As a seasoned aspirer, I really like it when I can accomplish two goals at once or, as the old saying goes, "kill two birds with one stone." Traveling to new places is the first bird. This coming Thursday, I will do just that as I go on a road trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, to attend a Writer's Digest Intensive. I will be traveling through several states, including Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio on the trip out and Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas on the trip home. With the exception of Trimble, Missouri, and a tiny bit of Kansas City, that state and all the others mentioned are new ground for me. Travel has been one of those activities I have put off until "next year" for decades. A year ago, travel became a reality with a road trip to California and my first trip to the Pacific Ocean. With this trip, I am continuing the the quest to see more of our country. 

The second bird and major reason for this trip is to attend the Writer's Digest Intensive on September 11 and 12. The first day, Saturday, will be devoted to presentations on marketing. Chuck Sambuchino, editor of Guide to Literary Agents will be speaking on queries and agents. Jane Friedman, publisher and editorial director for Writer's Digest, will discuss  using digital media in various ways, including networking, website building, and blogging. On Sunday, I'll have a thirty-minute one-on-one session with a WD editor to discuss the first fifty pages of my novel, The Rune-Master (women's fiction, suspense) with an eye toward what I need to do to make the book market ready. I am preparing for this trip by reading the presenters' blogs and making a list of questions to ask.

I will be taking my laptop and blogging about my experiences as I go, so check back for first-hand reports from the travel/marketing front on such exciting topics as "Have Bed Bugs Really Taken Over the Hotels and Motels of Middle America?" and "How I Learned to Tweet as Well as Tweety Bird."