Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of sketchandtravel.com and bookpleasures.com is

 honored to have as a guest, the nationally published newspaper columnist and

 author, Cindy La Ferle.  Cindy recently published a book entitled, Writing Home,

 a collection of essays focusing on home, family and motherhood.

 Cindy was at one time editor of a national travel magazine, the Innsider

 that focused on country inns, B&Bs, and small historic hotels in the USA.

 She was also responsible for helping Uncle Ben’s (the rice company) launch

 its annual “Best Country Inns” award.

 Good day Cindy and thank you for agreeing to participate in our interview. 

 Norm:

 You indicated to me that the Innsider magazine set a standard of quality for

 smaller inns and B&Bs. Please explain.

 Cindy:

            Back in the early 1980s, when Innsider was newly launched, smaller

 historic inns and B&Bs were relatively new to the average American traveler.

 They’d been popular for many years in Europe, as you know, Norm, but most

 Americans were not as comfortable with the idea of staying in small inn or

 B&B 20 years ago. The old term “guest house” had negative, seedy

 connotations – and in some cases, that reputation was justified. Those

 little "Mom and Pop" guest houses weren't typically AAA rated or listed in

 guidebooks back then, and sometimes there was a very good reason for that.

            That old reputation was hard for the GOOD B&Bs and country inns to

 conquer at first, since the average traveler was more comfortable at, say, a

 Holiday Inn.

         Even so, charming B&Bs and country inns were indeed catching on with

 sophisticated travelers who were familiar with the smaller inns of Europe --

 but those travelers really had to work hard to research the quality of

 American B&Bs/country inns. There weren't as many inn guidebooks back then,

 either, although COUNTRY INNS & BACK ROADS, by Norm Simpson, were in print

 and highly regarded.

            That’s where Innsider came into play. We didn’t establish ratings

 per se, but we sought out the BEST places we could find, featuring only

 those that were clean, well-run, attractive and historically interesting. We

 didn’t feature anything that was sub-standard – and therefore set the bar

 high for other small inns that wanted to attract business. We also worked

 with professional inn organizations to improve and help standardize the

 quality of these small inns -- without sacrificing the personality and

 uniqueness that make them so special. As editor of Innsider, I attended with

 my staff many conferences for small innkeepers and spoke about what made a

 first-class B&b or country inn. It was great fun.

 Norm:

 You also mentioned that you worked as a free lance “inspector” for

 Michigan’s Lake Bed & Breakfast Association. What did you exactly do and

 perhaps you can elaborate as to what are the ingredients required to have a

 top quality B&B.

 Cindy:

            This association was founded to promote high standards for

 Michigan’s smaller inns, and I was asked to help establish those. I was part

 of a small team who were to “inspect” the member inns. We looked for things

 such as overall cleanliness in the common rooms and baths; amenities such as

 tissues, fresh sheets, good lighting for reading, and so on. We made sure

 that kitchens were exceptionally clean and that breakfasts offered were

 substantial and/or reflected was advertised. That sort of thing. We had

 PAGES of items to examine or discuss with the innkeepers on the inspection

 lists, so I could go on and on. It was all about quality and upgrading the

 smaller inn for the comfort of guests. If the inn didn't pass inspection, it

 lost membership and listing in the state guide.

 Norm:

 What is your idea of an ideal romantic inn or B&B, and do you have any

 favorite romantic inns or B&Bs?

 Cindy:

            That’s a tough question, but I think a romantic inn needs to be

 one-of-a-kind and superbly appointed – it should be beautifully decorated

 and offer a few special things you wouldn’t find in other hotels or at

 home.... special touches like fancy sheets, larger and lovely bathrooms with

 good toiletries, comfy chairs and space for reading and relaxing together.

 An in-room fireplace is always nice.

            Local color is important. The romantic inn should also be located

 near a wonderful restaurant and other attractions like good shopping or

 historic sites and recreational activities. I like to be located in a

 historic district, say, like Savannah or Charleston, in a gorgeous inn

 that’s within walking distance of a town.

            Here in Michigan, there’s a secluded, charming place called the

 Victorian Villa (Union City, Michigan). Staying there is an experience in

 and of itself, even if you never leave the grounds. Everything is

 authentically Victorian, exquisite and historic, including the building

 itself. Innkeeper Ron Gibson stages Victorian theme weekends and teas,

 including a Sherlock Holmes Mystery Weekend, which are seasonal and make it

 a special occasion to stay there. It’s just beautiful and the rooms are

 large – you are staying in a mansion that feels like a Victorian home.

 Norm:

 How did you become a travel writer, and how did your experience as a travel

 writer give you a wonderful background for the kind of work you do now?

 Cindy:

            I started out (some 20 years ago) as a freelance features writer for

 my local paper, and had written a few stories about B&Bs (because I'd always

 stayed in them and enjoyed them). The photographer, who was newly hired to

 work for Innsider, approached me and told me that the publisher was looking

 for an editor who had some knowledge of B&Bs/small inns and could work

 part-time as editor-in-chief. My son was a baby then, so the flexibility

 appealed to me, as did the subject matter … although as the magazine grew,

 it was not as “flexible” and involved a lot of travel, which was harder to

 manage with a family.

            But during the nearly 6 years I worked for Innsider, I got a chance

 to see MANY wonderful historic places in this country, and I learned so

 much. Travel is essential, I believe, for every writer, no matter what genre

 they prefer.

            And, as corny and clichéd as it sounds here, I also learned there’s

 no place like home. Travel broadens your perspective and also teaches you to

 be grateful for what you have. Traveling down south for the magazine, for

 example, we often drove through some very economically depressed areas en

 route to the historic inns and Civil War battlegrounds we were going to

 cover and photograph. Things like that stay with you, sometimes even more

 than the beauty you find on the way.

 Norm:

 Could you tell us something about your recently published book, Writing

 Home, and why you wanted to write the book.

 Cindy:

            After Innsider folded – due to lack of ad revenue – I decided to

 work from home and spend more time with my son, who was barely 6 and growing

 up way too fast. I didn’t want to miss any of that, so I managed to get some

 freelance jobs writing for local papers as well as national magazines.

            That's when I found I had a knack for writing personal essays and

 "slice of life” newspaper columns. I found a comfortable niche for myself in

 that genre.  Writing Home is a collection of those short pieces. While they

 are personal essays, they all chronicle some of the universal themes that

 touch many of us – learning how to let go of children as they grow up;

 learning how to be a family; watching parents age and die; dealing with

 midlife crisis in the meantime....One reporter said my pieces were about

 “finding the sacred in the suburban,” and I think that’s a good way to

 explain my stuff and my new book.

 Norm:

 What makes a good journalist, and do you find that today a great deal of

 journalism is pure and simple sensationalism.

 Cindy:

            I am really saddened at what has happened with journalism today.

 Yes, I do think a lot of what's sold as "news" is often sensationalized to

 the point where average readers no longer trust what they read anymore.

             Readers often tell me that newspapers, for the most part, are very

 depressing -- and that the top stories make them lose faith in our world. A

 lot of front-page news makes people feel angry and hopeless. Bad news seems

 to inspire more bad news, but that is what "sells" papers.

            I have tried, at various times, to pitch hopeful stories to various

 editors – because I think there are MANY wonderful things going on in our

 communities that don’t get press. But you know what? I have been told that

 people don’t really want to read good news, and that good news doesn’t sell

 papers. How else can we explain the success of those awful, cheesy tabloids

 that sell like hotcakes in the grocery store checkout lines, for example?

            That said, Norm, I want to point out there are a few papers that are

 as objective as humanly possible, run by editors who believe in the dignity

 of the world – and the intelligence of their readers. The Christian Science

 Monitor is one such paper. (I am not employed by them, but I have published

 several pieces in the CSM). It continues to be well-regarded by readers and

 other journalists who aim high.

 Norm:

 What advice would you give to anyone who wishes to pursue a career in

 journalism or travel writing?

 Cindy:

            You have to be willing to write for smaller markets, just to get

 started. You won’t get into the bigger magazines or newspaper right away, so

 you need to focus on building a “clip file” – published pieces that show you

 can write and have a sense for what makes a good travel piece. It takes time

 and diligence, and a lot of writers give up because it is competitive and

 the pay isn't so great. Sometimes you have to be pleased just to get a

 byline, which is sad but true. Budgets are being cut right and left at

 newspapers these days, and the first things to be cut are the lifestyles

 pieces.

            If you can put up with this situation and are willing to pay your

 dues and start small, you've got a chance. I got started in my local daily,

 with a circ of less than 20,000, and eventually was able to publish my work

 in Reader’s Digest and other national publications.  Keep at it -- and enjoy

 the process. Ask yourself if you really want to write, or you just want to

 be published -- there's a huge difference!

 Norm:

 When you write your various columns, what do you wish to achieve?

 Cindy:

 I want to make a heartfelt connection to my readers. I want them to feel

 less alone as they try to make sense of the very complicated lives we are

 all living …. If someone tells me that they related to a piece I wrote, or

 that they felt like I was really telling “their story” – well, then I have

 hit the mark and done my job. 

 Norm:

 Where do your ideas come from?

 Cindy:

 Ideas come from everyday life, from paying attention to what is around me. I

 think all writers have to be, in a way, Zen masters. If you are not focused

 on what is happening around you – if you’re always thinking about the next

 thing on your to-do list -- you are not going to write anything that hits

 people where they live.

 Norm:

 Would you like to add anything that we have not discussed?

 Cindy:

 Thank you for asking me to participate here, Norm. It’s very important for

 writers to share their experiences and help each other along the way. I

 appreciate this opportunity.

 Thanks once again Cindy for participating in our interview and good luck in

 all of your future endeavors.