Our first official Writers on the Road stop in Honesdale, PA has come and gone. 

The book signing was part of the larger community event, Steampunk Honesdale, celebrating the area's industrial heritage. I was fortunate to be greeted upon my arrival by this steam engine! I wish we'd had time to take a ride in the vintage rail cars trailing behind the engine, but alas, we were sort of busy at the book signing.

The weather was perfect and people were out enjoying the day. We saw lots of strollers and dogs and even a few people in Steampunk costumes - including one dog in costume! Sorry, we sort of forgot we were supposed to be taking photos, but Jean did take this one of me and some of the other authors.

When we weren't talking to readers we were admiring a tie-dyed wedding gown for sale across the street and dreaming up stories we could tell about the bride who would choose such a dress. To our delight, the artist put the dress on for a bit! I can't imagine myself wearing a tie-dyed gown for my wedding but it would be lovely for someone. You, perhaps?

After the signing, Jean and I strolled around a bit, had some bratwurst served by a guy who spoke a little English and a lot of German, then made out way down the street to the Wayne Hotel Wine Room. Since we both had to drive home, we opted for iced tea and dessert. We fell on our decadent chocolate cake (me) and hot fudge sundae (Jean) like ants at a picnic and before we could even think about taking a picture, they were gone!

We had a great time. Wish you had been there to share the experience.

Catch us at our next stop?

ROAD TRIP TO...Stockbridge, MA

   April, 2018
   Ever have a place you wanted to stay, in your salad days, but couldn't afford? The Red Lion Inn was that place for me. I'd been dreaming of it for years. So when the chance to pass through Stockbridge and see it in person, on my way to a conference in Massachusetts came along. I jumped at it. 
   It wouldn't be half as memorable if I did this alone. So I called Roz Lee, a dear author friend, and asked her if she'd like to take a road trip with me on our way to the con. She agreed. I picked her up and we wended our way through the backroads of New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts to end up here. 
   I quivered. There it was. 
   "Let's go in," Roz said. 
   We moseyed up to the desk. Roz asked about room rates. Imagine my shock when the woman quoted a completely reasonable price that became cheap when divided by two. That was it! We checked in. Here's our room:

Dripping with charm, The Red Lion Inn invited exploration. There were all sorts of public rooms where a writer could steal away and get a few words down. Some even had fireplaces! Like this one. 

The Inn had been lovingly restored. Wallpaper and artwork in keeping with the period made me feel like I had entered another era. 

Along with history, came comfort. With chairs, sofas and loveseats everywhere. 

They even had a sun room furnished in white wicker! 

Roz and I enjoyed a meal in their tap room. There was much to see there. Walking down the halls, you could feel the history as you tread the same paths of so many who came before. 

Antiques abounded, adding flavor to the decor. 

Even the artwork is reminiscent of people of an earlier era. 

Being the camera bug that I am, I could hardly snap fast enough to capture all there was to see. 

I vowed to return when I could spend a couple of days there, trying out each public room to see which was the best for writing. 
I can't think of a more inspirational place to write an historical romance. I have one percolating in my mind. When I'm ready to write, I'll be scheduling another off-season excusion, for a longer stay, at the Red Lion Inn.

   We couldn't stay in Stockbridge without a visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum. What a place! It had zillions of his Saturday Evening Post covers, most organized by decade. What a fascinating visual history of our country and people! 

   We did a breeze-through because we had other places to go on this road trip. But I've earmarked it as a place I want to visit again. 

   The road trip to Stockbridge was fabulous. And traveling with Roz was the icing on the cake. Stay tuned for more about our next road trip. 

Thanks for stopping by!