If you’d asked me five years ago if I’d ever consider changing my brand, I would have said absolutely not.
Even though I was in the middle of chemo, in the middle of a pandemic, I still defined myself as The Local Tourist. t was a name I’d dreamed up on a trip to the Bahamas before I even moved to Chicago, and once I moved to the Windy City, it took shape. What had been a nascent idea defined who I was as a new resident. I was a local! I was a tourist! I was THE local tourist!
For over two decades, that was me. It’s how I presented myself to the world. And you know what? The world treated me quite well. Because of TLT, I’ve traveled the country. I’ve had incredible, bucket-list experiences, like month-long road trips, charcuterie and wine waiting for me at multiple hotels, and during one particularly memorable stay, an overnight in the Imperial Suite at the Hyatt Regency.
For longtime “Local Tourists,” don’t worry. TLT is not going anywhere!
However, it’s morphed. For multiple reasons, not the least of which is that I’ve morphed. My purpose as a travel writer was and is grand: I truly believe I make the world a better place by helping people create their own unforgettable experiences, and for those who can’t travel, the feeling that they’ve been to places they’ll never have the opportunity to see.
That’s still true. But in this world of search engines surfacing Quora and Reddit results from 2013 instead of actually helpful sites, and the increasing use of AI for travel planning (and everything else), the way I did things no longer works.
And that’s okay, because you know what? I hate writing listicles with a white-hot passion. I hate the game of adding more “things to do in x” to an article so I can jump over the current ranking site.
I’m a storyteller. That’s who I’ve been my entire life, before I even realized I could actually make a living doing something that brings me absolute joy.
So yes, I am still The Local Tourist. I tell stories about places I’ve visited, in the hopes that you’ll experience wonder and joy through my lens.
What’s changed, then?
Ever since I was a little girl and could read books without pictures, I wanted to write novels. I read books under the blanket with a flashlight, propped open by the toothpaste tube while I brushed my teeth. Later, when I lived in Chicago’s Lakeview East neighborhood, I’d walk to my local library while reading a book. And yes, people would give me weird looks and ask how in the world I could read and walk at the same time. (Did I also chew gum? Sometimes. I’m talented like that.)
After I completed cancer treatment in 2021, I took stock and wondered what in the world I was waiting for. In April of that year, five days before my last chemo, I published my third book. Living Landmarks of Chicago reignited my desire to tell stories. That book wasn’t about the bricks and mortar. It was about the people, and oh, it was such fun to write. It kept me going through the hardest time of my life.
If I could do that while being injected with cell-killing drugs, while bald, while fighting nausea and fatigue, then heck yeah I could write a novel.
And so it began. I began writing Peril on the Peninsula in November 2021 and finished in March. I didn’t publish it until August because I was too scared, but during a five-week road trip, mostly solo, I told myself to stop waffling and publish the darn thing.
I’m currently writing my seventh book in what is now the Travel is Murder series. I’ve got a spin-off series waiting in the wings, an archaeological thriller spin-off, and a fantasy series that’s taken over my dreams for the last couple of years.
I’ve also published several more nonfiction books, including Planning Your Perfect Road Trip. That one came out of a presentation I give at Travel and Adventure Shows across the country.
So yeah, I also speak, at those shows, at libraries, at the 2025 Mensa Annual Gathering, at last year’s Author Nation. I write about travel. I write fiction. I teach writing and self-publishing. And I also do freelance work, both ghostwriting and editing.
It’s a lot, and The Local Tourist can’t encompass it all.
Introducing…
Pollinate Ink!
Welcome to my new brand, where my various activities are plots in my “garden.”
Plots… get it? I crack myself up.
Everything I do comes back to storytelling. To reflect that, in August, I changed the name of my primary Substack to The Joyful Storyteller.
My mission with Pollinate Ink is “seeding joy through story.”
It’s more than just a tagline. It’s what I do. My overarching, underlying passion.
What does this mean for you?
If you’re subscribed to The Joyful Storyteller (or any of my other newsletters), nothing changes. You’ll keep getting exactly what you signed up for.
But I’m also building something new: The Pollinators!
Who are Pollinators? They’re people who are here for the joy – the joy of story, the joy of discovery, the joy of creative work that doesn’t fit neatly into one box.
Honestly? I’m still figuring out what that means. What I do know is that Pollinators will get special perks – early access, behind-the-scenes glimpses, maybe input on new projects. It’ll be my way of saying thanks and, hopefully, helping you connect with others who think joy is important.
Want to be a Pollinator? Sign up here and let’s have some fun!
Thanks so much for being part of my joyful world!
Theresa
