Pardon the self congratulations. Others might say they are “honored” or “blessed.” I’m stoked to be listed in “44 Books to Read by Bulletin Authors.“
My book, a collection of offbeat U.S. travel stories, is called “Junkets & Jaunts: Avocado Margaritas, Surf City Soul and the Center of the World Pyramid.”
The San Diego Sun is my hyperlocal news site, one of more than 100 independently published sites currently on Bulletin.
Meta/Facebook launched Bulletin in 2021.
“One of the most exciting stories in journalism in recent years has been the growing number of independent writers who are making a living and building businesses by connecting directly with their readers,” says Campbell Brown, vice president of global news partnerships for Meta/Facebook. “That’s why we launched Bulletin, a set of publishing and subscription tools to support these creators.”
The San Diego Sun
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The tagline for The Sun is: “Downtown San Diego’s lively source for issues and insights that matter to locals–written by a veteran journalist and longtime city resident.”
Over the past five months, stories in The Sun have approached downtown issues through an insider’s eye. Coverage has included:
- Living In The City: This ongoing series of Q&As with downtown San Diego residents is a way to get to know the city by meeting the people who live here. Here’s the latest example.
- Homelessness. It’s the number-one issue that comes up in Living In The City Q&As. Residents want solutions. This story explores how some business execs are fighting for the homeless population.
- Comic-Con. This enormously popular sci-fi convention went away for two summer due to the pandemic. A Comic-Con Special Edition returned after Thanksgiving, and The Sun had extensive coverage.
- Much More. The spectrum of stories covered have included: “What’s Cooking–Right Now!–In Seaport Village.” “Hello, Wonderbus! Get Onboard This Mobile Music Venue.” And, “Ladies Who Paint with a Purpose.”
Stay tuned. Content on The San Diego Sun is free. There’s no pay wall. A site needs to self-sustain, though. Keep an eye out for a subscription service that will focus on providing deals, contests and prizes to Sun insiders.
Junkets & Jaunts
Junkets & Jaunts pairs well with an adult beverage. (Photo by James Earwicker) |
Back to the list of “44 Books to Read by Bulletin Authors.” The list also includes works by futurist Malcolm Gladwell, sportswriter Mitch Albom, activist Malala Yousafzai, former CNN correspondent Jessica Yellin and other notable authors.
Here’s the listing for my travel book:
“Junkets & Jaunts is not your typical travelogue. It’s an anthology of offbeat travel tales that delightfully mixes in traditional destination tips with colorful characters and creative adventures. Some stories are fun and breezy. Others offer thoughtful introspection. All are based in the United States—and each is truly an endearing slice of Americana.”
The backstory is that the award-winning junketsandjaunts.com is a WordPress website I created and run. The stories in the book originally ran on that site.
I created junketsandjaunts.com in 2018. It was having a nice run and making a small profit until the pandemic hit and travel was essentially curtailed.
Through the waxing and waning of safety restrictions, my travel writing still appears on J&J–though not as frequently–as well as in San Diego Magazine (where I spent 12 years as an editor) and Ranch & Coast Magazine.
Sure, it’s good to get out of town every once and a while. Returning to Lindbergh Field in downtown San Diego, though, always brings a smile.
When you walk out of the airport terminal, a breeze is usually wafting off the bay. The rideshare trip home is less than 10 minutes. And there’s always a new story angle to report about in the San Diego Sun. SDSun
