I thought I was so cool, handing over twenty-five Euros to a freshly washed junkie I’d met in a Red Light District coffeeshop, instead of one of the smellier ones lurking on the poorly-lit bridges crisscrossing the canals. As soon as he pocketed the cash, he scurried outside and charged down the street. I hurried after him, half-running to keep up. When he darted into a darkened alleyway, I froze and my guard went up. Was he robbing me, or…
April is upon us which means ‘Fiction and Memoirs by Expats and Travelers month’ is now officially over. Many thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog in March to read the seven wonderful articles and interviews by Melissa Burovac, Jill Dobbe, Anne Hamilton, myself (Jennifer S. Alderson), Beth Green, Pamela Allegretto and Annika Milisic-Stanley. It was an honor for me to feature their posts and I enjoyed learning more about all of their stories! If you missed any of…
I stumbled across Annika Milisic-Stanley’s debut novel, The Disobedient Wife on Goodreads while searching for ‘Expat Fiction’. After I had posted my 5 star review of her gorgeous novel, we came in contact via social media. I am glad she was able to take time away from her work as a fundraiser for a refugees center in Rome to share this fascinating interview with us. Interview with Expat Fiction author Annika Milisic-Stanley What is your background? I originate…
Pamela Allegretto is the author of my favorite historical fiction novel of 2016, Bridge of Sighs and Dreams, a captivating story set in Italy during World War Two. Her own experiences as an exchange student and expat living in the country of her forefathers inspired the characters, plot and beautifully described setting for her debut novel. It is a pleasure to learn more about its inception. The Birth of a Novel By Pamela Allegretto The tutelage of my Italian…
When I published my first novel, Down and Out in Kathmandu, one of the first ‘reviewers’ I emailed the good news to was Beth Green, Book Editor of The Displaced Nation, a global community of creative expats. Even though she politely informed me that she didn’t do straight up book reviews, we kept in touch and I have had the pleasure of contributing to two of her columns. Ever since our first email conversation, I’ve been fascinated with her TCK…
So far this month we have been introduced to three travel memoir authors – Melissa Burovac, Jill Dobbe and Anne Hamilton – and their unique stories. It has been a pleasure reading about their journeys and how their travels influenced their writing. The rest of the month I will feature articles by former and current expats and authors Beth Green, Annika Milisc-Stanley and Pamela Allegretto here on my blog. Today I want to share my own story about how I…
I came across Anne Hamilton’s memoir A Blonde Bengali Wife a few months ago via an amazing Facebook group, Women Writers, Women’s Books. At the time, I was editing together Notes of a Naive Traveler: Nepal and Thailand and recall being quite pleased to find another travel memoir writer in the group! Reading her posts and the description of her novel, I was immediately struck by the similarities to the start of our first trips abroad, and in awe of her decision…
Jill Dobbe’s extensive experience as an international educator enriches her fascinating travel memoir, Kids, Camels & Cairo, a book I highly recommend to those considering taking the plunge and working overseas. It is quite an insightful read, as is this article ‘Write What You Know’. Write What You Know By Jill Dobbe Hemingway said it and I write by it. It’s the advice I remember receiving, and the reason I became a published author in my fifties. Upon…
I have the strong feeling Melissa Burovac and I could spend many enjoyable hours swapping travel stories. After reading her excellent memoir, Wandering, I was struck by the similarities between our experiences on the road, as well as how we – as women traveling solo – reacted to the people and places we visited. One of the things I love about Wandering is how Melissa was able to stay ‘in the moment’. After reading her article, ‘How Traveling Abroad Turned…
In a few short weeks I will be releasing Notes of a Naive Traveler, excerpts from travel journals and emails I’d written while volunteering in Kathmandu and backpacking through Nepal and Thailand. This journey also served as the basis for my first novel, a travel thriller entitled Down and Out in Kathmandu. My plan was to volunteer in Nepal for four months then backpack around Southeast Asia for another six. Things didn’t quite work out that way… Traveling is an…