Context for The Long Road North

As some of you already know, I am in the final stages of my first book. I began writing The Long Road North, a memoir, in the summer of 2015. During the spring of that same year my friend Ryan (Rhino as he is commonly referenced throughout the story) and I rode our bicycles to Winnipeg over our annual spring break. During the fall of 2014 he and I had taken many trips to various locations around northern Minnesota. Bicycling became a common bond for us and was a unique way to experience things we otherwise would not have. We decided on going to Canada for spring break because it was so contrary to what many of our peers did during spring break, which was head south to warmer climates. We adopted the mantra that while everyone was going south, we were going north.

My memoir encapsulates a period of time ranging from the aforementioned fall of 2014 to the culmination of our journey, when we arrived back in St. Cloud ten days after we left. The story weaves explicit events from our bicycling journeys, but also a lot of personal anecdotes, including what compelled me to take these trips.

Besides this trip recounting actual events, my memoir has been pushed to another level by the Cheryl Strayed memoir, Wild, which was turned into a major Hollywood film. Strayed’s memoir inspired me to be more honest, to not gloss over fine details, and to leave the truth on the pages. Her ability to capture raw emotion is a truly powerful talent. Specifically, her work has influenced my use of dialogue at certain points in the story, which gives each particular scene not only more contexts, but also a more humanized tone.

Currently I am seeking publication for my novel by reaching out to various publishing houses to gauge their interest. I didn’t intend to publish this novel when I first began writing, but as a small interest in the story has begun to manifest, I feel inclined to explore my options. Since I am someone who would like to write as a career, this novel and the accompanying process of finding publication will be a telling experience.