Interview With Author Al and Sunny Lockwood
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
We became writers of trave memoirs because of a horrible car wreck. While waiting at a red light, a driver who was paying more attention to her phone than her driving slammed into us at full free-way speed. The wreck totaled our car, her car, and a van in the lane next to us.
She was taken to the hospital. The rest of us were banged up and bruised and spent weeks dealing with doctors, insurance companies, etc.
But the accident woke us up to how fragile life is. You can be doing nothing dangerous, just waiting for the traffic light to change, and the next moment you could be in the hospital, or worse, in the morgue.
Because of that wreck, we decided to stop postponing things we really liked to do — such as travel. Instead of saying, “We’ll do that when we retire,” we said, “Why not do it now?” And we started our travel adventures with a cruise through the Panama Canal.
Since then, we really have retired, and together we have written six travel memoirs to share our experiences. We write to encourage others to make their travel dreams come true. Travel is good for physical and mental health. It gives you great stories to share with friends and neighbors. It can introduce you to new friends. It can even help you discover things about yourself you didn’t realize before.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Our latest travel book, Cruising from Boston to Montreal begins with a rousing baseball game at Fenway Park the night before the cruise starts. In that book we travel to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we learn about the city’s role in recovering bodies from the Titanic tragedy. We go to Cape Breton Island, where Alexander Graham Bell lived and worked, then off to Prince Edward Island to learn about the author of Anne of Green Gables. Quebec City is filled with history, stunning architecture and natural beauty. Montreal, of course, is amazing. We were so impressed with the city beneath the city — a whole underground world full of stores, restaurants and offices. In the winter, when the weather is horrible, people can continue to live regular daily lives in the underground city. there’s so much more in that book about Canada, it’s history and beauty. And, of course, seafood is a big part of the trip.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
We don’t have any unusual writing habits. But when we first married we began a reading tradition. We choose a book we both might like, and in bed before we go to sleep, we read aloud a chapter, or part of a chapter. That way we enjoy the same book at the same time, and it gives us something to talk about at breakfast. We’ve read more than 120 books this way (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, philosophy, religious, even children’s books).
What authors, or books have influenced you?
John Steinbeck and his book “Travels with Charlie” is a favorite of ours.
What are you working on now?
We’re working on a book, where each chapter explores a fascinating small town in Western North Carolina (where we live). Covid 19 slowed us up a bit. and then just last year we got hit with Hurricane Helene. Such destruction! Thousands of acres and homes and businesses destroyed or almost destroyed. Highways wiped out. Small towns washed away in floods.
So we’re a bit behind on that project. But hope to catch up soon.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, you know that we love Awesome Gang.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Join a writers group where you can get honest and helpful advise.
What are you reading now?
We’re reading “Proof of Heaven, a neurosurgeon’s journey into the afterlife” by Eben Alexander. It’s a fascinating book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Reading. Writing. Travel.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Author Websites and Profiles
Al and Sunny Lockwood Amazon Profile
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