Vera Marie Badertscher
Find Contact Information Here.
WE READ AND TRAVEL
Here at the Library, we will wander the globe, in no particular order, ignoring the Dewey Decimal system, the alphabet, continental boundaries, or any other artificial organization. Novels, histories, biographies, travel narratives– all kinds of literature that help you understand a place and the people and culture.
When you travel, you start gathering information before you go. I know that you can find guidebooks and talk to friends, but here at A Traveler’s Library, I point you to the travel literature that will stay on your shelf.
I have been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years, and a traveler since my parents took me on a road trip when I was one year old. I’ve visited most of the states in the U.S. and more than 30 countries. When I want to know about a place and can’t get there for first hand knowledge, I read about it.
PEN4HIRE Writing Content
If you are looking for the website of writer and author Vera Marie Badertscher, alias Pen4Hire, it has moved. Or rather its contents have moved.
Everything that you once found at my writer’s website, Pen4Hire, is now available at A Traveler’s Library–including some of the articles that represent about 18 years of free lance writing for print publications and for the Internet. To see articles, click here.
GUESTS AND CONTRIBUTORS at A TRAVELER’S LIBRARY
Many guests join me in talking about new books and old books, including a stellar group of 6 outstanding writers. You can meet them at the contributors page. Movies belong on the shelf along with books, and sometimes music, museums and art works add to our understanding. Travelers with children and travelers with pets have special needs. Some people just want to EAT. The team of 6 specialists provide us with information on all those special travel angles.
Whether you travel on a plane, in a car, on a train, or from your armchair, A Traveler’s Library wants to help your journey.
We thrive on your suggestions and discussions with other readers, so please do talk back.
Blog Policies
NOTE: I AM NO LONGER ACCEPTING BOOKS FOR REVIEW.
When I accept something for free, or at a reduced price because I am a writer, and write about it on the blog, I will tell my readers about it. My readers are intelligent enough to figure out if I am lying about things just to get freebies. I won’t, so they will be spared much thought.
The books that publishers gave me for review were generally passed on to my readers through giveaways or given to a local library after I wrote about them. Sometimes the books that I received turned out not to be suitable for the blog. But most of the time, the books were wonderful and I was happy to share them.
A NOTE ABOUT ADVERTISING
I use affiliate advertising on my site. That usually means that I have a link to books sold on Amazon within the text of my blog posts and receive a small percentage of sales. Readers should be aware of these financial ties.
Please remember that patronizing the advertisers is a vote for continuing this blog. Every purchase helps.
To see our Policies regarding privacy and your protection, see this Privacy Policy page.
Writing Around the Web
Do you want to read more than the articles here at A Traveler’s Library?
I have been very active in the blogger community and have written guest posts for the following blogs/websites:
- Attainable Sustainable: About Louis Bromfield, pioneer of sustainable agriculture and Malabar Farm.
- Archaeology Travel, Those Sexy Etruscans, a review of D. H. Lawrence’s book about visiting Etrusca.
- Girls Getaway: Travel Like a Lady in Brittany and other articles.
- Your Life Is a Trip: Sisters Road TripInfo Ireland and several more.
- Spot Cool Stuff : The Miracle of Siphnos
- I Explore: The Creme de la Creme of Cooking Classes
- Go Packbacking : Six Tips for taking the ferry in Greece. (no longer available)
- The Culinary Life: Food allergy translation cards; Emily Dickinson’s Black Cake Recipe
- Writing Horseback: Tanque Verde Guest Ranch; Hidden Meadow Ranch
- Velvet Escape: Master Potter of Mata Ortiz, Mexico; Tohono Chul Park in Tucson
- Travel Wonders: Canyon de Chelly; Bayeux Tapestry
- foXnoMad: The Minoans of Crete
- Freelancedom: A post on Why I Write I have an article in the web
- National GEO Traveler–a road trip through duPont country in Delaware and Pennsylvania .
- Wandering Educators: The Perfect French Movie (Just one of many articles at that site).
- Mothering.com: A book about peanut allergies
- What a Trip :List of things to do in Bayeux, France.
- My Itchy Travel Feet: Normandy and Bayeux; Review of Book for Boomer Adventure; Paddling North (review); Five Adventures on the Navajo Rez; and more.
- Authentic Luxury Travel: Le Marche, Italy
- Boomer Women Travelers: Renting an apartment while traveling
- The Monks Who Forgot How, Killing The Buddha.com , an essay about Cambodian Monks after Cambodia’s Holocaust.
OTHER STUFF ABOUT ME AND A TRAVELER’S LIBRARY
ALLTOP listed as a top travel blog.
Lonely Planet featured A Traveler’s Library and me as a Blog Sherpa with reprinted articles from 2010 through 2012 when they ended the program.
Bloggies 2010 Finalist in Best Travel Blogs Category.
Past Monthly contributor to Reel Life With Jane as Classic Movie Connoisseur.
Contributor at Your Life Is A Trip
Past Contributor to JetSetter.com
Contributor to Indie Travel Podcast Magazine
Interviewed on Cheap Flights in their series on travel bloggers.
Hello Vera,
Lovely blog! I was wondering whether you might like to join our bubbly community at We Love Memoirs. WLM is a colourful mix of readers and writers from all over the world, many of whom (like me) have written travel memoirs.
Amongst other things, we hold a Member Monday every week where we chat with a member. I’d love to see you sit in our Member Monday chair, I’m sure you have a thousand fascinating stories to tell!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/welovememoirs/
Do join us, or email me,
Victoria Twead 🙂
Hi Vera, nice to meet you. I’m from Indonesia, far away from your country. But one thing : we love Agatha Christie. Visit me back in my blog, please.
Hi: And Thanks for visiting. I did check out your blog, but unfortunately I can’t read it. Glad to see you are such a fan of Agatha Christies and bloging about books in Malay.
Bonjour Vera,
Your bio page is so inspiring! How I wish to have taken drama in school (too shy) or to be as ready to travel (I’m a homebody, but do have the chance to “voyager”. Will hope to see Greece next, after reading about your passion for it 🙂
hello
i like your website a lot…my namer is senem..from Turkey
i am now travelling to Brasil..
i am wondering if you could reccomend me some books about brasil,argentina and chile
thanks a lot in advance
regards
and happy days!
Unfortunately, I have not posted many books in South America. You can always do a search in the search box to see what is on the site. For Chile, I really love the writer Isabel Allende. And there’s a great book on Uruguay, Invisible Mountain that I did review.
Dear Vera,
Re Trip Planning France, you’ve forgotten to allow comments on the article.
If you come south, and would like to hike for a couple of days, please look us up.
Our site section at:
http://www.enlightened-traveller.co.uk/pages/EnWalk.aspx?pgId=14
is hopefully all you need to plan your hiking tour in France.
All the best,
Steve
I’m so glad I found you on Twitter! I love your blog and hope you find yourself back in Lancaster County someday… and that you’ll visit the Historic Smithton again (of course!).
Rebecca: So nice of you to come by and comment, and I’m so glad that you like the blog. How are those beautiful flowers of yours doing? Getting ready to burst into bloom?
I too have changed careers, from engineer to management to artist to writer. I did much traveling in between. However I am a novice campared to you. I am very impresed by your experience. But I do have one over you and that is my tour of Sicily. I originally thought that Sicily was a collection of farms and orchards. In 2004 I toured Sicily and was astonished at its history, being occupied at one time through history by each of the European nation
From the gold imbedded wall pictures of the Cathedral Montreal of Palermo to the ruins of Taormina to the Greek Temples of Agrigento, I was amazed. Touring the three Greek Temples and the drive by at night when they were brightly illuminated was the high light of the tour.
Hi Vera,
When you do the Pacific Northwest, may I invite you to come a little south to the Monterey Bay area. I would like to show you Santa Cruz, on the north side of the bay, in person and through the murder mysteries I write that are set there.
If that’s not enough of an enticement we have several noted mystery writers living in the area although I’m the only one writing about Santa Cruz.
Nancy Lynn Jarvis
Author of “The Death Contingency” and Backyard Bones”
Dear Vera:
Like you, I have traveled the world, and I write. I thought you might be interested in one of my novels, Sigourney’s Quest, which delves into the culture, spirituality, landscapes, and political difficulties in Tibet. I photographed Tibet in the 1990s for a tour operator and fell in love with the people and country, but hated what I saw the Chinese doing there. Sigourney’s Quest was my response. It is available through book stores, Amazon.com, etc. My website has a brief synopsis and sample chapter.
Best wishes,
Gordon Snider
I see that you’re headed to San Antonio. I just moved here a few months ago, and it is truly a beautiful, vibrant city. Happy travels!
Thanks, Sarah. I had never been to San Antonio, until two years ago. This will be my third trip in two years. Surprising how things work out. Last year my husband and I took a Texas Hill Country back road trip (up to Ft. Worth) and stopped at that bakery in Castroville that you talk about in your blog.
I hope that you’ll come back often to visit A Traveler’s Library.
Love the site. Now the hard part is going to select which books not to buy then finding the time to read them ALL. And I’ll definitely be adding this site to my favorites.
Hi Vera,
Well done. I love your site and like you, am learning tonnes at Darren’s 31-day challenge!
For your site, I would suggest getting a logo that reflects you and your site’s content. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You can have one made on the internet for free (just do a Google search, something like “create logo+free” and dozens of adequate logo-making software will appear). That’s how I got mine made… shush… don’t tell anyone else 😉 I got this bit of advice about adding a logo to my blog from a great Twitter pal of mine. Funny thing was, I already had the logo but couldn’t incorporate it into my WordPress theme. He helped me out with changing the codes but it didn’t look nice so I switched to a different theme, hence the revamp! I agree with him that the logo does work wonders for your branding and it adds another personal touch to your site.
Cheers,
Keith
Have read several of your excellent travel reports demonstrating your ability to get into the essence of local culture and color, thanks to an empathy with the locals of many locales. Looking forward to you next discovery!
Mike: That is an honor indeed. I will try to keep you interested.
A lovely and a lovely-looking site. You’re now on my Google home page so I can watch for new postings, an honor given to few.
Good luck with it.
regards
Mike
Congratulations
Another world to conquer. As usual, you will do it with style.
Love
Ken
Great job! I’ll be adding you to my “Travel blog” links.