Parisian Phoenix Publishing

About 20 years ago, I walked into a meeting of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group asking if anyone there had an interest in freelance journalism opportunities. I had recently accepted a position as managing editor of a start-up collection of weekly newspapers, The Lehigh Valley News Group. (There’s barely a trace of this effort by Berks-Mont Newspapers, owned by the Journal Register Company, to replace the ill-fated Morning Call Chronicles, but I have posted some of the pages that I laid out here.)

Now, we all know that memories may be faulty, but I remember sitting beside Rachel Thompson. After I made my spiel, she turned to me and told me she had no experience but she was interested.

And Rachel became my most dependable and hard-working freelance reporter.

Fifteen years ago, Rachel and her wife, Lisa Cross, left the Lehigh Valley in an RV. They planned to travel the country and find the next place they wanted to live. But then, they never left the RV.

Enter the growing popularity of the RV living and van life movement. Rachel and I have discussed releasing a book that combines her intimate knowledge and practical advice— written with people with no experience in mind— with rich travel writing.

And we’re almost there.

We’ve been talking about Motorhome Gypsies: Practical RV Living Advice and Real World Adventures for several months now, but here’s the final cover: