Denmark and Peach Rings

My friend Tina used to live just down the road. I’d go by and she’d let my kids jump on her trampoline with the sprinklers on, or she’d let my buy fresh chicken eggs from her, or we’d just visit. So lovely. Now she has up and moved about 3 hours away. I only get to see her a couple of times a year and it’s truly a bummer! I guess it’s situations like these that make me appreciate the beauty of Facebook and email. It’s hard to keep in touch with our favorite people otherwise. Now, with the onslaught (I’ll call it that) of social media, good friends are as close as our laptop screens.

About 4 years or so ago, Tina called me up out of the blue. We’d never met, but she’d heard I love to write and had published a couple of books and she invited me to join her writers group, ANWA (American Night Writers Association). About that time, I got an email from my then-publisher telling me I should seek out ANWA and join. Perfect timing. I did–and I’ve never been sorry. What a great peer network. Lovely women, good laughs, so many things I’ve learned–I can’t count them all.

Tina has been writing all kinds of fun things, from stories of pioneers crossing the Atlantic onboard ships to missionary mishaps to middle-aged fairies. She’s got a wicked wit. She has a trippy blog. It’s always fun to read what she’s writing. She’s got some Danish blood, and she and her sister (Shirley, I think?) have traveled to Denmark to seek out family and to see the home of their ancestors.

Now she’s written a fun guide about how to see Denmark. It’s less of a text-booky style book (I have a hard time imagining Tina being dull in any situation) and more of an upbeat travel companion.

I caught up with Tina this week and asked her a few questions about her latest book.

Why did you write a travel book?

My book has two purposes. I wanted to entertain readers with some of my experiences, and I wanted to share things that I learned about being prepared when traveling. I also rate the places we stayed at and the sites we visited, so I guess that’s three purposes.

Why should a person buy your book instead of a more popular travel guide?

Surviving Denmark isn’t intended to replace books like, The Rough Guide to Denmark. I wrote it as a personal accompaniment. The Rough Guide is full of useful information, but there are hundreds of places listed, and all un-objectively. It’s like reading a textbook, and because none of the places are rated, it’s hard for a novice to know which sites to choose for a vacation.

What if I’m going on vacation somewhere other than Denmark?

I believe that many of the travel tips in my book can be used for any vacation. Some, of course are specific to Europe.

The economy is pretty tight right now. What if readers can’t go on an expensive vacation?

Because of the travel experiences and the pictures included, I think readers will enjoy my book even if they aren’t traveling to Denmark or Europe. Plus, I’ve heard that cyber-vacations are becoming more popular these days.

How did you choose the title (which I love, by the way)?

I wanted a fun title for several reasons. First off, I think it mirrors the tone of the book pretty well. Second, I really did survive on peach rings for a while that first trip (as I mention in the book). Third, I didn’t want potential readers to think I was competing with the Rough Guide to Denmark–wich has a combination of several travel authors’ input. My book is part travelogue, and part travel guide. I tried to write it in a fun and easy to read way, and not like a textbook.

There you have it, dear readers, the scoop on Tina’s travel book. I’ve already downloaded it and it’s in the queue of things to read soon! If you want to read it too, here’s the link:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Surviving+Denmark+on+a+bag+of+peach+rings

(I bet when I read it I’ll be craving peach rings the whole time.)