People turn to RV-ing for all sorts of reasons. Some want to explore the world in a more intimate way while others are looking for a different lifestyle than the one they have been living. And others like to combine the fun of RV-ing with their occupation.

Novelists Lori Wilde and Cindi Myers fall into the last category, and when we caught up with them, they took a break from their creative work to share their experiences about being writers on the road.

Do you do any writing while on the road?

Cindi: I get a lot of writing done on the road. My husband likes to fish, so I usually write while he goes fishing. I write inside or outside if the weather is nice.

Lori: Yes. I set up my laptop on the kitchen table and write first thing in the morning before we hit the road.

How is writing on the road different from writing in your home office?

Cindi: Our favorite type of camping is boondocking in the national forest or on BLM [Bureau of Land Management ] land, which means we often don’t have good cell service and there’s no wi-fi —so, no distractions. Also, I don’t have fourteen other things that I have to do around the house. I can simply write.

Lori: It’s not—other than I have more fun things to do after my writing day.

While you’re on the road, do you do any author events?

Cindi: I will occasionally go into bookstores in towns we pass through and sign any shelf copies of my books, but not too often. I do carry copies of my books with me and leave them in any book exchanges I find at RV parks. I have met fans a couple of times and it’s been fun to be able to give them an autographed copy of one of my books—or really, anyone who says they read romance gets an offer of a book.

Lori: Yes, I brand my RV with a book cover and tell anyone who sees me on the road to mention they read my post on social media and they’ll received a free book. I also do signings at the RV parks. I just set up a card table and start signing. It’s surprisingly successful. I also set up events with booksellers.

Do you find that RV-ing sometimes serves as an inspiration for your current or future projects?

Cindi: New locations and situations feed the imagination and trigger ideas. Travel is a great way to learn new things that often make it into my books.

Lori: Oh absolutely. I wrote Gotta Have It after we visited Sedona and the energy vortexes.

Have you ever used your RV travel to research locations for your books?

Cindi: I’ve written a whole series for Harlequin Intrigue—the Ranger Brigade—set in and around Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area, and we’ve spent a lot of time camping in these areas. I’m always finding new locations I want to feature in the books. (There are 10 in the series so far, with four more due out in 2020 and 2021.)

Lori: Oh yes. That’s part of the reason we got an RV: to take fun research trips. Whenever we head out in our RV, we are either going on a research trip or a book tour or both.