| Today Norm Goldman, Editor of sketchandtravel and | | | | matter & although as the magazine grew, it was |
| bookpleasures is honored to have as a guest, the | | | | not as flexible and involved a lot of travel, which was |
| nationally published newspaper columnist and author, | | | | harder to manage with a family. |
| Cindy LaFerle. Cindy recently published a book | | | | But during the nearly 6 years I worked for Innsider, I |
| entitled, Writing Home, a collection of essays focusing | | | | got a chance to see MANY wonderful historic places |
| on home, family and motherhood. | | | | in this country, and I learned so much. Travel is |
| Cindy was at one time editor of a national travel | | | | essential, I believe, for every writer, no matter what |
| magazine, the Innsider that focused on country inns, | | | | genre they prefer. |
| B&Bs, and small historic hotels in the USA. | | | | And, as corny and clichéd as it sounds here, I |
| She was also responsible for helping Uncle | | | | also learned there´s no place like home. Travel |
| Ben´s (the rice company) launch its annual | | | | broadens your perspective and also teaches you to |
| Best Country Inns award. | | | | be grateful for what you have. Traveling down south |
| Good day Cindy and thank you for agreeing to | | | | for the magazine, for example, we often drove |
| participate in our interview. | | | | through some very economically depressed areas en |
| Norm: | | | | route to the historic inns and Civil War battlegrounds |
| You indicated to me that the Innsider magazine set a | | | | we were going to cover and photograph. Things like |
| standard of quality for smaller inns and B&Bs. | | | | that stay with you, sometimes even morethan the |
| Please explain. | | | | beauty you find on the way. |
| Cindy: | | | | Norm: |
| Back in the early 1980s, when Innsider was newly | | | | Could you tell us something about your recently |
| launched, smaller historic inns and B&Bs were | | | | published book, Writing Home, and why you wanted |
| relatively new to the average American traveler. | | | | to write the book. |
| They´d been popular for many years in | | | | Cindy: |
| Europe, as you know, Norm, but most Americans | | | | After Innsider folded due to lack of ad revenue I |
| were not as comfortable with the idea of staying in | | | | decided towork from home and spend more time |
| small inn or B&B 20 years ago. The old term | | | | with my son, who was barely 6 and growing up way |
| guest house had negative, seedy connotations and in | | | | too fast. I didn´t want to miss any of that, so |
| some cases, that reputation was justified. Those little | | | | I managed to get some freelance jobs writing for |
| "Mom and Pop" guest houses weren´t typically | | | | local papers as well as national magazines. |
| AAA rated or listed in guidebooks back then, and | | | | That´s when I found I had a knack for writing |
| sometimes there was a very good reason for that. | | | | personal essays and |
| That old reputation was hard for the GOOD | | | | "slice of life newspaper columns. I found a |
| B&Bs and country inns to conquer at first, since | | | | comfortable niche for myself in that genre. Writing |
| the average traveler was more comfortable at, say, | | | | Home is a collection of those short pieces. While they |
| a Holiday Inn. | | | | are personal essays, they all chronicle some of the |
| Even so, charming B&Bs and country inns were | | | | universal themes that touch many of us learning how |
| indeed catching on with sophisticated travelers who | | | | to let go of children as they grow up; learning how |
| were familiar with the smaller inns of Europe --but | | | | to be a family; watching parents age and die; dealing |
| those travelers really had to work hard to research | | | | with midlife crisis in the meantime....One reporter said |
| the quality of American B&Bs/country inns. | | | | my pieces were aboutfinding the sacred in the |
| There weren´t as many inn guidebooks back | | | | suburban, and I think that´s a good way to |
| then, either, although COUNTRY INNS & BACK | | | | explain my stuff and my new book. |
| ROADS, by Norm Simpson, were in printand highly | | | | Norm: |
| regarded. | | | | What makes a good journalist, and do you find that |
| That´s where Innsider came into play. We | | | | today a great deal of journalism is pure and simple |
| didn´t establish ratingsper se, but we sought | | | | sensationalism. |
| out the BEST places we could find, featuring only | | | | Cindy: |
| those that were clean, well-run, attractive and | | | | I am really saddened at what has happened with |
| historically interesting. We didn´t feature | | | | journalism today. |
| anything that was sub-standard and therefore set | | | | Yes, I do think a lot of what´s sold as "news" |
| the bar high for other small inns that wanted to | | | | is often sensationalized to the point where average |
| attract business. We also worked with professional | | | | readers no longer trust what they read anymore. |
| inn organizations to improve and help standardize the | | | | Readers often tell me that newspapers, for the most |
| quality of these small inns -- without sacrificing the | | | | part, are very depressing -- and that the top stories |
| personality and uniqueness that make them so | | | | make them lose faith in our world. A lot of |
| special. As editor of Innsider, I attended with my | | | | front-page news makes people feel angry and |
| staff many conferences for small innkeepers and | | | | hopeless. Bad news seems to inspire more bad news, |
| spoke about what made a first-class B&b or | | | | but that is what "sells" papers. |
| country inn. It was great fun. | | | | I have tried, at various times, to pitch hopeful stories |
| Norm: | | | | to various editors because I think there are MANY |
| You also mentioned that you worked as a free lance | | | | wonderful things going on in our communities that |
| inspector for | | | | don´t get press. But you know what? I have |
| Michigan´s Lake Bed & Breakfast | | | | been told that people don´t really want to |
| Association. What did you exactly do and perhaps | | | | read good news, and that good news doesn´t |
| you can elaborate as to what are the ingredients | | | | sell papers. How else can we explain the success of |
| required to have a top quality B&B. | | | | those awful, cheesy tabloids that sell like hotcakes in |
| Cindy: | | | | the grocery store checkout lines, for example? |
| This association was founded to promote high | | | | That said, Norm, I want to point out there are a few |
| standards for | | | | papers that are as objective as humanly possible, run |
| Michigan´s smaller inns, and I was asked to | | | | by editors who believe in the dignity of the world |
| help establish those. I was part of a small team who | | | | and the intelligence of their readers. The Christian |
| were to inspect the member inns. We looked for | | | | Science Monitor is one such paper. (I am not |
| things such as overall cleanliness in the common | | | | employed by them, but I have published several |
| rooms and baths; amenities such as tissues, fresh | | | | pieces in the CSM). It continues to be well-regarded |
| sheets, good lighting for reading, and so on. We | | | | by readers andother journalists who aim high. |
| made sure that kitchens were exceptionally clean and | | | | Norm: |
| that breakfasts offered were substantial and/or | | | | What advice would you give to anyone who wishes |
| reflected was advertised. That sort of thing. We had | | | | to pursue a career in journalism or travel writing? |
| PAGES of items to examine or discuss with the | | | | Cindy: |
| innkeepers on the inspection lists, so I could go on | | | | You have to be willing to write for smaller markets, |
| and on. It was all about quality and upgrading the | | | | just to getstarted. You won´t get into the |
| smaller inn for the comfort of guests. If the inn | | | | bigger magazines or newspaper right away, so you |
| didn´t pass inspection, it lost membership and | | | | need to focus on building a clip file published pieces |
| listing in the state guide. | | | | that show you can write and have a sense for what |
| Norm: | | | | makes a good travel piece. It takes time and |
| What is your idea of an ideal romantic inn or | | | | diligence, and a lot of writers give up because it is |
| B&B, and do you have any favorite romantic | | | | competitive and the pay isn´t so great. |
| inns or B&Bs? | | | | Sometimes you have to be pleased just to get |
| Cindy: | | | | abyline, which is sad but true. Budgets are being cut |
| That´s a tough question, but I think a | | | | right and left at newspapers these days, and the |
| romantic inn needs to beone-of-a-kind and superbly | | | | first things to be cut are the lifestyles pieces. |
| appointed it should be beautifully decorated and offer | | | | If you can put up with this situation and are willing to |
| a few special things you wouldn´t find in other | | | | pay yourdues and start small, you´ve got a |
| hotels or at home.... special touches like fancy sheets, | | | | chance. I got started in my local daily, with a circ of |
| larger and lovely bathrooms with good toiletries, | | | | less than 20,000, and eventually was able to publish |
| comfy chairs and space for reading and relaxing | | | | my work in Reader´s Digest and other national |
| together. | | | | publications. Keep at it -- and enjoy the process. Ask |
| An in-room fireplace is always nice. | | | | yourself if you really want to write, or you just want |
| Local color is important. The romantic inn should also | | | | to be published -- there´s a huge difference! |
| be locatednear a wonderful restaurant and other | | | | Norm: |
| attractions like good shopping or historic sites and | | | | When you write your various columns, what do you |
| recreational activities. I like to be located in a historic | | | | wish to achieve? |
| district, say, like Savannah or Charleston, in a | | | | Cindy: |
| gorgeous inn that´s within walking distance of | | | | I want to make a heartfelt connection to my |
| a town. | | | | readers. I want them to feel less alone as they try |
| Here in Michigan, there´s a secluded, charming | | | | to make sense of the very complicated lives we are |
| place called the | | | | all living &. If someone tells me that they related |
| Victorian Villa (Union City, Michigan). Staying there is | | | | to a piece I wrote, or that they felt like I was really |
| an experience in and of itself, even if you never | | | | telling their story well, then I have hit the mark and |
| leave the grounds. Everything is authentically | | | | done my job. |
| Victorian, exquisite and historic, including the building | | | | Norm: |
| itself. Innkeeper Ron Gibson stages Victorian theme | | | | Where do your ideas come from? |
| weekends and teas, including a Sherlock Holmes | | | | Cindy: |
| Mystery Weekend, which are seasonal and make ita | | | | Ideas come from everyday life, from paying |
| special occasion to stay there. It´s just | | | | attention to what is around me. I think all writers |
| beautiful and the rooms are large you are staying in a | | | | have to be, in a way, Zen masters. If you are not |
| mansion that feels like a Victorian home. | | | | focused on what is happening around you if |
| Norm: | | | | you´re always thinking about the next thing |
| How did you become a travel writer, and how did | | | | on your to-do list -- you are not going to write |
| your experience as a travel writer give you a | | | | anything that hitspeople where they live. |
| wonderful background for the kind of work you do | | | | Norm: |
| now? | | | | Would you like to add anything that we have not |
| Cindy: | | | | discussed? |
| I started out (some 20 years ago) as a freelance | | | | Cindy: |
| features writer for my local paper, and had written a | | | | Thank you for asking me to participate here, Norm. |
| few stories about B&Bs (because I´d | | | | It´s very important for writers to share their |
| always stayed in them and enjoyed them). The | | | | experiences and help each other along the way. I |
| photographer, who was newly hired to work for | | | | appreciate this opportunity. |
| Innsider, approached me and told me that the | | | | Norm: |
| publisher was lookingfor an editor who had some | | | | Thanks once again Cindy for participating in our |
| knowledge of B&Bs/small inns and could work | | | | interview and good luck in all of your future |
| part-time as editor-in-chief. My son was a baby then, | | | | endeavors. |
| so the flexibility appealed to me, as did the subject | | | | |