Blogging for Dummies

OK, after procrastinating too long, I decided to give blogging a try. I'm an author and everyone has been telling me to start a blog. I thought my web site was enough, but no. And since there are so few blogs out there, fewer than a billion I am told, this should be an easy way to get a lot of attention -- easier than, say, scaling the Chrysler Building with my bare hands.

So, who am I, and why would anyone want to read my blog? For about 20 years I've been a freelance journalist and writer. I've written for dozens of newspapers and magazines in the US and abroad, including the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Christian Science Monitor, Bicycling Magazine, and many others. Why read my blog? I'm too modest to tell you. Just follow along for a while and perhaps you'll answer the question for yourself.

Lately, I've turned my attention to writing books. Since I am able to write in my head while cycling it works out pretty well. (Though I do eventually have to download everything that's in my head onto my computer because I have yet to find a publisher willing to take my word for it.)

My first book, "Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride," was published in late 2007. It's the story of a young Boston mother (who happens to be my great-grandaunt) who became the world's first international female sports star when she circled the world by bicycle in 1894-5. There's an entire web site devoted to her story: http://www.annielondonderry.com. In addition to English (my native tongue), the book is being published in German and Korean, neither of which I can read or speak. My goal for the Korean edition is to ride my bike from Seoul to Pyongyang and hand deliver a copy to Kim Jong Il. The cycling in North Korea should be excellent because you don't have to share the roads with any cars.

My second book, published in April 2007 was a collaboration with Dr. Tom Graboys, a distinguished Boston cardiologist now battling Parkinson's disease and dementia. The book is a memoir of his illness: " Life in the Balance: A Physician's Memoir of Life, Love and Loss with Parkinson's Disease and Dementia."

My third book, also a collaboration, was written with Robert P. Smith. It will be published in early 2009: "Riches Among the Ruins: Adventures in the Dark Corners of the Global Economy." Ironically, I met Robert while researching my first book: he's a distant cousin whom I'd never met, but I wanted to know if he recalled any family stories about our common ancestor, Annie Londonderry.

So, what can you expect to find on this blog? Well, for one, I am going to reprise a few of my more popular columns and stories from the Boston Globe and a few other newspapers. How do I know they were popular? Because my kids liked them. I am also going to share some musings on the events of the day, on the ups and downs of the writer's life, and whatever else happens to pop into my mind. In short, at the beginning at least, I'm going to wing it and see what happens. Please bear with me while I figure out the ins and outs of blogging.