Book Signing in Gaylord, Michigan

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This Saturday, August 1, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., I’ll be at Saturn Booksellers (133 W. Main St., 989/732-8899) in downtown Gaylord, Michigan, discussing and signing my latest travel guide, Moon Michigan.

The guide, released this spring, offers practical travel tips, hotel and restaurant recommendations, plus advice about the best shops, festivals, activities, and attractions in the Great Lakes State. Dividing Michigan into eight unique regions – Detroit and southeast Michigan, the Thumb, Ann Arbor and the Heartland, the Southwest Coast, Traverse City and northwest Michigan, Mackinac Island and northeast Michigan, the eastern Upper Peninsula, and the western Upper Peninsula – the book also includes several helpful itineraries focusing on the state’s historic lighthouses, picturesque beaches, award-winning wineries, championship golf courses, and other incredible highlights. And, of course, as with any comprehensive Moon guide, you'll find interesting historical tidbits and a wide range of resources, from Michigan terminology to suggested books, movies, and websites.

For a girl born in New Orleans, I sure have fallen hard for this northern oasis. When I married into a Michigander family nearly nine years ago, I knew very little about the state. But all that has since changed.

A state that I once merely associated with the auto industry has become so much more. In fact, I was floored to discover just how big Michigan is. Composed of two large peninsulas, 11,000 inland lakes, over 36,000 miles of rivers, nearly 200 waterfalls, and a 3,288-mile shoreline (the length of which is second only to Alaska), Michigan is the tenth largest state in America. Also the eighth most populous state, it boasts a wide variety of landscapes, including forests, prairies, marshes, beaches, caves, ski-worthy mountains, and the world’s largest freshwater dunes.

For the past several years, Michigan has become my summer residence, and I’ve spent a lot of time traveling its highways and byways, from charming Frankenmuth north of Detroit to the desolate beaches of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore beside frigid Lake Superior. I’ve sailed the glistening waters of Grand Traverse Bay, picked wild blueberries in the northern woods, toured an active truck plant, and visited countless other enticing locales. And I couldn’t be happier to call myself a part-time Michigander.

So, if you’re in the area this Saturday, please stop by Saturn, a wonderful independent bookstore in the heart of Gaylord’s downtown shopping district. I’d love to meet you – and talk your ear off about this amazingly diverse state.

For more advice about the best that Michigan has to offer, check out my author Q&A or this recent Moon staff post. For more information about this weekend's book signing, click here.