Read what the author and Florida travel expert has to say about her favorite Florida getaways
Today, Norm Goldman, editor of Sketchandtravel & Bookpleasures, is pleased to have travel writer and author Chelle Koster Walton as a guest.
Chelle is an expert on Florida, particularly the west coast of Florida, having contributed articles to the Miami Herald, National Geographic Traveler, Caribbean Travel & Life, FamilyFun, Fodor’s Healthy Escapes, Fodor’s Gold Guides: Florida and Bahamas. She is also a travel editor for the Times of the Islands and a food reviewer for Naples Illustrated.
Chelle has also written:
Great Destinations, Sarasota, Sanibel Island and Naples Book (Countryman Press):
Tampa Bay and West Coast Florida Adventure Guide (Hunter Publishing):
Family Fun in Florida (Globe-Pequot):
American Guide Florida Compass
Good morning Chelle and thank you for agreeing to participate in our interview.
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When did your passion for travel writing begin? What has kept you going?
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I did my first travel writing around fourth grade. My family were avid road travelers and my mother encouraged me to keep a journal, something to keep me quiet and avoid fighting with my three brothers in the backseat of the Ford.
As a career, I started about 20 years ago to support my travel habit. Now it’s in my blood. I can’t take a family vacation without taking notes and collecting brochures. I love the way writing about travel makes me know/discover the bowels of a destination, the soul of its people.
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Why did you choose Florida as your area of expertise?
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In fact, I started writing about the Caribbean. Florida was a natural, because that’s where I moved to 25 years ago and there’s a huge demand for prints. Once I did my first guide I became more of an “expert” and now the task offers quite a bit of unsolicited fluency.
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If you had to name 5 of the most exclusive romantic and/or wedding destinations in Florida, which ones would you choose and why?
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I’m an island junkie so I’m biased that way.
*Sanibel Island remains my favorite and extremely romantic island/destination with its undeveloped natural beaches and relative non-commercialism. Sunsets, sea, sand, all that.
* Palm Island, off the coast of Charlotte County, remains secretive and isolated because it’s only accessible by boat. It is a resort that occupies a long island with a state park on the other end. Very Robinson Crusoe.
*Little Palm Island in the Keys is another one only accessible by boat and tailor made for romance with these large Balinese style cabanas, outdoor showers, screened canopy and tiny key deer roaming the land.
* Amelia Island, near Jacksonville, almost to Georgia, has long stretches of beach, secluded resorts, and charming B&Bs in its Victorian port city, Fernandina Beach. Great restaurants, a historic fort, kayaking, lots to do.
* I love the Panhandle, and the Seaside area, with its carefully developed new urban style resort communities, is beautiful: great white dunes and emerald seas.
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In the last year or so, have you seen any changes in the way publishers publish and/or distribute books and publish articles? Are emerging trends developing?
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I’m bad that way. I write my book, hand it over to my publisher, and stay out of it. I don’t like the sales end of things, so I stick my head in a hole when it comes to that. An emerging trend that has benefited me is the use of first-hand, signed travel writing by specialty publishers—publishers who make magazines, guidebooks, and websites for tourism organizations. Instead of fluff brochures, they want real, experimental, critical, and armchair travel pieces. Refreshing.
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Who are your favorite authors and why do they inspire you?
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Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Her Gift From the Sea (written, I discovered it years after I first read it and when I moved here on the island of Captiva just to the north) makes me stretch my travel writing to a new level .
Barbara Kingsolver: Again, when I read it, my narrative naturally improves.
Carl Hiassen: I love his sense of humor and straightness. He would read it even if he wasn’t a writer from Florida.
John Steinbeck: Travels with Charley is the definitive travel book.
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Since there doesn’t seem to be any authoritative standard for guide authors or publishers, how do you know if a guide is up to scratch? How is authorial competence verified?
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As a co-founder of GuideBookWriters.Com and a member of SATW, I know most of the best guidebook authors. Our website was designed so that only competent and up-to-date authors are included. We carefully screen candidates who are truly experts in their field. I rarely use a Fodor’s or Frommer’s whose author I don’t know, for example, because I know what they pay for. Low pay doesn’t always mean shoddy reporting (I write for Fodor’s, after all), but it encourages it. Certain titles like Lonely Planet and Moon usually equate to quality, but even they are succumbing to economic pressures.
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Do you recommend other travel writers who find a niche or specialty? What have been the rewards for you?
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You have to find a niche. It doesn’t just focus you, it defines you to publishers. The niche can be geographical, like mine, or thematic. I know a writer who specializes, for example, in trips to volcanoes and eclipses. My niche in Florida and the Caribbean allows me wide latitude in topics from family travel, food and culture (my favorites) to adventure, romance, environment, history, etc. Choosing a niche subject matter, like the volcano guy, allows you to travel more roundly, but since I have a son, for now I enjoy traveling close to home and with my family when possible.
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What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while writing your guides? How did you overcome these challenges?
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The biggest challenge is the main tedium of detail work: fact checking. I often hire an assistant to help me with that.
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How have you used the Internet to further your writing career?
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It’s an irreplaceable investigative tool, I don’t know how I managed without it in the early years. I have a small and modest website, mainly so that when editors or travel providers want clips and background, I can send them there.
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Is there anything else you want to add to our interview?
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Yes, buy my books! :>)
Thanks once again Chelle and good luck with all your future endeavours.
About The Author
