…well, at least through my research. I'd love to say I'm offto traverse the world in 80 days, but I'll be doing all of my traveling throughbooks.

Speaking of Around theWorld in 80 Days, did you know the famous Nellie Bly was the first to beatthat fictional record when she went around the world in 72 days, 6 hours and 11minutes? She started that journey in New Jersey on November 14th of1889 and returned on January 25th of 1890, having traveled almosttotally unescorted by steamboat and railroad (and burro!). It was a record that wouldn'tlast long, but the world followed her through cables she sent back to thepopular newspaper she worked for, The NewYork World. Her publisher even held a contest for readers to guess how longit would take for her to reach the next destination. The winner received a freetrip to Europe, and spending money as well.
An interesting side note is that Cosmopolitan heard about what Bly was doing and quickly sponsoredanother woman to beat the Jules Verne record. But while it took her 76 ½ days,beating the fictional record, she still came in behind Bly. Cosmo was fledgling in that day, justthree years old, but it's still circulating today, unlike The New York World whichstopped publication in 1931. There is some mystery as to whether or not Bisland,the Cosmo gal, was intentionally misled into believing she'd missed passage onone of the faster steamers out of London, when her publisher had paid thesteamship to wait for her. She ended up taking a slower boat back to New York, whileBly, coming from the opposite direction, was delayed two days due to a roughPacific crossing. She, too, had some help from the owner of her newspaper, onlythis help wasn't missed. He chartered a special train from San Francisco to NewJersey which, unlike Jules Verne's character, didn't run into delays along itsway by stampeding bison, dangerous bridges or wild Indians. She came straightthrough to fame, eventually heralded in NYC.
I don't know how anyone could not love history with storieslike that! And none of that is even going to make it into my next book. It'sjust an interesting sideline for me to visit as I start drawing the world mycharacters will inhabit.
Who knows where my whirlwind tour will take me? Although thecharacter I have in mind won't be a reporter, she will be a traveler of Bly'sfortitude. Will she go through India and have her hands tattooed with henna?Will she see some of the things Bly saw, like the leper colony in China and perhapspurchase a monkey somewhere along the way? Or will her journeys resemblePhileas Fogg's from the Verne tale? Through India on a railroad . . . and anelephant? Will there be rescues and adventure? Traveling the world must includesome of that! I have only to dive into some history and travel books to findout which unique adventures my character will experience.
And this is only the background!
No wonder I love writing. What other occupation can take meso many places without leaving the comfort of home? You'll have to excuse me, Ihave some adventures to dream about now . . .