVE copies of Lara and Terry Carter‘s new guidebook, Travellers Calabria. See details here, but essentially you can comment every day this week for a chance to win Lara and Terry’s book.
And don’t forget to go back and comment on yesterday’s post for a chance to win a Calabrian CD by the group Marasà.
Now, my first two questions to Lara (all photos provided by Lara and Terry):
1. OK, let’s start close to home. What was your favorite part about writing the Calabrian guidebook?
The research trip around Calabria was fantastic. I write with my husband Terry Carter [pictured right, learning Italian after a bit of wine, always the best time to learn], who is a travel photographer and we did a month-long road trip around the region for this book and just loved it! Terry was shooting photos for the book, and when he’s doing photography for a book we tend to meet more people, because we’re not undercover as we might be if we were just writing.
The research trip is the best part of any book commission for me. The actual writing can be monotonous although it can be wonderful in the sense that we re-visit the places in our imagination as we write about them, and re-live the trip in a way.
But we’re tied to desks writing for 15-18 hours a day seven days a week for a month or two, which can get hard to handle – and for Terry, he’s also selecting photos and photo-editing. When we’re doing the research, we get to drive through spectacular landscapes (especially in the case of Calabria), explore charming towns (ditto!), learn about the history, culture and society, and get to meet fascinating people along the way.
Before we did the Calabria book, we’d spent a lot of time in Italy over the years, travelled all over, and had driven all over Sicily, but the furthest south we’d ever been on the mainland was the Amalfi.
Calabria is very different to the rest of Italy and we just loved it. We thoroughly enjoyed the countryside, especially the tortuous drives through spectacular mountain scenery.
We were there in spring and the wildflowers were beautiful, everything was lush and green, the air was fragrant – we loved the Sila and Aspromonte National Park [left] especially, and we adored all those charming hilltop towns that seem to tumble down mountainsides or are perched precariously atop cliffs, like Tropea [photo of beach below], Pizzo, Morano Calabro and Amantea. They’re all so enchanting…
We particularly enjoyed the food – the spices, the peperoncino, all the fresh seafood –we had some incredible gastronomic experiences that we didn’t expect to have. There was one particularly memorable meal near Camigliatello at La Tavernetta where we had a degustation menu that revolved around mushrooms that had just been picked. My god! I know a bit about food and have eaten in thousands of restaurants obviously, but I’d never tasted mushrooms this good before or realized they could be done in so many ways.
The company was pretty special that night too – we were taken to the restaurant by a Baron and Baroness – and our accommodation was equally memorable – their hunting lodge, Torre Camigliati, which is now a B&B.
When we were in Amantea we stayed at the splendid Palazzo delle Clarisse [right] (more like a castle than a palace!) – in a suite that Queens had stayed in! – and we savored some of the most creative and refined cuisine we’ve had in Italy at their restaurant.
That night we also dined with the owner, a fascinating and charming guy, a former Italian politician who now writes magical realist novels, and his friend, who produces some of Italy’s finest award-winning olive oil.
We had another stupendous meal at Il Fiore del Cappero in Reggio Calabria – I think that was the same day I zipped around Reggio on the back of a Vespa doing inspections of B&Bs! Don’t ask… so sometimes the pleasure of research is as much about the people you meet along the way as it is the places you go to.
2. You’ve been all around the world, so please share: what is your favorite travel destination and why?
There are so many wonderful places in this world that I find it impossible to pick one. I don’t have one favorite place. Nor does Terry. I guess if we did, we’d be living in one place instead of living out of our suitcases and travelling the world like gypsies!
Rather, I have different destinations for different moods or seasons or activities… I love springtime anywhere in the Mediterranean or in the Middle East, winter anywhere in the Alps but particularly Northern Italy and Switzerland and Austria, while I also love winter in the outback in Australia (nothing compares to the clarity of light).
Summer in San Sebastian, Spain, is pretty special, also Scandinavia, and anywhere in Italy – as crowded as it can get, there’s a real buzz about summer – especially in Calabria where everyone gets out in the evenings and does the passeggiata.
And I’m happy in Thailand any time, ditto re: South America.
Wow, what a fabulous start to the Q and A, Lara! Thanks!
Be sure to leave your comment and tweet or post to Facebook to maximize your chances of winning a copy of Travellers Calabria! See contest details here.
Kicking Off Travellers Calabria Week with Mimmo’s Music
Starting today and continuing until Friday, July 10, we’re celebrating the fact that lil’ ole Calabria *finally* has a fabulous guidebook dedicated to her:
Travellers Calabria by Lara Dunston and Terry Carter
All this week, Lara will be here answering my questions and sharing Terry‘s and her gorgeous photos of bella Calabria.
If you want to start getting acquainted with this dynamic duo now:
- Lara describes herself as a “perpetual globetrotter (60+countries) travel writer (40+books, 100s stories for world’s best publishers) living out of a suitcase since Jan 06” on Twitter (follow @laradunston) and blogs at Cool Travel Guide.
- Terry is “a travel and editorial photographer and travel writer. He literally lives out of a suitcase accompanied by a couple of bags of photography gear.” Follow him @terencecarter on Twitter and read his blog at Wide angles, wine and wanderlust.
And you don’t want to miss a single day of the Q and A with Travel Writer Lara Dunston. Why not?
Because I will be giving away a copy of Travellers Calabria every day–that’s FIVE copies total.
Comment once on each post from Monday to Friday to be entered in the drawings; I will pick one winner from Monday’s comments, one from Tuesday’s, etc., and I will announce all the winners next Saturday. All comments must be entered by midnight CET on Friday, July 10.
For extra entries (one per day per person except as below), tweet or post about the contest on Facebook with a link to any one of the contest posts (although preferably this one since it will be the only one with all the rules) AND EMAIL ME TO LET ME KNOW at:
michellefabio5 (at) gmail (dot) com
I will enter your extra entry in the day in which you tweet/post appears, except for today; any tweets/posts today will be entered in the drawing that ends up with the fewest number of entries–which means you can get six extra entries if you tweet/post today and every day of the contest.
In the event you’re lucky enough to win two (or more) copies, you will have the choice of accepting all your winnings or having me pick another winner.
Any questions–feel free to ask!
And what’s a party without music?
Kicking things off is a new CD by my friend Mimmo’s band, Marasà. You may remember Mimmo from our New Year’s Eve celebration and discussion of the chitarra battente.
Well his band is back with their second CD, Sentéri:
This is Calabrese folk music with a twist–a famous Italian rock star (who happens to have a house in Badolato Superiore) even guests on the CD.
The songs are sung in local dialect, but the liner notes have the lyrics in both Italian and Calabrese; if you’re interested in a copy of the lyrics, let me know, and I’ll send you the PDF.
Curious as to what it sounds like?
Head over to Offma, where you can also buy your own copy for 12 euros, or to Marasà’s MySpace page, where you can listen to samples and also, for those of you who will be in southern Italy over next couple months, where you can catch them live in concert–they’re kicking the summer tour off tonight right here in Badolato Superiore. Lucky us!
And, aw heck, since I’m feeling generous, I’ll even give away a copy of the new Marasà CD to a lucky commenter. To be eligible, comment on THIS post by midnight CET on Friday, July 10.
Viva la Calabria!
Passeggiata by G.G. Husak
Remember back when G.G. Husak, author of Passeggiata: Strolling Through Italy, guest posted here? Well today we’re talking more about the book; here is my review:
Passeggiata by G.G. Husak is a memoir about the author and her husband’s travels through Italy, to which they return every year. The book covers their visits to Florence, the Italian Riviera, Siena, Assisi, Orvieto, Naples, and more; from big cities to small hill towns, they’ve done it, and you can read about it.
Husak’s love for the Bel Paese and all it offers really shines through her tales—and especially in the fact that she and her husband continue to choose Italy instead of other destinations. “Italy has been a theme that enriches our shared experiences by being integrated into our lives after we get home,” Husak writes.
The book can be a bit slow-moving in parts as Husak seems to want to fit in all the details—and perhaps justifiably so, as the details in Italy are certainly not to be missed. Still, the editing could have been stronger as some parts seemed repetitive or simply went on for a bit too long without enriching the overall story.
For this reason, I recommend reading this book a chapter at a time, taking in each destination by itself and giving yourself time to reflect on their journeys; imagine yourself sharing a caffè with G.G. and her husband in Florence or walking for miles around a huge wall in Siena that blocks off the old city from the train station.
This book would be especially good for novice travelers to Italy, even for those who have yet to make their first visit. Many of Husak’s stories involve the types of mishaps, confusions, and glitches that often accompany Italian travel tales; newbie travelers will find it particularly encouraging to know that even when things look dire, they’ll eventually work out—and that strikes, changes in schedules, etc. are just normal, Italian travel experiences that everyone battles.
I give this three espresso cups out of five, mostly because I would have liked it to have been edited better; I enjoyed reading about Husak’s experiences, but aside from the fact that the narrative could have been much tighter, there are also quite a few Italian mistakes (gender, incorrect place names, words sometimes confused with similar Spanish words). This is a pet peeve of mine and could potentially make this book confusing for those newbie travelers I mentioned.
Still, true Italophiles will find a lot to like in this passeggiata through Italy; indeed, it could even be used as a supplemental guidebook as it covers so many wonderful Italian locations.
*
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Stella: Colin Galbraith’s New Paranormal Mystery
Loyal readers may have seen “Stella” in the post title and thought of my adorable pooch:
But today we’re back to talking books, in particular, up and coming Scottish author Colin Galbraith‘s new paranormal mystery, Stella, available as both an e-book and paperback as of June 7th:
And, since it’s been a while since we’ve had a contest, how’d you like to win your own copy?
Comment on this post by next Friday, July 3, 2009 by 11:59 p.m. (Italy time) to be eligible to win a copy of Stella. If you win, you can choose either the paperback or e-book version. Winner will be announced Sunday, July 5, 2009.
What’s Stella all about?
Randolph Lowe is a distinguished British Secret Agent in the twilight of his career. When he is handed a mission to kill one of the world’s least accessible, yet most wanted assassins, he never expected a beautiful young woman with the alias, STELLA.
Stella leads him around the world as she picks off her marks with ease, during which time Randolph grows infatuated and falls in love.
But Stella has her own dark secret. Forced into making a terrible sacrifice, she is destined to live her life as a lone killer.
The love of one man may be enough to free her, and only that man can save her now… but only if he can find her….
——-
Mystery. Intrigue. International spy games. Paranormal. Love. What’s not to enjoy about this book?
I haven’t read it yet, but I will very soon. Sounds like a great summer read with a fast pace and lots of twists and turns. Plus I always enjoy the paranormal thrown in….
Perhaps you’re wondering about the author?
Colin Galbraith is an author of published short stories, poems, articles and reviews, in both print and online publications. His novel, Hunting Jack, was serialised in 2004, and his chapbook, Fringe Fantastic: The Poet’s Experience of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, was published by Smashing Press in December 2005 to critical acclaim. Poolside Poetry soon followed, published in March 2007.
Colin has also published three e-chapbooks: Brick by Brick (2005), Silly Poems for Wee People Vol.1 (2006), and Selektion (2007). He edited his first anthology, Full Circle, in 2007 and his hugely popular children’s poem, River Monkeys, appeared in the anthology, A Pocketful of Fun, published by Forward Press in 2006.
He is proud to be the Chief Editor and Publisher of The Ranfurly Review literary e-magazine, and an Associate Editor at The Scruffy Dog Review.
Colin lives in Edinburgh with his wife and daughter, two rabbits and a shoal of fish. He is a fully trained expert in the art of fake falling.
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5 Questions with Colin Galbraith
1. What was the inspiration for Stella?
The idea for STELLA first came to me in 1988. I was listening to an album of the same name by Yello, and I developed a series of images to certain songs in my mind as I listened to the album. I always promised myself I would one day write these images down into a cohesive text, but it wasn’t until 2007 that I felt my writing had developed enough that I could give it a bash.
I began by writing down these images, and from that I used the music to further inspire the gaps in between. Slowly, a story began to unfold until I had a first draft. It took a lot more work to make it into what it is today and I’m delighted with how it turned out.
2. What research went into writing Stella?
Not as much as you might think. Most research concerned the locations in the book that I hadn’t been to, but which I wanted to appear in the book. It’s fast moving story and takes the reader all around the world, so while I could write vividly about Prague, Amsterdam and London, I knew little of San Francisco, Brooklyn NY and Fes, Morocco.
There was also a bit of research into demons and black roses, but mostly it’s all made up – the kind of writing I enjoy most.
3. Why write a paranormal mystery? You’ve never written in this genre before?
It wasn’t meant to be a paranormal book. My original idea was for the book to be a spy novella, something with its roots in the mysteries of underground eastern Europe. As the ideas began to develop on paper, though, the book began to take on its own form and it made sense for a paranormal aspect to come into it. I can’t honestly see it working without it now.
4. Will we see more of Stella and Randolph?
STELLA was originally meant as a personal writing experiment and I never meant, or expected it, to ever be published. However, now it has been, and having enjoyed working with Stella and Randolph so much, I want to do more with them.
Both Stella and Randolph are such strong characters and there are so many questions I have now STELLA is behind me, that I want to find out more about them. And where the author has questions, so too I expect will the readers.
I’ve already begun work on the sequel and am planning on making their story into a trilogy. The book I am writing just now – the sequel to STELLA – is called BACCARA BURNING, which will take Randolph and Stella’s relationship to the extreme. It will be a real test of their love and trust, and through this we will get to know the real them. Both have lived dark and hidden lives, but in Baccara Burning the cloaks are gone and there is no hiding any longer.
The book starts in Sorrento, but ultimately I want to bring them to my home town of Edinburgh, throw in a local ghost legend or two and see what happens.
5. Tell us a bit about your writing process. Do you have a particular routine you follow?
My daily schedule is usually hampered by the inconvenience of a day job, which means I have to work around it. I get up around 5 am most days and write or take care of some editing while I have my breakfast. Then it’s off to the day job and if I can squeeze it in, take care of some admin or prepare emails I have to send out when I get back home during my lunch break. After work, family duties take over for a while before I’ll sit down and write into evening.
That’s the routine. My writing process, however, varies greatly depending what it is I’m writing. If it’s a newspaper review I’ll have the piece researched, drafted and submitted all within a few hours of getting the commission. This includes writing two drafts, one long and one short to make it easier for the editor, but also means a concentrated effort to get it out.
With fiction I try and get down an average of 2k per day, though it doesn’t always work out. When I’m writing a novel I’ll try and get those words down first thing in the morning, because I’m at my best at that time and I find it tees me up for the rest of the day. If I could write all day I would, and if I really had a choice in the matter I would probably write through the night, but we can’t have all it our way!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Colin; can’t wait to read your book!
Readers, remember to comment on this post for your chance to win a copy of Stella!
My Cousin the Saint in Paperback–With My Blurb!
Remember when I reviewed My Cousin the Saint by Justin Catanoso?
Well the paperback version comes out in a couple of days, and my review is quoted in the blurbs in the front of the book! How exciting!
Yes, if you follow me @michellefabio on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook, you already know this–and if you’re not following or friending yet, come on over! Did you know I was also recently named one of 20 Interesting Expats to Follow on Twitter by Matador? I’m so honored!
Anyway, I *still* highly recommend Justin’s book–this is a fabulous gift for an Italian, especially a Calabrian–so if you need a regalo, haven’t gotten your copy yet, or were simply waiting for paperback, the release date is June 16, 2009; you can pre-order My Cousin the Saint: A Story of Love, Miracles, and an Italian Family Reunited here.
Don’t you just love the new cover art?!
Buona domenica!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
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