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One Small Step

If you’ve seen my New Year’s Day post, you know that I’ve decided to take my travel addiction and my writing compulsion and combine them into a career.  Am I crazy?  Probably.  Am I going through with it?  Absolutely.

Yesterday I informed my boss that I’m taking a one year leave of absence, starting next school year.  This was a big step.  Since then, I’ve been waffling back and forth between over-the-moon excited and under-the-covers horrified.

I mean really–who does this?  Who leaves a perfectly good, moderately-paying job for an entire year to try to ‘make it as a writer’?  The answer?  I do.

I realize I’ve been rather vague with descriptions of the book I’m working on, but since I’m out of the one-year-leave-taking closet, I might as well out the book idea as well.  Clearly it is travel-related, or else I would not be posting it here.  So without further ado…

I am going to write destination-specific travel books that help parents make every aspect of each particular destination an educational experience for their children.  Book One–Walt Disney World.

I have a plan, of course.  I wouldn’t be me without a plan.  I’ve been saving up to do this, so we won’t lose the house.  In fact, we will live exactly as we have been for exactly the one year I’m taking off.  I’m also following all of the book publishing rules.  I’ve been working on the book proposal for over a month now, and have begun working on my ‘platform’ which, apparently, is something all authors must have before they become authors.  To help me out with this goal, please visit the website I’ve managed to create at www.tracyantonioli.com and/or tell all of your friends to read this blog.  I have several back-up travel writing plans if this book idea does not pan out.  Finally, and most importantly, starting at the end of June, I’ll have 14 months to make the dream a reality.  If it doesn’t work out, well, I’ll have at least spent a year and two months working my butt off trying.

If I’m going to regret something, I’d rather it be something that I did–not something that I didn’t do.

Wish me luck!