Donna K Weaver: Where I Live and Why I Like It

My guest this week is one of the most supportive blogger/authors around. Donna Weaver is constantly promoting other writers and attending writer conferences to improve her own skills as a writer. A published writer of romance adventure novels, she's also honed her skills in another art--martial arts. She's a black belt in karate.

1.      Geographical Information:

Country:  USA

State or Province:  Utah

City or Town:  Orem

District within City or Town: N/A

Neighborhood: N/A

2.      Is there any place in your area that’s considered a pilgrimage site, such as a religious shrine? If so, have you been there? Calling the state a pilgrimage site might be a bit much, but this area was definitely a gathering place for early Mormon (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). I think there are probably more redheads here than I’ve ever seen anywhere else, simply because there are so many people of Scandinavian descent.

3.      Is there a site that has special meaning for you? Outside of my private religious feelings, I love the area because of the mountains. I’ve lived a lot of years in Sacramento. It’s a beautiful area, but relatively flat. It was easy to forget that there were foothills less than an hour away. Here, I can’t look outside and not see gorgeous mountains. As I write this, the fall colors are already coming on. *sigh*

4.      Is this where you were born and/or grew up? If not, how did you come to live here? I was a Navy brat. I started school in Seoul, South Korea. We also lived in the Philippines for two years. Between 8th & 11th grades, I went to four different schools. Then I joined the US Army and served in Germany. I’ve lived here longer than I’ve ever lived anywhere in my life.

5.      What do you like best about where you live? I think we have the best of both worlds. While the community has over 90,000 people, it doesn’t really feel like a big city. I like that, but I also like having amenities close by.

6.      Do you plan on living here the rest of your life? Probably not. When we retire in a few years, we’re tentatively planning on living close to my hubby’s brother and his wife. She prefers a community that isn’t quite a built out as this one. So, not quite small town enough for her.

7.      Do you have family in the area, or have you ventured out on your own? When we moved here 22 years ago, we ventured out on our own. Our two oldest kids have ranged quite far, one lives in China and the other in Hawaii. The three youngest are within half an hour though.

8.      Are you happy where you live? As long as I don’t get to fretting about some of the local psycho politics.

9.      For tourists, what would you recommend seeing?

• In the immediate area, there’s Sundance Ski Resort up Provo Canyon. And yes, Robert Redford owns it. We’ve even seen him when we’re up there. They open the ski lifts in the summer. If you want to mountain bike, you take your bike on the lift up and ride down. For us less brave souls, we ride the lift up and back down. This time of year, with the changing colors, is gorgeous. 

• There’s also the amazing Timpanogos caves or hiking the glacier on the back side of Timp.
• About twenty minutes from us is a huge dinosaur museum with hands-on exhibits for the kids. It’s at Thanksgiving Point, and they have some amazing gardens there. There’s also an amphitheater for outdoor performances. Last year we saw the amazing Piano Guys perform
• If you want to venture a little farther out, you can check out the Kennicott copper mines—this you can see from outer space.
• Get a little closer to Salt Lake City, and there are lots of historical and religious sites to see like Temple Square and This Is the Place Park. There’s also Hogle Zoo/
• If you travel a few hours south or southeast, you can visit Zions National Park or Moab where you can see the Arches National Park. This state is amazingly beautiful.

• Not quite that far south is Cedar City and the Shakespeare Festival. They won a Tony award one for their festival.

10.   What do you do for entertainment where you live? Sporting events, theater, concerts, so on and so forth. We like to watch movies, and there are lots of theaters. But there’s also live theater here as well. There’s the Hale Center Theater Orem, which does live theater in the round. Close and intimate an experience. Sundance has lives plays as does the SCERA Center for the Arts. There are also two major universities within about eight miles of each other, and they each offer both sporting events and cultural/artistic events. The Orem Owls (a minor league team feeding into the California Angels) has its home at Utah Valley University in Orem. If you’re into college sports, having two universities so close provides lots of games to watch.

11.   If you’re a writer, have you included where you live in the settings of any of your stories? If you’re a painter, have you painted any of your area’s features? I haven’t so far, but I will be with my next book which will be set here in Utah. The reason I chose it, though, is that it will be a small-town political thriller. I run my city’s elections, and I needed to know how things work. That meant taking advantage of my knowledge of state election law.

12.  Would you recommend others to move to where you live? Why? The economy is booming. American Express built a large facility in Salt Lake County because there are so many bilingual people here. And by bilingual I don’t mean a large group that speaks English and one other language. Because there are so many people here who have served internationally as LDS (Mormon) missionaries, they are able to get employees who are bilingual in a large number of languages. Adobe just built a large facility about fifteen minutes from here.

A lot of people come here to go to college, like it, and stay. That’s good and bad. Utah has one of the highest education levels in the country. It sometimes means the competition for jobs can be pretty intense. Fortunately, there are a lot of jobs right now.

Thanks again,

Richard

Thank you, Donna. It's been a pleasure learning about where you live. I've been to Utah--Zion National Park, and that was amazing--but that's it. Maybe someday I can make it to Orem. Please visit Donna at Donna K Weaver.

Denise Covey: Where I Live and Why I Like It

My guest today is a world traveler if there ever was one. Denise Covey is often on the go to foreign countries. Her blog posts about her travels are always entertaining. With over seven hundred followers, I'm not the only one who enjoys her blog. Her posts, especially about writing, generate many comments. She definitely knows how to run a blog. So, here is some information from Denise about where she lives and what she likes about it.
My Place – Paradise in Australia.

Geographical Information:

Country: Australia

State: Queensland

City or Town: CITY – Brisbane. VILLAGE – Peregian Beach

Neighborhood: West End

  

1.     Is there any place in your area that’s considered a pilgrimage site, such as a religious shrine? 

The closest you get to a pilgrimage site in Queensland is the Suncorp Stadium just up the hill from my place. Here is where the mighty Bronco’s Rugby League team thrash all comers in gladiatorial contests. Another religious site is The ‘Gabba, where the mighty Aussie Cricket Team thrashes England in the Ashes test.

suncorp stadium

2.     Is this where you were born and/or grew up? If not, how did you come to live here?

I was born in Outback Queensland, but moved to the coast as a child. My parents chose the Sunshine Coast (100 kilometres north of Brisbane) and this is where I grew up. My husband and I built a large beach house at Peregian Beach when we settled down after travelling all over Australia. Now we work in Brisbane, so we live in the Big Smoke (as the city is referred to over here) and spend the odd weekend/holiday at the beach. Best of both worlds.

No problem finding a private beach at Peregian

I love the koalas in the trees near the beach house

3.      What do you like best about where you live?

We bought a Heritage property terrace about a year ago which we have renovated and finally found a home for all the antiques we’ve collected over the years. We love living in West End, which is an avant garde suburb, just across the Brisbane River from the inner city (where we used to live). West End is peopled with alternative-lifestyle characters, health shops, indie bookshops, street music and fresh-food markets—a heady mix—and just a five-minute walk from our door. We rarely use the car!

West End style

Markets along the Brisbane River

4.      Do you plan on living here the rest of your life?

Probably not. It suits us while I tutor English at the State Library of Queensland which is also close by. Our plan has always been to move back to Peregian Beach and live the bohemian lifestyle in between overseas’ trips…eventually.

One day I'll get back to my sunset-watching bench again

This says it all - Australia = Beach. Walking to Noosa National Park

5.      Do you have family in the area, or have you ventured out on your own?

All of our four children live in Queensland, which is always a bonus.

Peregian Beach at sunset...fishing. That is Coolum Beach township you can see - Peregian Village is over the dunes behind the fisherfolk

The people along the sand

All turn and look one way

They turn their back on the land

They look at the sea all day.

6.      For tourists, what would you recommend seeing?

Film and Television students along the river this morning

The Cultural Centre, which includes both a traditional and modern art gallery, a museum, the State Library, the Performing Arts Centre which puts on world-class theatre and plays, the South Bank which is a fantastic collection of restaurants of all persuasions, funky people exercising along the river, wonderful views of the city…I love My Place! And do take a CityCat up and down the Brisbane River. It is a fantastic thing to do, day and night. Plenty of neighbourhoods to explore along the way.

The Cultural Centre in the background. Here is a recent Night Noodle Market on the river

7.   If you’re a writer, have you included where you live in the settings of any of your stories?

I’ve set my first, unfinished novel in and around Noosa, which is an iconic beach community ten minutes from Peregian Beach. I’ve used Brisbane as a setting for some short stories (one a very recent post). Outback Queensland is great for setting tall tales of the bush as even though I’ve never lived there as a grown up, I’ve travelled the length and breadth of its vastness and feel a deep affinity. This is my favourite flash fiction on the outback I wrote a few years ago if you'd like to read it.

In Noosa, surfing is king

8.  Would you recommend others to move to where you live?

To me, this part of Queensland is paradise, but the pace would be too slow for a New Yorker, for example. The heat and beach make for a relaxed lifestyle. Most hyperactive Australians choose to live in Sydney, Melbourne or Canberra, all much more upbeat, or they escape to New York or London. But…if you like the lazy, laid-back lifestyle, rather than the crazy lifestyle, South-East Queensland is the place. Downside: it’s about 20+ hours in a plane to access the hubs of the world—Paris, London, New York.

Thanks for inviting me, Richard. It's been a pleasure to share a little of my life. So there you have it. My Place. Sure, travel is my passion, but I always return home.

Thank you, Denise, for allowing us to see where you live.

And please take a look at Denise's blog: Denise Covey

R. Mac Wheeler: Where I Live and Why I Like It

I've been following Mac for a couple of years now. He is both a prolific writer and prolific photographer. He's a fellow Floridian, though not a native Floridian as I am. I went to college in Tampa, so I know a smidgen about that area of the state, where he lives. Farther south than Jacksonville, the climate is a bit different, a bit more tropical, I'd say. And he takes full advantage of all the Gulf Coast has to offer.

1.      Geographical Information:

      Country: USA

      State or Province: Florida

      City or Town: Tampa

      District within City or Town: Seminole Heights

2.      Is there any place in your area that’s considered a pilgrimage site, such as a religious shrine? If so, have you been there?

Raymond James Stadium…home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I attended one game at the old Sombrero before they tore it down. But I like watching my games at home where the fridge is a few seconds away. We’re hoping Coach Lovie Smith can turn the Bucs around. Go Lovie!!

A good runner up would be Clearwater Beach. Definitely a pilgrimage site. Just see how the traffic backs up on the causeway.

3.      Is there a site that has special meaning for you?

Any place on the water…and Florida has lots of water. If you walk in a straight line for five minutes you’ll hit a river, swamp, lake, or bog. Come visit Florida WITH your camera with a spare battery. Bring bug spray if you aren’t going to hang on the beach.

4.      Is this where you were born and/or grew up? If not, how did you come to live here?

I’m from El Paso, Texas…a place I say is a great place to be from. Not to trash the old home town, but I don’t know what keeps people there. I returned for five months to help a family member in hospice, and between the heat and the dust storms….argh. I transferred to Tampa with GTE back in 1986 and have no plans to live anywhere else.

5.      What do you like best about where you live?

Paradise has something to do with it. Though the five hurricanes that came through in 2005 made me rethink my living here the rest of my life. But between the moderate climate, the parks, I can’t say you can beat the quality of life. No downhill skiing anywhere near, but with the way my blood has thinned since living down here, I doubt I’ll ever consider skiing again.

6.      Do you plan on living here the rest of your life?

You betcha

7.      Do you have family in the area, or have you ventured out on your own?

Not having family here was the hardest thing to adjust to. Harder on my wife. Doesn’t help she is a couch potato and hates to travel. Doesn’t get back to the Southwest much. So neither do I. (I do miss the open horizons and mountains.)

8.      Are you happy where you live?

You betcha. Gets a bit hot here July through September, so unless you get out on the water, you stay inside during that irksome stretch. (Spring last I ended up in the hospital dehydrated, ready to die. I carry a lot more water with me now.) But the other nine months are worth it. Going hiking in shorts and a golf shirt in January is nice. You’ll sweat even then. But sweating is healthy. (Carry water.)

9.      For tourists, what would you recommend seeing?

The tourist traps in Orlando, just an hour up I-4 from Tampa, are worth the trip by themselves. My wife and I had season tickets to Disney Word for a few years. Don’t get tired of the place. But there are county, state, and national parks every fifty feet in Florida. It is a sportsman’s paradise. Louisiana uses that tag, but it really belongs to Florida. We have a lot more than bayous. Did I mention beaches? There’s also Busch Gardens, the Amphitheater, Lowery Park, the Aquarium, cruise ships, Westshore Balustrade…. If you’re into any water sport, get your gig on.

10.   What do you do for entertainment where you live? Sporting events, theater, concerts, so on and so forth.

Were’ talking FLORIDA. Not just parks, but theater, symphony, Buccaneers, Rays, Bolts, Rowdies and Storm. Did I mention beaches? The water?

11.   If you’re a writer, have you included where you live in the settings of any of your stories? If you’re a painter, have you painted any of your area’s features?

Tampa is a key locale in all of my novels. The main characters are at least from Tampa, whether they’re scientists in a post-apocalyptic, a teen in a vampire or werewolf noir.  

12.  Would you recommend others to move to where you live? Why?

No!!! I don’t want anyone moving here. The area is expanding with too many people anyway. But bring your vacation dollars.

You can visit Mac at his website r mac wheeler and see his awesome lineup of books he's written and more photos than you can point a camera at..

Thanks for stopping by, Mac.

Alex J. Cavanaugh: Where I live and why I like it.

My guest this week is the up-and-coming science fiction novelist Alex J. Cavanaugh. I've been following Alex's blog since I first began blogging and I've seen his accomplishments and awards constantly grow since that time. Known as Ninja Captain, his blog has a huge following. One of his most respected qualities is that he constantly promotes other writers. His blog is entertaining. I'm fortunate to have him here to tell us more about himself.

Ninja Captain playing in the sand.

Geographical Information:

Carolinas, USA

Is there any place in your area that’s considered a pilgrimage site, such as a religious shrine? If so, have you been there?

You mean outside of my church? Can’t think of any. Unless I count the shrine of guitars in my office…

Is there a site that has special meaning for you?

My office full of guitars?

Which one do you like better?

Is this where you were born and/or grew up? If not, how did you come to live here?

Definitely not! I’m a military brat, so I’ve lived all over. My current job brought me to this city.

What do you like best about where you live?

It’s the South, so it conservative, which I like. I live about halfway in between mountains and the beach, so easy access to both, which is cool.

Do you plan on living here the rest of your life?

Probably not in this city. Not sure where I’ll retire. (I’ve about ten-twelve years to decide.)

Do you have family in the area, or have you ventured out on your own?

Between college and my job, I’ve moved away from close family. I do have my wife though!

Are you happy where you live?

Yes!

Alex happily playing a guitar.

For tourists, what would you recommend seeing?

Go to the beach. Preferably not during a hurricane though.

What do you do for entertainment where you live? Sporting events, theater, concerts, so on and so forth.

We do have minor league baseball. And professional hockey not too far away. Plus concerts. Otherwise, I spend a lot of time at the movie theater. (Yeah, I live wild life, don’t I?)

If you’re a writer, have you included where you live in the settings of any of your stories?

Not unless my city is suddenly teleported to another planet…

Would you recommend others to move to where you live? Why?

Sure! It’s a big city, so something for everyone. And as I said, only a couple hours from both beach and mountains.

Thanks, Richard! 

Alex J. Cavanaugh

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh    

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.

Look for Alex's books at a bookstore near you.

Thank you, Alex for this glimpse into your life and where you live. You can visit and/or follow Alex at his blog: Alex J Cavanaugh which is always full of information, and some of it is 'out of this world.'

What I Like About Where I Live

Through blogging and other internet activity, I 'know' many people whom I would like to know better. One day I came up with the idea of having guest posts by my national and international internet friends about where they live.

Where we live, what we like about it, with whom we live, what we like to do for recreation, so on and so forth, tells us a lot about ourselves.

The response to the initial invitations has been excellent. I've already got several people lined up for guest posts. (If I've invited you and you responded 'yes' but haven't heard from me, then I didn't receive your answer. Please resend it.)

I hope that through these guest posts we all get to know each other a little better. And don't be surprised if one day you receive a request from me to tell us about where you live and what you like about it.

My first guest post will be on July 7th.