Travel Talk with Audrey Wick
I’m so excited to welcome fellow Tule author Audrey Wick to the blog today. Audrey is a full-time English professor at Blinn College in Texas. There, she is a writing teacher who writes. Her latest women’s fiction novel is Coming Home from Tule Publishing. She believes the secret to happiness includes lifelong learning and good stories. But travel and coffee help. She has journeyed to over twenty countries—and sipped coffee in every one. Readers can connect with her at audreywick.com, and she’s also on Twitter and Instagram @WickWrites. Take it away, Audrey…
Travel is a passion of mine, which is probably why I’m drawn to setting as a writer. It’s my favorite element of telling a story, and the places I write about are largely places that are special to me.
In my latest contemporary novel COMING HOME, readers experience two important places for my heroine, Mallory: Santa Fe (New Mexico) and Seguin (Texas). A road trip takes readers through the journey she makes, complete with beautiful landscapes and a few surprises.
Readers familiar with these locations will find a lot to love about the towns mentioned. And for those who don’t know the areas, they can be happy passengers along with Mallory—and her cat companion, Bella—for the trip.
I’ve been fortunate to have opportunities to travel like Mallory does, but I’ve also enjoyed international travel. With each experience, I gain new understandings of people and places. Here’s a recent photograph of my summer trip to Egypt when I visited the Library of Alexandria. For a book lover like me, being here was a highlight of the trip!
And isn’t the bookish furniture fabulous?
Now, it’s your turn. Where are some of your favorite locations—real or fictional? Do you have a favorite setting from a book? Has a book’s setting ever inspired you to travel to that location? Share your favorite places in the comments section below.
11 Comments
Audrey Wick
Juanita, what a beautiful description of how you came to live in Perth! And wonderful upcoming wishes for your U.S. trip as well. I’m sure you will love it. Safe travels!
Sandi Ramirez
Funny I’ve never been on a vacation in my life. I can’t put my large family of eight kids and we never had the money to take a trip growing. When I became a young adult myself, I was simply worried about making ends meet… And then I became a single mom so vacations were out. I married my daughter’s mom dad… And we said about raising our family and added our second daughter to our family and we never had the money you can have a vacation. now as adult past 50 we actually have our oldest daughter and her daughter living with us or we don’t have the money to have a vacation now. one day we will and when we do I actually plan just to go north of the border to Oklahoma and visit my sister. we’re both deaf/ heard of hearing. I just can’t wait to see her in person which I haven’t seen her in years and be able to read her lips and visit with her face to face.
Juanita
Many years ago, I was inspired by stories set in Australia and I placed it on my list of places to visit one day. I’ve lived in beautiful Western Australia for twenty years now close the foothills of Perth, so my dream came true. I’ve also been inspired to visit San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, Vegas, LA and Anaheim. I’m looking forward to spending time in New York this year as well as revisiting my favorite, San Francisco. Lovely to read about your travels, Audrey!
Juanita
Many years ago, as a young dreamer, I was inspired to travel by stories set in Australia and I put it on my wishlist of places to visit one day. That dream came true and I’ve lived in beautiful Western Australia close to the foothills in Perth for over twenty years now. I’ve also been inspired to visit San Francisco, Vegas, Vancouver, Toronto, LA and Anaheim. In December, I’m visiting New York for the first time on another US vacation and I’m super excited! Lovely hearing more about your travels, Audrey.
Shelagh
Travel is a passion of mine and I love it when books involve a journey as I can travel vicariously through the eyes of the characters.
Audrey Wick
Thank you, all for such fun comments! I love hearing the settings that others enjoy when reading–and traveling through books is an activity I enjoyed long before I was able to travel to physical locations. Keep the great ideas coming, and thank you for reading!
denise
I love books set in the mountains and at the beach.
nova c.
i love all types of settings. any that draw the reader into the story and are written in a way that you feel you are there.
girlfromwva
Marietta, Montana is a wonderful location for many Tule author books. The setting is just perfect for the stories, and makes me want to be there right in the middle of it.
I also love other settings that draw a reader into the story.
Janine
I have some great memories of my last vacation in 2005 when I went to Hawaii. Unfortunately, things have changed quite a bit since then and we just can’t afford getaways anymore.
Liz Flaherty
Not sure if my first comment came through…but I love setting, too. I’ve been inspired by Vermont and have placed books there. The one I want to go and see the most is Prince Edward Island.
I enjoyed reading your post.