Written by Katherine M. Newbern 
I get to write about love with the man I love in a business that’s all
about promoting love. What could be a better job description?
When Fletcher and I started this business on the kitchen table of our
Manteo, NC, condo back in 1992, we had no idea where it would take us.
We did know it was a killer idea, and that we’d kick ourselves later
if we didn’t jump on it only to discover someone else had.
I’ve had some really great jobs - The Chapel Hill Newspaper, Duke
University News Service, The Charlotte Observer, public information
for Public Schools of North Carolina. But I’ve got to tell you, the
best possible job is working alongside my husband sharing the creative
process.
We’ve managed to combine two fields we love - writing and travel.
To paraphrase a favorite Thoreau quote: “Live the life you have imagined.” Except, quite honestly, even I never imagined my life would turn out this way - and I’ve got quite the imagination! Because of my journalism background - and Fletcher’s own writing background - we also have, for the past 14 years, traveled the world on assignment as freelance travel writers, visiting places like Egypt, Tahiti, Barcelona, Fiji, London, Paris, Patagonia, Belize. In fact, this year alone, we've explored China - yes, we climbed the Great Wall - the Maldives, Dubai, the Baltic including St. Petersburg, Russia, and next are heading to the last continent we need to see: Antarctica. That truly is a dream life for a girl from Hertford, NC. Yes, I started my journalism career as a writer, then editor of The Perquimans Weekly.
Much of what we see and do in our fabulous travels, in turn, inspires
our romance novels, as was the case with the luxury barge cruise we
took on England’s River Thames. That trip inspired our novel, Holiday
on Thames. And our latest novel Negril Everlasting is set at two
Couples Resorts in Jamaica.
Together, we’ve written 17 of the 24 novels we offer here at
yournovel.com that any couple can star in. Our customers do that by
going online, picking a title - wild or mild, by the way, in terms of
the romantic interludes (wink, wink) - and then filling out a
questionnaire. It’s easy, fun stuff, like their eye and hair colors,
their affectionate nicknames, how long they’ve been together, their
best friends, favorite music, cologne and perfume. It’s 26 details in
all including a dedication page, so when you get this actual bound
book, you’re reading about yourselves in places like Tahiti, Rome, a
cruise ship, a dude ranch, Alaska, the Caribbean, doing some pretty
wild and crazy things.
What’s important is we acted on a good idea, and that’s what turned
our lives around.
Here’s how it happened:
At the time, Fletcher and I were dating, and he joined me at a PR
conference in Raleigh where I was serving on a panel.
The icebreaker question was: “What would people be surprised to find
out about you?”
I laughed and said, “I’ve written a yet-to-be-published romance
novel.” The group laughed.
Then, over lunch, one of the participants said, in passing, “Wouldn’t
it be fun if you could read about yourself in one of those steamy
novels?”
Again, we all laughed.
But later, on the drive home to Manteo, Fletcher and I looked at each
other, and the proverbial light bulb went off. We started outlining
that first book on the back on an envelope. The next day, we started
our company.
Since then, we’ve been featured in People magazine, Rachael Ray,
Redbook, InStyle, Entrepreneur, Elle, Bridal Guide, Reader’s Digest,
“The View” with Barbara Walters, "The Today Show," NPR Marketplace,
USA TODAY, and in hundreds of other media outlets.
The news coverage has been phenomenal, but I’ll be the first to admit,
it’s not about us; it’s about a really neat concept. I think it does
help that we are a husband-wife writing team and that our enthusiasm
for what we do comes through. Just listen to any of our 200-plus radio
interviews before Valentine’s!
Looking back on the creation of my “dream job,” here’s my advice for
carving out a career you can love:
-- Act on a good idea. When people find out what we do, they often
share great ideas they have for a company or product. “So do it!” we
reply, and we’re serious.
-- Follow your bliss, and the money will come. We didn’t make wads of
cash that first year, or the second, or the third. But we were doing
something we loved - writing - and following a dream - working for
ourselves.
-- Take chances. At first, I kept my “day job with benefits” while
Fletcher plugged away for us at our business. Finally, tired of
rushing home lunch hours and working until the wee hours then going to
my "day" job, I mustered the courage - with Fletcher’s full support -
to go to work full-time for us. That was eight years ago, and I do
have one regret: Not doing it sooner.
-- Enjoy your life. Working is part of life, so enjoy your job, too.
Really, people, work should not be drudgery. Think of how many hours
you spend on a job; make them joyful hours.
-- Give back. We try to encourage other writers and entrepreneurial
dreamers. One such aspiring writer has now written four books for our
company. And last year, we added another two writers to our team, both
of them North Carolinians.
-- Be open to possibilities. Network, brainstorm, look around, think,
talk to people, surf the web - you never know when you’ll stumble onto
the next great idea. Just like we did.
Kathy M. Newbern/J.S. Fletcher
Freelance Travel Writers/Photographers
Members, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW)
3100 Arrowwood Dr.
Raleigh, NC 27604 USA
P. 919.878.0585
F. 919.873.1224
C. 919.349.2982
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"Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that
take our breath away..."
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