Theresa L. Goodrich is an Emmy-winning author and content creator with a penchant for storytelling and a keen eye. As the force behind The Local Tourist, she’s dedicated to telling in-depth stories of magnificent, quirky, and unique places. She’s slightly obsessed with travel and history and has turned these passions into multiple books, including the Two Lane Gems series, *Living Landmarks of Chicago*, *Planning Your Perfect Road Trip*, and *Show Me Shipshewana*. **Theresa is the publisher of *Midwest Road Trip Adventures, 2nd Edition* and *Midwest State Park Adventures.* Under the pen name of Theresa L. Carter, she's the author of the Alex Paige cozy mystery series, featuring a travel writer and breast cancer survivor who unwillingly becomes an amateur sleuth.A cancer survivor herself, Theresa is a firm believer that storytelling is life changing. She speaks across the country about travel and road trips and teaches both writing and self-publishing. She’s driven, often literally, to inspire you to get off the interstates and explore the towns and communities that make this country a constant and welcome surprise.
Happy place, here I come! Wanderlust Weekly, June 1, 2023
Hello Reader!
And hello June!
This is going to be one busy month. Tomorrow, Mr. TLT and I are heading to Galena, Illinois, for a quick overnight. Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, a.k.a. our happy place (or one of them), recently renovated their spa and we've been invited to check it out. Tough job, I know, but the timing's great because I ended up in urgent care last weekend due to a muscle spasm. Lemme tell you, THOSE are no fun. I'm ready for a massage, some farm-to-table dining, and a nice walk in the woods. We'll probably pop into Galena for a bit, too. As many times as I've been there (double-digits), I've never written a "things to do in Galena" article. I think it's time.
Galena's on the northern end of the Great River Road in Illinois, so I touched up my guide to that scenic drive and included some tips. You can see it here.
Monday I leave for another road trip. This time, my friends Lori of Lori Loves Adventure and Veronica from Hip Grandma Life are tagging along. These three amigas are driving Route 66 to Kansas, then heading north to KCK for the Midwest Travel Network Conference. I'll be speaking about self-publishing. If you've gotten my emails for a little bit, you know I'm an avowed self-publisher, and I'm excited to help others take control of their author careers. (pssst. I have a course, too!)
I'll be back June 11, and the next day I'm speaking at Northbrook Library about (surprising no one) Planning Your Perfect Road Trip! If you're in the area, it's open to the public.
Have you got some road trips and adventures planned this month? I'd love to hear about them! Hit reply, and you're also invited to join our Facebook group. Share your adventures, ask questions, and join other Local Tourists.
Until next week,
Love and wanderlust,
Theresa L. Goodrich
p.s. I've got another post on my new Substack! This one's about successful trade show tips. Later today I plan to write an update about Betrayed at the Beach. I am having SO MUCH FUN writing this book!
Theresa L. Goodrich
Theresa L. Goodrich is an Emmy-winning author and content creator with a penchant for storytelling and a keen eye. As the force behind The Local Tourist, she’s dedicated to telling in-depth stories of magnificent, quirky, and unique places. She’s slightly obsessed with travel and history and has turned these passions into multiple books, including the Two Lane Gems series, *Living Landmarks of Chicago*, *Planning Your Perfect Road Trip*, and *Show Me Shipshewana*. **Theresa is the publisher of *Midwest Road Trip Adventures, 2nd Edition* and *Midwest State Park Adventures.* Under the pen name of Theresa L. Carter, she's the author of the Alex Paige cozy mystery series, featuring a travel writer and breast cancer survivor who unwillingly becomes an amateur sleuth.A cancer survivor herself, Theresa is a firm believer that storytelling is life changing. She speaks across the country about travel and road trips and teaches both writing and self-publishing. She’s driven, often literally, to inspire you to get off the interstates and explore the towns and communities that make this country a constant and welcome surprise.
Hello Reader, Happy weekend! Want to help an author out and read a fun book at the same time? Menace at the Marina has been available directly through me since January. On March 17, it'll be available everywhere else! To help launch the book successfully, I'm looking for readers interested in a free e-book copy in hopes they'll leave a review. Click here to learn how to read the sixth book in the Alex Paige travel mystery series! Scroll down for even more books! Lots of new book fairs this...
Hello Reader! In a recent e-mail, I mentioned that I was converting my Simple Self-Publishing Course into an incredibly affordable membership. As in, less than $10 a month affordable. Why? Because publishing a book can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. I know from experience. I'm an author who’s published sixteen books (as of February 2025) in multiple formats, fourteen of them since April 2021. My backlist includes nonfiction, fiction, and two anthologies with over a dozen...
Welcome to Free Books Friday! This week, I'm thrilled to share my brother's book, Unfinished Poetry. This short, fun read (with incredible wordplay) has an important theme about anti-bullying. Adam's giving this book away because of the importance of that message. He'd love to get it into schools and in the hands of teenagers who could use some inspiration. Please reply if you're interested and I'll connect you. And as usual, there are tons more books for you to download! Quick note: if...