Kathy Elkind
Fayston, VT (Burlington)
Long-Distance Walker, Writer, and Author of To Walk It Is To See It
BOOK COVER
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: August 15, 2023
Genre: Travel Memoir
Publisher: She Writes Press
Page Count: 256
Format: Paperback; E-book
ISBN:978-1647425258, paperback; B0BQBP4P6G, e-book
Price: $17.95, paperback; $8.99, e-book
ABOUT THE BOOK
What happens when two empty nesters decide to take a “gap year” and trek 1,400 miles on Europe’s GR5? Some serious challenges, incredible experiences, and the adventure of a lifetime.
Kathy Elkind has always lived a life on the move, having grown up hiking, camping, and canoeing with her family. In fact, her passion for the outdoors is one she shares with her husband Jim, with the duo having taken one-week backpacking trips in Montana and Wyoming. As Kathy entered what she has lovingly dubbed “the last third of her life,” she realized that she wasn’t ready to slow down. In fact, what she needed was her greatest achievement yet.
In 2018, Kathy and Jim launched themselves into the adventure of a lifetime, taking an “adult gap year” and walking the GR5 in Europe – a 1,400-mile trek that took them village to village throughout The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. While the journey presented practical challenges – from needing medical care while on the road to navigating language barriers to traversing the snowy Alps – the walk offered Kathy the opportunity to connect with her husband of nearly 30 years and to consider how far she’s come in her life. With stunning honesty and vulnerability, Kathy recalls her struggles growing up with dyslexia and not learning to read until the 7th grade; she shares the joy and frustration she feels with Jim during their journey, knowing this trip could either draw them closer together or push them apart; she examines her eating habits and the role shame has played in the ways she has shown up in her life.
Throughout To Walk It Is To See It, Kathy’s long-desired adventure transforms into a meditative, restorative journey. And she realizes that her relationship with her body and her husband are much like her walk on the GR5: there are challenges and mishaps, and hitting the finish line takes determination and discipline. But the beauty discovered along the way is priceless.
TALKING POINTS
- Why a woman in the last third of her life decided to walk the length of Europe with her husband of 27 years.
- How a 1,400-mile walk through Europe helped Elkind fall in love with her belly.
- Most people have heard about the Camino de Santiago but what you should know about its neighbor, GR5.
- Happy trails: Elkind on why a long, healthy marriage is as exhausting and exuberating as walking Europe’s GR5.
- Why every older adult should consider taking a “gap year.”
- Looking for a new spiritual experience? Try a long walk in nature.
- Top 5 tips for packing for a long trip.
- Tips for eating well while on vacation.
- In a world moving at a break-neck pace, Elkind reveals the beauty we can find by slowing down.
TIMELY TIE-INS
March
- Women’s History Month
- As Young As You Feel Day - 22
- International Day for Achievers - 24
- I Am in Control Day - 30
April
- National Walking Day - 5
- Go For Broke Day - 5
- Love Your Thighs Day - 25
- National Brave Hearts Day - 28
May
- National Walking Month
- Older Americans Month
- Date Your Mate Month
- Mother's Day - 12
June
- Say Something Nice Day - 1
- Go Barefoot Day - 1
- Let It Go Day - 23
July
- National Nude Day - 14
- National Parents Day - 23
August
- Happiness Happens Month
- Simplify Your Life Week - 6-12
- Book Lovers Day - 9
- National I Love My Feet Day - 17
- We Love Memoirs Day - 31
September
- Healthy Aging Month
- Read a New Book Month
- World Tourism Day - 27
- National Women's Health and Fitness Day - 30
October
- Dyslexia Awareness Month
- Face Your Fears Day - 10
- National No Bra Day - 13
- Books for Treats Day - 31
November
- Nationals Authors Day - 1
- National Hiking Day - 17
PRAISE
“Kathy Elkind eloquently weaves together a narrative of adventure along the legendary long-distance trail, the GR5, with an intimate exploration of personal hopes, dreams and challenges.”
—Carroll Dorgan, author of The GR5 Trail: Benelux and Luxembourg
“To Walk It Is To See It is an inspiring, deeply meditative, moving-memoir filled with beautifully written prose, lush landscapes, sensory aliveness, and fascinating characters. As Elkind hikes Europe’s GR5, we traverse the ups and downs of her (sometimes rugged) interior terrain—exploring the complexities of mid-life, long-term marriage, and womanhood, mile by mile. I came away touched by her honesty and motivated by her resolve to walk into the second half of life fully embodied and empowered!”
—Sherry Sidoti, author of A Smoke and a Song: A Daughter’s Memoir of Living in the Layers
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: May 17, 2022
Genre: Memoir / Christian Inspirational
Publisher: She Writes Press
Page Count: 304
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1647429003
Price: $15.99
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the age of social media, what does it mean to connect through a hand-written letter?
True Story: When Amy Daughters reconnected with her former friend from camp decades ago, Dana, via Facebook, she had no idea how it would change her life. Through social media, Amy learned Dana’s son Parker was at St. Jude battling cancer–devastating news, but what else do you do besides comment an “I’m so sorry,” nowadays?
But more than a comment happened, Amy woke up in the middle of the night and felt called in a way she couldn’t fully explain to write handwritten letters to Dana–someone who through time and distance, had become nothing more than several hundred other faces on her Facebook account.
When Parker died, Amy, not knowing what else to do, continued to write Dana. Eventually, Dana wrote back, and the two became pen pals, sharing things through the mail that they had never shared before. The richness of the experience left Amy wondering something: If my life could be so changed by someone I considered “just a Facebook friend,” what would happen if I wrote all my Facebook friends a letter?
A staggering 580 handwritten letters later Amy’s life would never be the same. As it turned out, there were actual individuals living very real lives behind each social media profile, and she was beautifully connected to each of those extraordinary, very real people.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native Houstonian and a graduate of The Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer for more than a decade — mostly covering college football and sometimes talking about her feelings. Her debut novel, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened (She Writes Press, 2019), was selected as the Silver Winner for Humor in the 2019 Foreword INDIES and the Overall Winner for Humor/Comedy in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Awards. An amateur historian, hack golfer, charlatan fashion model, and regular on the ribbon dancing circuit, Amy — a proud former resident of Blackwell, England, and Dayton, Ohio currently lives in Tomball, Texas, a suburb of Houston. She is married to a foxy computer person, Willie, and is the lucky mother of two amazing sons, Will and Matthew.
TALKING POINTS
- Lost Art of Letter Writing – The deliberateness of a letter, honest, believable and genuine, more than Social Media could ever be. Bringing back the beautiful connection of a hand-written letter.
- How can we teach our younger generation to value a pen & stationery?
- The stages of grief and how to remain a constant and connected friend experiencing the grieving process.
- The power of prayer and finding purpose.
- The evolution of friendships and connections due to social media.
- Work from home and the disconnect it creates–how letter writing can bring back more meaningful relationships.
- Women in Sports – Amy is a decades long sportswriter–a position with its own trials and tribulations as a woman in a male-dominated field.
TIMELY TIE-INS
December
- Read a New Book Month
- National Letter Writing Day – December 7
- National Christmas Card Day – December 9
January
- Self-Love Month
- Universal Letter Writing Week – Jan 8-14
- Hunt for Happiness Week – Jan 15-21
February
- International Boost Self Esteem Month – February
April
- Month of Hope; Day of Hope – April 5
- World Health Day – April 7
- Tell a Story – April 27
- Trauma Awareness Month – May
PRAISE FOR DEAR DANA
“Dear Dana is an inspirational memoir about caring for friends near and far by reviving a lost art.” — Foreword Reviews
“. . . a captivating study regarding writing letters to friends and rethinking how people successfully bond in the modern world. An intriguing and inspiring exploration of different forms of communication.”— Kirkus Reviews
“This is a book for anyone who wonders about the differences between a Facebook friend and a Real-Life friend and who yearns to see a person’s real life behind their Facebook image. It is also about the power of prayer and the abundance of kindness in our world. But ultimately, it’s about connection and how we are all connected when we come from love.” — Rivvy Neshama, author of Recipes for a Sacred Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles
“Captivating . . . I laughed and I cried as I followed the pleasures of real mail, and the lesson hit home: Whether written or spoken, our words matter. They have the power to illuminate someone’s darkest day.” — Laurie Buchanan, PhD, author of Note to Self: A Seven-Step Path to Gratitude and Growth and The Business of Being: Soul Purpose In and Out of the Workplace