cindy’s Big Adventure!

tgifbm! be mine, greenwillow books! tgifbm! Wanderlove by kirsten hubbard!

cindy’s Big Adventure!

and yes. it was indeed a Big Adventure for me!

i just returned from a week long writing retreat

in gorgeous San Miguel de Allende. the reason it

was a Big Adventure is twofold:

1. this was the first writing retreat i had ever attended.

2. this was the first time i’ve truly traveled abroad

for pleasure since my ten year anniversary trip to fiji

back in 2007.

i honestly didn’t know what to expect.

and i worried–as even tho i’ve been to many

countries and love traveling–i had never traveled

abroad alone. even if mexico is pretty close.

also, i’m just a worrier. it’s only become worse

since spawning the rabid monkeys. it is my new

superpower. haha!

well, i needn’t have worried. one of the reasons

i couldn’t say no to this retreat was because it had

authors attending whom i like that wrote books i love.

i had met delia sherman, sarah rees brennan, holly

black and cassandra clare before and had hung out

with all of them briefly–but never like this!

never in a bubble of non-stop books, craft and plot

talk. in the pool. over meals. while walking to restaurants

or going for ice cream. there was always someone to Talk

Story with. and it was amazing and wonderful. it truly felt

magical and like a trip of a lifetime.

now i want to go back!

but instead, i console myself by sharing fotos! =D

*the cathedral on the square.

*and this was the converging crowd in front of it on a

sunday afternoon. theo asked if i wanted to take a foto

with those giant puppet things in the back, but NO, i was

too afraid. *runs away screaming*

*the same cathedral lit up gloriously at night. the square

is especially filled with tourists and locals with families on weekends,

but also on weekdays, late into the evenings. the san miguel

folk definitely enjoyed their outdoor space and sense of community.

*walking down hilly cobblestoned paths for an

early dinner.

*this was our earliest dinner at 6.30pm on a roof deck

mexican restaurant. (delicious!) i think it was early because

we were meeting Franny Billingsley (who happened to be there

for a writing conference). she was lovely to meet and, of course,

we talked books! it was especially cool as both Franny and Delia

had just found out they had been short listed for the Norton for

Chime and The Freedom Maze.

*the restaurant was next to this cathedral? the architecture

and colors of the city were gorgeous.

*i wandered alone on the roof top a bit to snap

touristy fotos. how could i resist? it was a beautiful sunset.

*another view from the roof top deck.

*(this foto just fills me with joyful glee!)

for all you sarah rees brennan fans out there, you may

or may not know this, but sarah’s grace (as introduced

by kristin cashore) is “reenactment”. partly because she has

a boundless and astounding memory, and partly because she

can reenact with such enthusiastic conviction. we were very

much entertained!

*theo (who is an artist) proved to be an excellent

shopping companion with fantastic taste. (i would venture

that he is much more chic than i am and has more Exciting

Clothes than i do as well! 8) i did get some great shopping in

and am the owner of a gorgeous pair of boots thanks to theo’s

addiction to boot hunting. he stopped to buy a pinata. it was a hot

day and we were hauling four pairs of boots between us, i think.

*thanks to delia for taking a foto of me in my cool

new cowgirl boots. they are super pointy in the front which

is something i shy away from (never bought) but these

boots are super comfortable. amazingly comfortable! i bought

the typewriter tee at union square market when i was visiting

for BEA. it reads: Tap That on the bottom. *guffaws*

*on my last full day in our wonderful writing villa, i went

to our own rooftop garden to take some fotos.

*a view of probably one of the biggest hot

tubs in san miguel. it’s only meant to be a heated pool,

but let’s just say i wasn’t complaining when we prematurely

used up all the propane. ahem.