My First Book, ‘Magic Carpet Seduction,’ Now Available…Come Enjoy the Ride!

Finally—after what feels like forever—my first book, ‘Magic Carpet Seduction,’ has been published and is now available on Amazon. Yay!

It’s been a long road getting here. I can’t even remember when I began the book. And the crazy journey it’s been will be the subject of another post. For now, I’d simply like to celebrate (man, do I need a drink!) and to tell you all about this baby I’ve just given birth to.

Cute, isn’t she? Or he? Or is it twins, actually? Boy and girl.

Front cover of Magic Carpet Seduction, my first book!

What’s the Book About?

This is the copy that will appear on the back cover of the paperback (which will available in the summer):

Close encounters with Carpet Casanovas in Turkey.
A quest to meet a wizard-like hermit in the Lebanese mountains.
Political intrigue in a Chinese classroom.
A marriage proposal on a Nicaraguan chicken bus.

Vicariously experience these and other adventures when you travel with the author, Lisa Egle, to China, Latin America, Turkey and the Middle East. As she takes risks off the beaten path, random moments lead to unexpected journeys. Each ride on the carpet—a tale in the collection—is unique, so you never know where you’ll land next.

Highly entertaining and thought-provoking, Magic Carpet Seduction helps you discover how traveling to far-flung destinations can bring you closer to yourself…

What’s It Like To Ride the Carpet/Read the Book?

Step Inside the Bedouin Lounge and Find Out!

One of my favorite things to do is hang out with friends and swap stories about pretty much anything—especially travel. So imagine that my book is the equivalent of an invitation to a Bedouin lounge of sorts.

If you decide to join me, we’ll get comfy on the cushions and share some tea (or coffee or whichever beverage you like). When you’re ready, I’ll start telling you my favorite travel tales—and together, we’ll take a magic carpet ride to 9 countries on 2.5 continents (if you count Turkey’s European half). For part of the journey, we’ll transfer to a chicken bus, of course.

Wherever you are when you read it, you’ll be right there with me! You’ll meet the characters, see the sights and enjoy the same adventures—and misadventures.

Where Will the Carpet Take You? To 9 Countries!

The stories in this book are from 9 countries:

• Mainland China
• Latin America (Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico)
• Turkey (Western and Eastern)
• The Middle East (Jordan, Syria and Lebanon)

Expanded Itinerary

Ride I: Silence is Golden (People’s Republic of China)

Itinerary: Enter another world—the Chinese province where Chairman Mao Zedong was born—and experience an English-teaching mission that gets complicated by lingdaos (young Communist Party leader-students) and a mysterious chalk drawing in my classroom. Be there with me as I struggle with freedom of speech issues while attempting to connect with my students’ hearts and minds.

Ride II: Viva la Revolución (Central America/Mexico)

Itinerary: Like road trips? How about bus trips? Join me and a friend on a month-long journey from Nicaragua to Mexico to countries where the revolución lives on. Vicariously experience younger-man temptation, heart-warming encounters with locals and yes, a 12-hour chicken bus ride full of quirky characters. You—and your butt—will never be the same!

Ride III: Turkish Delight (Turkey)

Itinerary: Step into a black comedy with a dash of romance (imagine if directors Woody Allen and Pedro Almodóvar worked together). Sleep in a fairy chimney cave, meet the Carpet Casanovas and pass through terrorist checkpoints on a Turkish chicken bus equivalent. The climax will leave you wanting a cigarette—and a stiff drink!

Ride IV: 40 Arabian Nights (The Middle East)

Itinerary: What’s it like for a woman to travel solo in the Middle East? Find out when you accompany me on an offbeat homestay with a Circassian family in Jordan, followed by Arabic classes in Damascus and a stint as an extra on a TV show in the Syrian desert. The ride ends in Lebanon, with a quest to meet a mysterious hermit who may hold the key to understanding life itself.

What Kind of People Will You Meet?

All kinds! Mostly locals, families included. Lots of random strangers. (And sometimes other travelers.) Central American cheese smugglers. A famous actor. A strict Arabic teacher. A Lebanese hermit. Those are just a few…

Here are a few more I’d like to introduce to you right now…

Edelma—the only female taxi driver on Isla Ometepe (Nicaragua)—who became a friend after a shaky first meeting…and ride.

Adnan, the Syrian barber I ‘tried’ to speak Arabic with…let’s just say there were many laughs!

Tara, a Circassian-Joranian girl whose family I stayed with…because I took a risk and (sort of) played the Kevin Bacon Game.

What Do Other Riders/Readers Think of the Book So Far?

Here are excerpts from some of the reviews that have come in so far…

“When I want to escape, I want to travel to another world. I want to meet characters I would not ordinarily meet, taste things I would not ordinarily taste, stare down trouble, meet my heroes and heroines, and…be surprised from one page to the next. This is what Lisa Egle does for the would-be traveler. She immerses us in distant places and invites us to dance with strangers in strange lands. This is adventure. This is where I want to be.”

—Christine Redman-Waldeyer, D Litt, Editor of Adanna Literary Journal

*****

“Alternately hilarious and harrowing, Lisa Egle’s high-spirited Magic Carpet Seduction is a traveler’s trunk crammed with memorable people, sights, sounds and surprises. Like her fellow solo female travelers Gertrude Bell and Freya Stark, Egle doesn’t let rules and regulations get in the way of collecting a good story. It is the author’s ability to find humanity in people that makes this magic carpet journey especially seductive to me.”

—Burt Kempner, Writer/Documentary Filmmaker

*****

“The author’s engaging storytelling entices the reader into stepping on the magic carpet and traveling vicariously with her. The colorful vignettes seduce the reader into needing to find out if she missed the plane, got arrested, or found love. Her prose is entertaining, educational, and often humorous. I thoroughly enjoyed these vicarious travels with Lisa, and I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in cultural anthropology, sociology, or a desire to experience the exotic spiciness of life!”

—Michelle Geisert, Asst. Professor of Sociology
Atlanta Metropolitan State College

*****

“Magic Carpet Seduction is richly atmospheric nonfiction that gently pulls the reader in to be a fun and willing partner in crime. From fearless taxi drivers to angels of mercy sent to scam, Lisa’s adventures will keep you at the edge of your seat and turning pages. The only downside to this book is that there is an end.”

—Maria Falvey
Founder/Editor of Accelerated Stall Travel Blog

Am I Tired? You Bet I Am!

I threw in this photo a) because it’s going on the back cover of the paperback and b) I hope to eventually feel and look relaxed, as I did when this photo was taken. I think it was shot when I was in Ecuador 2 summers ago. Let’s hope the energy returns soon!

There are many reasons for my extreme fatigue right now (post coming later)—one of which is that I did all of this myself. I self-published this book and started my own publishing company, MayaFuna Press. I’ve got a lot of other projects I’ll be working on and may want to publish collections of other travelers’ tales in the future. Stay tuned!

Me…before the burnout and fatigue really set in. :)

Thanks/Appreciation to Many People, Including You

There are so many people out there I’d like to thank. Most are listed in the Acknowledgements section of the book.

However, I’d like to thank you, my readers, right now…and other travel bloggers who have given me advice along the way. So many of you have visited this blog over the past few years and commented on stories and encouraged me to keep writing.

Tea, sugar and a dream–as they say in Turkish. Teşekkür ederim. Thank you!

Additional thanks to the folks over at Scrivener, the company whose software I used to format the book. Jeffrey in Tech Support got back to me promptly whenever I had a question and I appreciated that. And thanks to Derek Murphy of Creativindie Covers, who designed my cover. I’m really pleased with the work he did!

And special thanks to an Aussie named Robert Watson who’s a great coach and editor who’s been incredibly supportive since I first finished the rough draft. I’ll never forget all he’s done…

Ready to Take the Ride? Get the Book Now!

Here’s a link to Amazon–to the page where you can download a free sample and/or buy the book. At the moment, it’s only available via Kindle. If you have an iPad or another tablet (or a smartphone), just download the Kindle app and you’ll be good to go. If you have a Kindle, then you’re already set. By summer, the paperback will be available, too.

Thanks for following my blog and for reading my book if you choose to. I hope you enjoy the ride! I promise there will be plenty more in the future!

Any Glitches (or Typos)? Let Me Know

I’ve checked the book many times, but glitches are not uncommon. If you purchase it and have any issues, let me know. Also, if you spot any typos/formatting errors, I’d also like to hear from you. (And I apologize.) The book has been professionally edited and proofread many times. Still, things happen. You can write me at chickybus (@) yahoo. Thank you.