Novelist, blogger at www.flybynightpress.com, and lover of world travel and cultural immersion.
Nobody is really sure how things got so out of control that night. Who is to blame is a moot question. Assigning guilt would imply that there was premeditation or gross negligence involved. It was more an accident than anything else. ‘Who was liable?’ is probably the right question to ask as I reflect back … More What Happens in Barcelona…
Recently St. Michael’s golden domed monastery in the old city of Kyiv, Ukraine celebrated the nine hundredth year anniversary of its founding. That’s pretty darn old! So you’d forgive me if I made the mistake of planning this beautiful cathedral and the ancient complex surrounding it as a setting in my new novel, From the … More Kyiv’s Disappearing Cathedral
Many people these days keep a smartphone in their back pants pocket for quick, indiscriminate selfies. Me? I keep a compact writing book, secured by a black elastic band, in my pocket to record the impressions and emotions I experience when visiting a place. A picture may be worth a thousand words…but are they the … More A Writer’s Block (Pocket Sized)
We want to inspire you to leave the smart phone at home, turn off the GPS navigation system, stop checking for new Facebook posts and get out and enjoy the wonders of this world and experience your life by getting lost and then finding a new way home. Get outside your comfort zone by jumping … More Get Lost!
Halfway down the mountain, some of us rested. Some called it a day and took off their packs and boots for the evening. Others simply waved as they continued to the valley floor to find their beds, too weary to stop, too weary to sit. The descent of the west side of the mountain was … More A Walk Across Spain
By Val Karren Every year in the midsummer week, I take my wife away on a romantic getaway to commemorate our wedding anniversary. While Europe has a long list of exciting destinations with fascinating history and inspiring works of art and architecture, they are also filled with lots and lots of people. Our modern, hyperconnected … More 5 Most Romantic Getaway Ideas in Europe – Get Lost! In Love…
By Val Karren As I prepared to start writing my second novel, I travelled to Sicily to listen to Italians speak Italian, with everything but their voices. I don’t speak Italian, (well at least not that fast), and so I listened and observed carefully while in those locations that I had selected for settings in … More Learning to Eat Like an Italian
By Val Karren “Don’t throw the bread!” On most days I would support the argument that throwing bread is a bad thing. It could get dropped, land in the mud, and be wasted. On this day though, I wasn’t the one throwing the bread…I was the one catching it. It had been three days since … More Modern Memories in Kyiv, Ukraine
The Deceit of Riches will be available as a FREE Kindle download May 1st-5th. Get your copy HERE.
by Christine Karren One of the great joys of travelling is the exploration of other cultures by way of their food. Countless cookbooks have been written detailing the culinary delights of various national kitchens, not the least of which was Julia Child’s The Joy of French Cooking, which influenced the world and even made its … More Local Flavors – Travel Through Taste
