Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Travel: The Difference between Sightseeing and Sight Thinking

May 30, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 7 Comments

Nomads-cover-photo-copy — Photo credit: http://www.internationalnomads.com/

Travel means different things to different people; from relaxing on a beach to sight-seeing, to shopping for souvenirs, but what fascinates me are questions such as:

How much of it are we really absorbing?
How much do we really see?
How much do we really understand about the culture around us?

At a recent TED-x conference at UCI (University of California, Irvine,) the focus was on the “global perspective” of travel and what it truly means to travel. The audience was challenged to think about the “global perspective” of travel.

I believe there is a shift in the way we view travel today, and this shift is happening with the millennials, and spreading to the boomer generation; their parents.

The main difference with young people who travel, is that they do so

without a plan
travel frugally
are entrepreneurs
savvy with social media
enter contests
get media attention

Graham Michael Freeman, a 24-year-old UCI graduate student, decided to go backpacking around the world for six months. He, and a couple of friends, literally spun the globe and pointed a finger, and wherever it landed, they decided to go.

During his TED-xUCIrvine talk, Graham emphasized the importance of:

“Giving yourself the freedom to discover new things along the way. Forget all the rules. Eat with your hands. Direction over destination.”

Many young people today combine their desire for understanding the “global perspective” with the entrepreneur spirit. After traveling to countries such as Thailand, China and India, lived in a Maasai village in Kenya and swimming with great white sharks in South Africa, where Graham is originally from, they started a website Nomads In Touch, as a means to share their experiences with the world as they trekked through the world.

As with many travel bloggers today, social media is key for those who want to keep traveling and turn their passion for travel into a profession.

I think our youth have a great perspective on travel, and I believe we can learn from them. Here’s what Graham said.

“I want people to take that step back. To fully immerse yourself. Checking your expectations and comfort level at the door and putting yourself in a situation in life and experiencing it completely. Putting yourself in situations where you’re not just rushing from landmark to landmark or doing what you normally consider to be a vacation but allowing yourself to fully immersing yourself into a culture.”

Travel is no longer just about sightseeing, but about sight-thinking.

It’s easy to say, “Well Graham is young. He can take as much time off as he wants, that’s not my case with a job.” And perhaps you’re right, but as I say when I speak about “Gutsy Living,” there are always options in life, and we can always find an excuse to postpone our dreams.

So here’s what I’ve done in the last few days to satisfy my desire to learn about a new culture.

I signed up with Vaughan Town, to volunteer for 10 days in Spain. They pay for my hotel and in exchange, I help Spanish business people practice their English and as a bonus, I learn about the Spanish culture.

I Skyped memoir writer, Janet Givens, whom I met via Kathy Pooler’s blog interview, and asked her about her experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan with her husband. She shared some helpful tips about the Peace Corps website and her two year experience. Another one of my strong “Gutsy” goals in life.

What about you? Do you have a desire to immerse yourself in other cultures for a while, or does travel mean something else to you? Please comment below.

Stop by Monday June 3rd, to read our first My Gutsy Story®

of Anthology #2

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

NOW is the time to submit your “My Gutsy Story®.” Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

3 Quick Videos from Paris and Copenhagen

May 27, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 12 Comments

11-100_1157 — Pain au chocolat for you to enjoy

Since most of us are at home on this Memorial Day, I thought I would share some quick videos from my trip to Paris and Copenhagen. I took these a few days ago.

Shopping at a market in the suburbs of Paris.

A typical French metro with accordion player and a view of the Eiffel Tower on my way to The American Library in Paris.

Happy Danes dancing on the pedestrian street in Copenhagen, A gold statue of a real person, and biking is a way of life in Denmark.

Paris, Musée du Parfum and Luxury Shopping

May 23, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 11 Comments

08-100_1154 — Galleries Lafayette Department Store

Everything in Paris is a mixture of style, luxury, perfume, great food and cigarette smokers.

There is of course history in each building and the department store, Galleries Lafayette (more photos) is no exception.

10-100_1156 — Galleries Lafayette, View of all the floors and the famous dome

Purchased in 1896, the beautiful glass and steel dome was designed by architect, Georges Chedanne and his pupil Ferdinand Chanut and finished in 1912.

Only in Paris will you find a museum that covers the history of perfume. I discovered the “Musée du Parfum” also known as the Fragonard Musée du Parfum. This museum was created in 1983 by the Fragonard perfume company within a Napoleon III town-house (built 1860.) I was not allowed to take photos inside the museum, however, here is a photo of the orgue à parfum (perfume organ) with tiers of ingredient bottles arranged around a balance used to mix fragrances.

Perfume Organ Photo credit

The museum sells perfumes and is located close to the Place de L’Opéra.

As you can see, we’re wearing winter coats in May 2013.

Place de l’Opéra

Another view of Place de L'Opera. — Another view of Place de l’Opéra

And finally the beautiful upscale store “Printemps.” I have never seen so many Chinese tourists buying Luis Vuitton, Chanel and other luxury goods. At the Chanel store, a rope blocked the entrance, and the women were only allowed to go in two at a time. The look of anticipation on their faces reminded me of kids waiting for their favorite ride at Disneyland. I heard it’s the same at Harrods in London.

Do you like shopping at luxury stores? I don’t feel comfortable in this type of environment.

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

NOW is the time to submit your “My Gutsy Story®.” Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

We are now collecting “MY GUTSY STORY®” Submissions

For Anthology #2

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

How to Choose a Book Cover That Sells

May 20, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 20 Comments

How do you choose a book cover that appeals to your readers?

After much thought, a poll, and discussions with 1106 design company, here’s why I decided the above “My Gutsy Story®” Anthology is the right cover for the first and subsequent series.

The #1 reason to have a great book cover is to grab people’s attention.

A book cover has to cause an immediate reaction within a potential reader; either interest, intrigue or familiarity with the author, and in order to do this, certain “rules” apply.

I’m not a book cover designer which is why I believe in learning as much as I can about this topic, before leaving the task in the hands of those who do it for a living. From what I’ve read on Joel Friedlander’s informative blog: The Book Designer, authors need to think about the following aspects when determining the best covers for their books.

Initial Emotional Response
Genre
Title-Font
Sub-Title
Color-Scheme
Layout
Brand(ing)
Series

Name recognition is important to authors with a large fan base. They are a “brand” and often have a series of books with a similar design or font. Readers subconsciously tune into the author’s brand. I’m sure you’ve noticed how a particular font, color scheme or logo is associated with a specific author or series. Take for example, Nicholas Sparks. All of his books have the same concept with his name in the exact same bold font, with the title underneath. This is enclosed within a box.

Nicholas Sparks — Notice the box with name and title on all his books.

Another example of a series is the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series. The font used for the title is the same on all their books. You instantly recognize their brand.

Chicken soup for the Soul cover — Same Title Font on each book. (Brand)

So I decided to take a poll to the public, listen to the pros and cons, and then make a sound decision. I polled other authors on our Facebook Group: Gutsy Indie Publishers, which any indie author is welcome to join. I also polled readers on my Facebook Page: Gutsy Living, as well as other groups I belong to.

I showed two cover concepts based on my first book: Freeways to Flip-Flops: A Family’s Year of Gutsy Living on a Tropical Island, which I owe to 1106 Design, and which won the TheBookDesigner.com’s April e-Book Cover Design Award for Nonfiction.
I received in total around 80 comments on the covers

Here are some of the responses which I listened to and thought made sense. I went with my gut and with what the majority thought was the best. Of course not everyone agrees, but I’m happy that my friend Maggie Dodson from the UK, made the suggestions of reversing the yellow and white colors in the title, to make the “My Gutsy Story®” stand out, and anthology in white, and smaller.

Linda Austin Not fond of the harsh font on the #2, though it’s easier to read. Don’t think it fits the relaxed island look, or the heartfelt stories. For #1 cover, use a tad more space between the 2 lines to give more clarity for reading, and yes, make Anthology smaller. Then delete a butterfly because odd numbers are better.

Carol Bodensteiner I’m not a fan of having a lot of different type faces on one page. It feels scattered I like the feel of the My Gutsy Story type on #1, but the My Gutsy Story type on #2 is easier to read at a glance. I support making Anthology a lot smaller and letting My Gutsy Story carry the book. That’s the interesting part.

Lois Joy Hofmann I would limit it to fewer type faces. I like odd numbers of graphics, e.g. 5 butterflies are better than 4.

We are starting a new series of “My Gutsy Story®” in June, so if you’re interested in submitting, please click on the link.

What do you like to see in a book cover?

Winner of the May 2013 “My Gutsy Story®”

May 15, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 2 Comments

My Gutsy Story 1st place — Carol Bodensteiner WINNER

Congratulations to Carol Bodensteiner, winner of the May 2013, “My Gutsy Story®.” She wrote an inspiring story about giving up her career and following her passion. I love her phrase:

“It’s more important to be satisfied than to be successful.”

In 2nd Place, we have the wonderful “My Gutsy Story®” of Jason Matthews. Another motivating story by Jason who took a major risk, leaving his lucrative career as a paint contractor, and followed his passion to write.

In 3rd place we have the amazing story of Julia Prosser, written by her husband David Prosser. Julia passed away a few days before we posted his story, and she was true inspiration to many.