Radio interview and guest blog post - Your Life, Unlimited

It is always wonderful to hear that someone has just 'discovered' Sex in a Tent and found it inspiring and fun. I was recently contacted by Stephanie Staples, a professional public speaker, coach and radio host. She interviewed me live on her radio show Your Life, Unlimited which aims to educate and inspire people to live healthier, stronger, happier lives.

I had a great time talking to Stephanie - and trying to keep the conversation family-friendly since her show airs on Sunday mornings!

If you'd like to hear the interview and/or read the guest post I wrote for her blog, follow this link.

Wildebeat, Society Hikers and NYC Booklovers

Apologies for my absence lately. I've just returned from a trip to Christchurch and Dunedin for research on my upcoming book Living Abroad in New Zealand. Just a quick update for the moment, and I promise more blogging soon!

The photo above is a friend of the family, Ariel Fenster, perusing Sex in a Tent at Barnes and Noble in New York City. It's great to find out where the book is sitting on shelves, so if you spot it in your corner of the world, let me know!

In other news, the interview I did with Steve Sergeant for The Wildebeat podcast is now available on their website. Here's the link. The edited interview runs about 10 minutes, and if you're a member there's an "adult" version available.

And a bit of surprise publicity - the American Hiking Society ran a story about my book on their blog a few days ago. Here's the link for that one.

I hope you've all got your last-minute gift shopping under control. Happy holidays, and I hope you get all of the new gear you've been hoping for - and a copy of Sex in a Tent of course!

Seasonal Book Publicity

I found out today that my book was mentioned on a list of Christmas gift ideas from The Times UK. It's not exactly a review, but I'll take it!

Thanks to John Hee, a UK hiker and blogger who let me know about it!

Also, over the weekend I was interview by Radio New Zealand for a piece they're putting together on "greener" ways to spend Christmas (like tramping)! Not sure when the story will air, but if I get advance notice I will post the info here for anyone with access to New Zealand radio!

Gabbing on Gadling and Michelle's Book Launch

Today's "Talking Travel" column on Gadling.com is entirely devoted to an interview with me about Sex in a Tent. (Click the link above to read the whole interview.) Here's a peek at the intro:

Campers around the world have surely tried their hand at this
extracurricular activity before. But even seasoned adventurers may learn
some new tips or techniques in this recent release from Wilderness Press
dedicated to the art of outdoor love. Sex in a Tent: A Wild Couple's
Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature is the first comprehensive guide to
getting it on outside, and a must have for couples looking to heat things up
during tent-toting travels.


Forget hotels and hostels for romantic getaways -- give Mother Nature a
spin! That's what writer and adventurer Michelle Waitzman set out to do with her
partner.

In other news, I had a launch party for the book in Toronto last night. Lots of friends and family came around to help me celebrate. As with most book signings by unknown authors, there wasn't a lot of "general public" there. But it was still great fun, and a nice opportunity to share my excitement. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

New Boots - and they're made for walking!

It's a good thing that I pack light when I travel, because I can't resist shopping while I'm away from home. Being back in Toronto, there are just so many products available that I can't find down in New Zealand. It was inevitable that I would go home with my bags more full than when I left - even after off-loading a bunch of gifts.

Today's purchase was a new pair of hiking boots from Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC). I already made one trip there last week, and bought sunglasses and underwear. But I ran out of time and boots can't be rushed, so today I went back and tried on a few pairs.

The MEC house brand is probably not the best quality boot (far from it!) but the price was low and they were soooo comfy I couldn't resist. They also have a rubber cap over the toes, which is something I look for because I'm a clumsy hiker and I constantly bash my toes into rocks and such. That wears out the toes of my boots really quickly if they don't have that extra protective layer on the front.

So they may not last long - probably only one season - but as long as they are comfortable on the trail I think they were a good buy.

Tomorrow is my book launch for Sex in a Tent. I had an interview for CBC's Words at Large podcast today, and I'll be sure to post a link once they have it up on their website. It probably won't be on until December though.

And a quick note for those in the UK - Sex in a Tent is now available for purchase on Amazon.uk again.

A New Chapter

Greetings from sunny Toronto! If you're in Canada, look for me tomorrow on The Weather Network between 3 and 4 pm ET.

I'm also excited to announce that the Chapters/Indigo website in Canada is now selling Sex in a Tent. The date for availability is October 31. I'm not yet sure how many of their physical stores will be stocking the book, but I'd like to welcome them aboard and I'm glad that Canadians now have another option for buying the book.

Those who pre-ordered it from Amazon.ca should be receiving their books at the end of this week! (Just in time to have me sign them at my launch party next Tuesday.)

On a less spectacular note, I am no longer scheduled to appear at Marmot Mountain Works in Berkeley on November 13. Instead I'll be using my time in California to hopefully do several press interviews.

The Outdoors Station Book Club explores "Sex in a Tent"

Yesterday I was interviewed about "Sex in a Tent" by UK Podcaster "Podcast Bob" Cartwright for The Outdoors Station. It was a lot of fun, and the results are already up on their website! Or you can listen to it here, by using the play button below.

Thanks for a great interview Bob! Here's a shout out to you UK campers. I wish you many rain-free days.

And if anyone else with a blog or website wants to post the interview, you can do it for free. Go to the above link for The Outdoors Station and follow the instructions from the "Copy MP3 Player" link beside the player.

Sex
In A Tent




Download MP3 File

Chris Townsend Interview - A Solo Legend Talks About Coupledom

For those not familiar with Chris Townsend, he is a UK author/photographer who has written 16 books on the outdoors. Chris is best known as a long-distance through-hiker. His major walks have included the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and first-time continuous walks of the Canadian Rockies end-to-end, and the 517 Scottish Munros and Tops.

With all of these epic solo journies under his belt, it may surprise some people to hear that Chris has lived with his partner Denise for the past 12 years, while they first met over 30 years ago. Chris had a sneak peak at "Sex in a Tent" and agreed to chat with me about the joys and challenges of being an outdoor couple.

Was Denise experienced in the outdoors when you met? Was it part of what brought you together?

No, we met at a political meeting in a pub! We were both living in a big city at the time. Denise had a little experience of the outdoors but hadn't been wild camping or hill walking.

How did you introduce her to 'roughing it' without scaring her off? Were there any bad experiences at first?

Given how we were living 30 years ago going camping wasn't really "roughing it"! There were no bad experiences that I can remember.

On our first trip, which was in the English Lake District, I suggested a day walk from a campground up an easy hill as our first hike together. Denise found this rather tame - she liked scrambling, which she'd done on the coast - so for our second hike we went up a bigger mountain with some scrambling en route and bivvied out on the summit so we could watch the sunrise. That was our first wild camp!

Denise points out that the one bad experience she remembers was with packs, as this was before women's packs existed. None of the proper backpacks available at the time were comfortable and she ended up with a soft pack with added hipbelt, which was the best she could find. Women's packs made a huge difference to her.

What do you bring on your trips together than you don't bring on solo trips? Different gear? Food? Clothing?

All I remember taking that was different was a bigger tent and bigger pots.

Did you have different camping styles to begin with? Who has made compromises and what have they been?

I accepted that I'd walk less far than on my own (which applies to trips with friends as well).

What kinds of places do you like to go together? Is there a certain kind of>setting you consider more romantic for a camping trip with your partner?

We both like high camps in the Scottish Highlands, pitched near a lochan (small lake) in a corrie (bowl) backed by cliffs.

Have you shared any 'dream destinations' together? Or do you have places that you want to experience together?

I guess one dream destination is the Scottish Highlands - where we live!There are places we would like to experience together and which we hope it will be possible to visit.

What do you think couples can gain from exploring the wilderness together? What has it brought to your relationship?

I hope couples can gain an understanding both of themselves and the natural world and an appreciation of their place in it. Our shared appreciation of wild places has, I think, been deepened by wild camping. Being able to share my love of nature and wilderness with Denise is very important.

Do you behave any differently when the two of you are in the wild, compared to how you behave at home?

I don't think so. I do most of the cooking when we're in the wild!

Do you think you could be happy with a partner who wasn't comfortable in the wilderness?

No.

Would you ever consider going on a long-distance walk with Denise?

I would love to share the experience of a long walk with Denise. We are still hoping it will come about. (She currently has shoulder problems that make it impossible.)

Chris maintains a website and blog at http://www.christownsendoutdoors.co.uk/

Sex in Tents for Men's Health

Last week a reporter from Men's Health magazine called to get my input for an article he was writing about beach camping. You can check out my contribution at this link.

He even managed to include a picture of a hot chick in a tent. Sadly, it isn't me! Anyway, it's very cool to be quoted in a men's magazine, something I had never in my wildest dreams imagined would happen.

Interview - The Tables are Turned!

After interviewing all kinds of people for my book, it was strange to be interviewed by someone else! But that's what happened last week when my friend Travis, who is part of the on-line writing community "Kiwiwriters" spoke to me about the experience of writing my first book.

You can read the interview here.

I guess it's good practise for all of those media interview I'm hoping to get when the book is released!

A Woman Who Knows Her Shit

Yesterday I interviewed another writer for my book, How to Make Love in a Tent. The interview was with Kathleen Meyer. You may not know Kathleen's name, but you've probably heard of her book - How to Shit in The Woods. What probably started out as a little, niche title has been so successful that she has released a second edition. Over a million copies are in print in a host of languages.

Who knew that such an odd topic could be so popular? But then again, anyone who has tried to participate in the titular activity can tell you that it certainly helps to have some instruction on the topic before your first attempt!

My interview wasn't really about that though. After all, one book on the subject is quite enough! (Although I do have a section just for women in my book that covers stuff like peeing in the bush and how to deal with your period.) I was more interested in Kathleen's experiences as a river rafting guide in her 30's and her more recent outdoors life with her partner, Patrick.

Kathleen has been lucky enough to finally hook up with a guy who shares her special relationship with nature. The two of them apparently sleep outside on the deck of their barn home most nights. The bed is used only in rainy or very cold weather. How many couples can claim they spend most of their nights under the stars? Even when it snows, they don't retreat indoors. She told me, "I find there’s nothing sweeter than waking up with your barrette iced into your hair, in a blanket of snow. And the intensity of that hot body next to you
is just increased, to wrap yourself around."

I'm sure some of you can think of many things you'd find sweeter than frozen hair in the morning, but I do admire the fact that she can find pleasure in it. I guess it helps when you're somewhere you can brush off the snow and take a hot shower afterwards!

It has certainly been interesting hearing from such a range of people about their outdoor experiences, and their relationships with the wilderness. The way we feel in the wild is as individual as we are, but most of us are just awed by the power, beauty and magnitude of the natural world. It's unfortunate that this amazing world is somewhere most of us only get to visit now and then. It would be even more unfortunate if we got to the point where there was little of it left to visit.

Anyway, I will be diligently weaving some of Kathleen's wisdom into my book. Pretty soon the editing will be done and a year's worth of words will leave my control. It's a bit scary, but I'm looking forward to it too!

Interview with a ‘sexpert’

Last week I interviewed a couples therapist named Esther Perel for my book. She has her own book out, called “Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic & the Domestic”. It’s a really interesting, and somewhat controversial book.

She goes against some of the popular advice therapists usually give to couples having problems in the bedroom. Instead of encouraging them to communicate more and share all of their feelings, she tells them to spend more time apart! She thinks that in modern, Western society, romantic partners put too much pressure on each other to be their family, their best friend and their lover rolled into one. In order for the sex to stay hot, she claims, you need a bit of mystery in your relationship.

It was a bit hard for me to relate to a lot of what was in her book, because my relationship is only a year old and we don’t have kids getting in the way of things. But I think any couple who are starting to find that they’re better friends than they are lovers these days would find her book interesting. So far it’s only available in North America and Germany, but there’s a British release coming out that will also go to Australia and New Zealand.

Here are some controversial bits of her book that I found really interesting:

- If you have cheated on your partner and he/she doesn’t know, it may not be ‘the right thing to do’ to tell the truth. Sometimes the relationship will recover better if you just deal with the guilt yourself and don’t burden your partner with your confession.

- Couples who trust each other completely can lose the spark in their relationship. If you think there’s always a chance that your partner could be tempted away from you, you’ll be more attracted to him/her.

- You shouldn’t feel guilty if you think about someone other than your partner while you’re having sex. Pretending your partner is someone else can make sex more erotic.

- A lot of women have what they consider to be ‘rape’ fantasies and feel really conflicted about them. But on closer examination, these women are never physically hurt in the fantasies. They’re really more about submission than actual rape, and they don’t mean that the woman actually wants to be raped on some level.

What does any of this have to do with camping? Well, I asked her about the effects of getting out of the bedroom to help spice up your love life. It turns out she’s a big fan of the outdoors herself. She thinks having the sun on your face and the wind in your hair is an erotic experience in itself. I couldn’t agree more!

She also talked about how sexy it can be to see your partner in control of his or her environment. Catching a fish, lighting a campfire, or climbing a rockface – if your lover is impressing you it’s a big turn-on. This is especially true if he/she’s doing something you know you can’t do yourself.

She stressed the way nature’s unpredictability can take us beyond our comfort zone. That can also get us to think outside the box when it comes to sex. She says it’s all about using your imagination.

Anyway, you’ll get the whole story when the book comes out. But in the mean time, I wanted to share a bit of what I learned from this interesting woman. If you want to find out more about her (or her book) she has a website: http://www.eshterperel.com/