Inspiration

Arthur Conan Doyle: 19 things you didn’t know

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Rachel Ward has written about Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle in the Telegraph.  I did know that one of his middle names was Ignatius, so I guess there were only 18 things I didn’t know about the knight.

From the article:

1. Doyle was one of the earliest motorists in Britain
He reportedly bought a car without ever having driven one before. In 1911, he took part in the Prince Henry Tour, an international road competition organised by Prince Henry of Prussia to pit British cars against German ones. Doyle paired up with his second wife, Jean, as one of the British driving teams.

2. Conan is not part of his surname
It is, in fact, only one of his two middle names. He is Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle. Shortly after he graduated from high school he began using Conan as part of his surname

In 1902, the writer was knighted by King Edward VII. He was also appointed a Deputy-Lieutenant of Surrey. However, he wasn’t knighted for having created Sherlock Holmes. He was made a knight for his work on a non-fiction pamphlet regarding the Boer War.

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Writer Reference

Self-Publishing 101: Using the Right Search Words

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

 has posted over at Western Fictioneers about using the right search words to use when listing your novel over at Amazon.  From the blog:

Search words are one of the most important tools used to sell a novel, so you want to use them wisely. At Amazon you are allowed 7. That’s it, so you have to pick carefully. Did you know there are rules for what search words are allowed and which ones aren’t? The following is a list of what not to use.

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National Forests, National Parks

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Only 133 of our country’s 401 national parks usually charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!

If you’re planning a trip that includes multiple national parks, you might consider the $80 annual pass that provides entrance to all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and many other Federal lands-more than 2,000 in all. The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass is offered free to all active duty military members and their dependents. Information on these and other pass options is available online. Continue reading →

Adventures, Hiking - General, Interesting Places

The Hike: John Muir in a week

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Michael Lanza posted a great article back in 2007 on the Backpacker Magazine website about hiking the John Muir Trail.  I’m thinking about doing this same thing; Hiking the JMT in a week.  How hard could it be?  I’ve always wanted to see how many blisters I can get on my feet…

From the article:

Got a few days off, a pair of healthy feet, and a pain threshold higher than Dean Karnazes? You can (possibly) blaze the length of America’s Most Beautiful Trail.

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National Parks

Sunset Magazine’s Top Wow Spots for Yosemite

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Sunset Magazine has quite an extensive series of articles on Yosemite, including a slideshow of the ‘Top Wow Spots’ in the park.

From Sunset Magazine:

Getting there. Yosemite lies 195 miles east of San Francisco, 175 southeast of Sacramento, and 90 miles northeast of Fresno. The main gateway towns to Yosemite are El Portal, on California 140 just west of the park; Mariposa, also on 140 30 miles southwest from El Portal; Groveland, on California 120 west of the park; and Oakhurst, on California 41 south of the park. The entrance fee is $20 per vehicle.

When to go. Yosemite is a four-seasons park. Summer is the busiest time, with highs in the 80s and occasional thunderstorms. Fall offers warm days, cool nights and fall color. Winter brings lows in the 20s, considerable snow at higher elevations and lesser quantities in the valley. Spring is gorgeous, with blossoming dogwoods, splashing waterfalls and highs in the 60s.

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