Author Marianne C. Bohr joins us this week to discuss her travel memoir, The Twenty
Author Name: Marianne C. Bohr
Book Title: The Twenty: One Woman’s Trek Across Corsica on the GR20 Trail
Book Genre: Travel Memoir
Release Date: June 6, 2023
Publisher: She Writes Press
Welcome, Marianne! Please tell us a bit about your book.
My husband and I were about to turn 60 and were restless for adventure. We decided on an extended, desolate trek across the French island of Corsica—the GR20, Europe’s toughest long-distance footpath—to challenge what it means to grow old.
What was the spark? What drew you to write a memoir about this experience? What made you want to tell this particular story?
I was a chubby, non-athletic child, but grew into an outdoorsy, athletic adult with an “I’ll show them” attitude. I’m also a Francophile and so the combination of taking on a tough challenge on a French island was intriguing. I also knew we would be making the trek with people we didn’t know from other countries, so I thought that would be an interesting angle. Also, as an aging woman in a youth-focused culture, I imagined that expressing how I felt as my physical limitations were getting the best of me (just before the two-week hike, I was diagnosed with RA) could make a good story.
What was your research process like for The Twenty?
It’s a memoir, so I share my own experiences, but we did a lot of research before starting the journey (guidebooks, maps, a history of Corsica, and lots of blogs of those who had done the hike).
From your perspective, what’s the hardest thing about writing and researching? And what do you love most about it?
By far the hardest thing for me is initially capturing the story. I want to be sure I accurately portray what happened, the people I met, and what was going on inside my head. I also want to be sure the story it isn’t boring. Going back and editing, adding, expanding, and softening are much more pleasurable. But you have to tell yourself the story first before you can make it better, and for me, that shitty first draft is tough.
Any new writing projects in the works?
I’ve just finished writing my first novel after publishing two travel memoirs. It, of course, involves travel, to France, Normandy, and Germany, in particular. I have a lot of editing to do, but I am able to say I wrote a novel!
Our first grandchild was born six months ago and so traveling to Washington, DC to see him is a priority. Living in the mountains of Park City, Utah, lets me ski, hike, and camp as much as we can. Being out in nature has always been a source of inspiration for me.
Where can readers find you?
My details are:
Email: mariannecbohr@hotmail.com
Website: www.mariannebohr.com (no c)
Instagram: @mariannecbohr
Facebook: mariannecbohr
Thank you, Marianne! The Twenty is out NOW.
The Twenty
Marianne Bohr and her husband, about to turn sixty, are restless for adventure. They decide on an extended, desolate trek across the French island of Corsica—the GR20, Europe’s toughest long-distance footpath—to challenge what it means to grow old. Part travelogue, part buddy story, part memoir, The Twenty is a journey across a rugged island of stunning beauty little known outside Europe.
From a chubby, non-athletic child, Bohr grew into a fit, athletic person with an “I’ll show them” attitude. But hiking The Twenty forces her to transform a lifetime of hard-won achievements into acceptance of her body and its limitations. The difficult journey across a remote island provides the crucible for exploring what it means to be an aging woman in a youth-focused culture, a physically fit person whose limitations are getting the best of her, and the partner of a husband who is growing old with her. More than a hiking tale, The Twenty is a moving story infused with humor about hiking, aging, accepting life’s finite journey, and the intimacy of a long-term marriage—set against the breathtaking beauty of Corsica’s rugged countryside.