Bitten by The Travel Bug!

 

By: Marcia King-Gamble  

www.lovemarcia.com

One of my first jobs ever was that of an international flight attendant. It was the perfect job for a young single with no ties.  Back then, being a flight attendant was a coveted position, and came with some prestige. You had to be the best of the best in many areas.  The airline that hired me required me to have a second language. Please don’t ask me mine. It now has gone the way of the spinning wheel.    

In any case, my life has been one travel adventure after another. I left the airline business and entered the cruise industry. Some people acquire things, I acquire travel experiences, and while intangible it’s money well spent.

Few people can say they cruised the Nile, saw The Pyramids and visited King Tuts tomb. What about a trip to the Taj Mahal on a brutally hot day? Memories of St. Petersburg,  Russia are now mine to keep.

Years ago, going to places like Hong Kong and Bangkok were long weekend trips. New Zealand is a place still near and dear to my heart and makes the top ten list of my favorite places to return. It’s a place I think I can easily live. Sweden and Denmark are also on my non bucket list. And Italy, well who doesn’t like Rome, Milan, Venice and Capri? Florence is still on my to do list.

My most recent overseas trip took me into London.  First. I visited with a friend, overnighted, and then took the train to South Hampton to board my cruise. This voyage took me to Hamburg, Paris, Rotterdam, and Belgium.  I called it the hop on, hop off, bus.

Vacations and getaways have taken me to Barcelona, Rio, Croatia, and Alaska. But lately, I have been on the See America tour. A contract job has brought me to New Orleans, Nashville, Minneapolis, and Memphis. I’ve flown to Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis to make sure guests have a smooth boarding experience. Seeing America has been just as intriguing as any of those foreign ports.

So, readers where is your favorite place to vacation? Share! Share! Share!       

 

About Marcia King-Gamble

USA bestselling romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean Island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This former travel industry executive has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. She has contributed to Michael Fiore’s DigitalRomanceInc and served as a moderator on the now defunct eHarmony advice boards. Having witnessed the bad, the ugly, and the not so good in relationships, she still prefers to write about happily ever after. Caring for her animal family keeps her grounded and sane.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

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The Twenties Roared !

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

I thought about this one long and hard. If I had a choice of time and place, where would I want to live?

Crazy as it may seem, I would choose this era, because of the many opportunities that women fought for and finally achieved.

I don’t mean to come off as some strident woman’s libber. Though I will proudly admit I am a huge supporter of women’s rights, and a staunch believer in women having control of their own bodies, and having the right to equal pay.    

That said, the Roaring Twenties would be the era that mostly piques my interest. I could never exist in the Victorian era with its horrible double standard, and a prudery and snobbishness that would probably have gotten me jailed.

Why the Roaring Twenties then? 

It was a time of  great economic prosperity, and boy did we need it. Flappers were coming on the scene and women were coming into their own. Females were becoming independent and "girls" were making an impact on the ‘Good ole boys Club.”  So, where would I like to “Roar?’’ certainly not in this country, but in Paris, where people of color were accepted, respected, and revered for their talent, at least more so than in the United States.

In fairness, in 1920, the USA was slowly coming into its own. There was an artistic explosion in Harlem; a renaissance it was called.  Zeta Phi Beta, an African-American sorority was founded at Howard University. The following month, The Negro National Baseball League got its start, and that summer, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote, although African-American women living down south, would tell you otherwise. They faced enough restrictions to make voting impossible thanks to poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses. It just wasn't easy.

Yes, off to Paris I would go.  Women had started earning salaries which meant they had choices. The Suffragettes emerged and so did the Flapper.  It was a fascinating time in history, especially after the austerity and bloodshed of World War I, the joy and light-heartedness of this era was a welcomed change. New lifestyles and technologies made for exciting times. Les Années Folles had roared in with a vengeance. The mad years some called it.  Automobiles were being produced in record numbers, mass production now making them more affordable. As more and more cars appeared on the roads, many were driven by these  young “Flapper” women. As a result,  city living received a huge boom, and strides in birth control made women sexually freer.  Silent movies played in picture houses, and radios appeared in homes. This was the era of jazz, and over the top entertainment. Patrons flocked to musical halls and speakeasies and talent like Josephine Baker and Maurice Chevalier  found a home.

Oh, yes Paris was the beating heart. In Paris, you drank freely.  Fashion was in vogue, and new artist got  to showcase their talent. Architecture and design thrived, and the movers and inspirational thinkers of the day, drew from cubism, modernism and neoclassicism creating what is known today as art deco.

In Paris, struggling artists and writers found acceptance and appreciation. Women could walk arm in arm with each other without someone batting an eye.  Paris was where American expat, Gertrude Stein, opened her house to the 'Lost Generation' of American literati, courting talent like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso and Matisse. So huge was the impact of these artists, that Left Bank cafés still live off their legacy today.

Until then, women had been considered no better than chattel; creatures to be quickly married off to a handler/caretaker. Yes, we have a lot to thank the Twenties for.  While I still think there is no better era to live in than the here and  now, had it not been for this light-hearted time in history, women would probably still have jobs, and not careers, and we still  wouldn't be heard.  Today, politicians court women for our votes, and because we are well paid, we can walk away from abusive partners and buy homes. 

As women, we have come a long way.    

About Marcia King-Gamble

Marcia King-Gamble is a best selling author of over 40 novels and novellas. She is primarily known for her multi-cultural novels set in exotic parts of the world.  You can find her on Facebook or  at www.lovemarcia.com.  Magnolia Moments is her latest full length novel.

What Makes a Writer?

One of the first things I heard when I began my writing career was to “write what you know” If I did that I would have a short career. My life and what I have learned from it however does affect my writing in small ways. Ways I've only just begun to realize.

My first three books were set in Boston. This is were I was born and raised. I set it in the Boston that I knew, even though I haven't lived there in about twenty five years.. However times change and the city changes, but I called one of my brothers who helped verify such things as streets and buildings and their current locations. I am a visual person, I have to be able to see in my mind what I am writing.

That comes in handy when I travel, ten years ago we took a trip to Eastern Europe and took the overnight train from Prague to Warsaw. Nothing like riding a train straight out of an Agatha Christie mystery to spark your imagination. On a recent trip to Paris I was able to get some ideas for a follow up to my recent book THE MAN IN THE MIRROR. Now available on Kindle, the Nook and at Smashwords.com.

Back to writing what you know-I don't believe in it. I do believe that the things you experience in every day life, no matter how small, can spark an authors imagination in countless ways. What do you think?