Allyson Johnson

Pieces of my Mind

Archive for the month “October, 2026”

27 Oct 2026

Day 9 on the Camino: Combarro to Ribadumia – Ups and downs – part 1

Scampered back to the apartment from the restaurant last night amid scattered rain and thunder bolts. Happily the host had advised Bob on what to do if the power went down so we were not left in the dark longer than it took him to find the fuse box.  So I packed my rain poncho today just in case.

We got a good early start today as we had to wheel our suitcases over 5 minutes of cobblestone streets to the luggage pickup station. We then found a bakery/coffee shop and settled into such a good breakfast that by the time we called for a taxi all were already commandeered. So we get to hang out with the Cafe wifi for an hour until the second wave. It’s a religious holiday today in this Catholic country (Pentecost,  Dory says, so that may explain the taxi shortage.

M had a brief panic this morning when my husband in an email wondered why we planned such a long hike between Ribadumia and Padron, and M realized she had omitted a stopover in lining up our luggage service. Fortunately, she was able to correct the mistake fairly easily thanks to B’s excellent Portuguese and her own excellent Spanish. I wish I had spent more time in advance of the trip remembering my Spanish.  However most people here speak Galation which is closer to Portuguese than to Castilian, so maybe it’s a moot point.

This section of the Variant Spirituelle includes the longest uphill climb. I read several accounts of how “we thought the trail would never end – up and up and up again- but when we finally reached the monastery at the top it was all worth it.” But remember, we are not doing penance on our Camino, and my sensible sister, rather than having us exhausted by the time we reached the high point of the path, simply called a taxi which took us along a scenic road directly to the destination in about twenty minutes. Brilliant!

The monastery is lovely, with moss-covered old stone walls, a beautiful chapel interior, and a gift shop. And we were full of energy to enjoy it.

This was definitely an UP! Tune in next week for the DOWN!

Posted in Camino Portugues, Freeway Free, Spain, Travel and tagged , | Leave a comment
20 Oct 2026

Day 8 on the Camino – Pontevedra to Cambarro

Our first day on the Spiritual Variant of the Caminho, supposed to be the most scenic alternative. easy day’s walk to the coast with only a moderate climb. Lots of stone crucifixion along the path. Apparently the early Christians raised one at every site with significance for the pagans to drive away the demons. 

The path led along the coast with a friendly sun and soft breezes. We stopped for lunch at an outside cafe overlooking a lawn fringed with palm tree

Combarro is a Must-See place.  Charming fishing village, buildings almost exclusively of stone, no cars in the Old City, most houses include a view. Almost every house has what looks like a New Orleans-style burial crypt on stilts, but these turn out to be medieval-style granaries, on stilts to keep the varmints from getting at the grains.

Plaza da Fonte, where we stayed, was a charming two-bedroom apartment with comfy sitting space and a high tech shower.  I figured out the controls for the hand held sprinkler and the side sprays;  but I yelped in surprise when water started to come from the ceiling!

I wished we could have stayed longer at Cambarro. A young woman staying at another of the apartments was drying her hair after a dip in the bay at the local beach – I would have loved to do that.

We did treat ourselves to an excellent restaurant meal at Tinte Negro. Wonderful scallops in honor of our trek!

Posted in Freeway Free, hidden treasures, Spain, Travel and tagged , , | Leave a comment
13 Oct 2026

The Publishing Journey: Step 15: Shout for Help!

Hello! You are one of the 400+ followers of this blog, so you have allowed me to invade your email in-box for some time now. I hope you have been amused/informed/excited by some of my posts. Now it’s time for me to call in my chits – I need your help!

My debut novel, The Three Lives of Mary Sutton, is set in 1880’s New York City, and tells the story of a young woman who flees an autocratic father through marriage, only to find she has jumped from the frying pan into the fire.  It’s inspired by the few things we know through family stories of my great-grandmother.

The official release date is November 10, 2026, and I’m reaching out to share some simple, mostly free ways you can support the launch, now and later.

Before November 10, 2026:

  • Pre-order. If you want to read the book, or want to get it for someone who you think will like it, pre-ordering is the single most impactful thing you can do. Pre-orders signal demand to booksellers, affecting store placement, inventory, and launch visibility. Order the print and eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, or Simon & Schuster. If you would like to support a local independent bookstore, let them know that Three Lives of Mary Sutton is distributed through Simon and Schuster.

If you’d rather not buy it sight unseen;

  • Mark it “Want to Read” on Goodreads. This boosts visibility.
  • Request it at your local bookstore and library. They often order based on community requests. On Libby, Hoopla, or a similar library app, searching for the book and requesting a notification signals demand too.

After November 10, 2026:

If you read the book (and I hope you do) and like it (and I hope that too!) you can

  • Write a review. Even one or two sentences (or just a star rating) on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or Barnes and Noble makes a real difference, and you can post the same review on multiple sites. 
  • Tell five people. Word-of-mouth is still the most powerful publicity there is, especially for a debut. A personal recommendation means more than any ad.
  • Host an event. If you’re part of a book club, library, or community group, I’d be happy to visit virtually or in person. Just reach out! 
  • Come see me in person! I’d love to sell and sign a copy for you at one of my TBA events. Full details and RSVP info will be posted on my website (Allysonjohnson.com). 

Debut novels often take flight or fade in their first weeks and months, so every pre-order, review, and recommendation genuinely matters. Whether you do one of these things or all of them, thank you for being on this journey with me.

Gratefully yours,

Allyson

P.S. Feel free to share this post!

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08 Oct 2026

The Publishing Journey – Step 14 – Publicity – Starting on the Back Foot

End of September. My book is due out the second week of November. Plenty of time to solicit appearances at local libraries, local bookstores, meetings of local organizations, right?

Nope. Turns out I’m starting on the back foot. The leading bookstore in the area says “We’re booked for the next nine months.” An organization which is likely to be interested in my book’s development says “We have our whole membership year of meetings already filled in.” A local library says “Must schedule at least six months in advance.”

Even if there is no pre-pub period for applications. two other local libraries ask me for references, places where I have done presentations before, lists of presentations I have done at their location in particular. Talk about a Catch-22 – In order to be approved for a presentation one must have already done a presentation. Ugh.

I did catch one break – my Garden Club staged a book event – it started out as “Bring your Favorite Garden Book and talk about it”, but as several members had published non-garden-related books or had books they loved and wanted to present, the event broadened, and I was invited to talk about my soon-to-be-published novel. I had my Advance Reader Copies to show off, read a short excerpt to warm applause, and distributed my brand-new bookmarks to all who would take one. Felt great!

Another break: A fellow author was asked to be on a panel of local writers and whether she knew any others who might participate – she gave them my name! Hoping to be called.

Here I sit – list of interview questions in hand, ready to discuss my publishing journey, what drove me to write Three Lives, historical background… all dressed up and nowhere to go.

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