Appalachian Trail ebook - Timberrr!!!

[AmyJanette]

Hi everyone!

Last year I hiked the southern section of the Appalachian Trail. When I got home, I couldn't get the AT out of my mind, so I decided to write a book about it. The result, an ebook called 'Timberrr!!! Or, How I Fell Down The Appalachian Trail' by Amy 'Timber' Hiusser is now available on Amazon (for the Kindle) and Smashwords (for other eReaders and on your computer).

The book has two sections: the first is a trail guide, and the second is my trail journal. The trail guide is basically a preparation guide that covers everything I did to get ready for my trip, as well as flora, fauna, gear, first aid situations, cooking on the trail, and other topics of interest to my fellow hikers. The trail journal section is an edited (i.e. tidied up) version of the daily trail journal I kept on the trail.

Please check it out! Here are the links:

Amazon (for Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7ra2rz3
Smashwords (other eReaders):http://tinyurl.com/74f34tx

Thanks! :)

Timber~

[theinfamousj]

As a person without a Kindle, I'd just like to thank you for putting it on SmashWords so I can read it on my ereader. Will look into it more when I'm not on my phone :)

[atraildreamer]

Free to download...works quite well:

www.amazon.com/ (http://www.amazon.com/)KindleForPC

[AmyJanette]

theinfamousj: I hope you like it if you decide to buy! I'm not sure how well the formatting translated onto all the different formats (as I only have a Kindle), but if you buy it and find it's really poorly formatted, let me know on this thread and I'll see what I can do about getting you a better copy (for free, of course). :)

atraildreamer: Thanks for posting the link to the Kindle for PC app. Lots of people don't know it's available, and I'm sure people will find it useful, even if they don't buy my book to read on it!

[Bookworm2]

I bought the book and am reading it now. I actually really enjoyed reading about the various flora and fauna of the AT. I also love nature and animals, so it was a real treat to find all the detail you put into the book. I'm really enjoying it so far. The writing is hilarious, and I feel that we're kindred spirits, so the book is a real joy for me to read. I hope you continue writing about your adventures in the future. :)

[Rain Man]

Is this book only available in electronic form?

Rain Man

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[John B]

I just bought the Kindle edition and look forward to reading it. :)

[AmyJanette]

Thanks for buying! If you find any glaring errors or typos please let me know so I can fix them. If you have time, I'm trying to entice people to review it for me on Amazon, so if there's any chance anyone who buys it could leave even a short review, I would really appreciate it! :)

Rain Man: Yes, as of now it is only available as an ebook, but I have plans to release a print version at some point in the near future. I have to reformat for print, and it's taking me longer than I expected due to extra shifts at my 'day job'. I will post a link here to the print version when it becomes available. :)

Bookworm2, I'm glad you like it! Are you planning a hike or already been to the AT? Or still just dreaming at this stage? I don't know when I'll be able to get back to the AT, but you can rest assured that when I do, I'll be writing about it! :D

I am so excited to be able to share my experiences on the AT with people who will understand the draw of it. When I was planning my hike, I found trail journals to be very useful in planning my trip. I hope anyone who buys mine will find some useful information in both the trail guide and trail journal sections, and hopefully be entertained. As Bookworm2 mentioned, I tried to incorporate humour into the book as well as helpful information. Also, if anyone needs info about anything that I didn't cover in the book, I'd be happy to answer any additional questions here. :)

[Bookworm2]

I was planning on hiking from Springer Mt. to Damascus in the spring but I had to go and get one of those jobs. Silly things - who needs 'em? Now I'm not really sure when I'll be able to go. Hopefully soon!

[T.S.Kobzol]

what a coincidence. I started the book yesterday but quit before I even finished the sample. Sorry. It did not grab my interest.

[AmyJanette]

Well, you can't please everyone. I guess that's why they have the sampling on Smashwords - so you can check it out before you buy, and if it doesn't suit your fancy you're not out any money.

Thanks for at least giving it a try! :)

[T.S.Kobzol]

No problem. Glad you take it well. I'm just a GOM (Grumpy Old Man) sometimes. Life get in the way of pure focus on things. Maybe next time. FWIW I could sympathize with your depictions on why you haven't done the trail until you met your hubby and I liked the fact that you got support to go and do it yourself. Not sure I needed to know so early that you had to go off the trail on the first try (before I even found out why).

OTOH - I admire the fact that you did write a book. Great accomplishment. Congrats.

[John B]

I'm at the 56% mark (no page numbers). Are you willing to answer questions about your journey?

[AmyJanette]

There was a method to my madness for revealing so early that I didn't finish the trail...I didn't want to misrepresent myself saying I hiked the entire thing, have readers buy it thinking they were going to get the entire experience, and then be disappointed to find I went home earlier than planned. I'm glad you could relate to certain aspects, even if you there weren't enough of those aspects to hold your interest.

John B: Absolutely! If you have any questions you don't want to post openly in this thread, you can send me a PM on here, or email me at [email protected]. I will do my best to answer any questions you have. :)

[WingedMonkey]

Did you hike more or did you hike less than Bill Bryson?

[WingedMonkey]

Sorry, I forgot the ;)

[AmyJanette]

Funny you should ask...Reading Bill Bryson's book was the catalyst that got me thinking about hiking the A.T. As a Canadian, I'd never even heard of the Appalachian Trail before reading A Walk in the Woods. I read his book and thought to myself, "Self, you can SURELY do better than that!"

As it turns out, I was wrong...I did not go as far as Bill Bryson, but unlike Bill Bryson, I still plan on becoming a 2,000 miler. I had a medical reason for going home, but it's not enough to keep me home forever! I plan on picking up where I left off, and continuing my hike northwards. Whether it's in one hike or several, I don't know yet, but the Appalachian Mountains are still calling my name...And I will go! :)

[WingedMonkey]

the Appalachian Mountains are still calling my name...And I will go! :)

The call is hard to ignore.

[AmyJanette]

Very true...It was hard to ignore before I went, but now that I've been there not a day goes by that I don't want to go back. It was truly a life-changing experience, even though I only hiked a few hundred kilometres.

There are so many books out there written by people who completed the trail; many hundreds more start and do not finish for one reason or another. My book is more geared to those wishing to go on a journey of self-discovery rather than a marathon of miles every day. When I started out, I intended to hike the entire trail, but I also didn't want to reach the end at the expense of the journey on the way there. I may have redefined my goals along the way, but that doesn't mean I didn't learn just as much about myself or about long distance hiking as those who went the entire distance. I dealt with blisters, bears, and backaches, came home with the same knee problems and longing to return as those who hiked the entire distance. Just because I only hiked until I reached the Smokies doesn't invalidate my book or what I had to say in it.

You never know how far you can go until you try. I tried and went much farther than people who never go. I wrote the book to help people go even farther than that, to share my experiences and my hope that it will help someone go the entire distance if that is what they set out to do. Even if they never reach the end, they accomplished something that many people never accomplish because they never make the time to follow that dream to hike the AT and see how far it takes them.

[Sly]

Is this book only available in electronic form?

Rain Man

.

Not after you print it out. :)

[10-K]

Sorry, I forgot the ;)

You've been doing that a lot lately...

... :)

[WingedMonkey]

You've been doing that a lot lately...

... :)

I should probably make it a part of my permanent signature, just to say it is all a joke.

;)

[rocketsocks]

Funny you should ask...Reading Bill Bryson's book was the catalyst that got me thinking about hiking the A.T. As a Canadian, I'd never even heard of the Appalachian Trail before reading A Walk in the Woods. I read his book and thought to myself, "Self, you can SURELY do better than that!"

As it turns out, I was wrong...I did not go as far as Bill Bryson, but unlike Bill Bryson, I still plan on becoming a 2,000 miler. I had a medical reason for going home, but it's not enough to keep me home forever! I plan on picking up where I left off, and continuing my hike northwards. Whether it's in one hike or several, I don't know yet, but the Appalachian Mountains are still calling my name...And I will go! :)Yep, your hooked, it's all up/down hills now.:)

[10-K]

I should probably make it a part of my permanent signature, just to say it is all a joke.

;)

Oh I get it...

I appreciate your wit and occasional sarcasm, seriously.

[theinfamousj]

Not after you print it out. :)

16491............

[chiefduffy]

Thanks for writing this book! I particularly enjoyed the flora/fauna descriptions and especially the pictures. Most AT books don't do as well. I have to say, I admire your grit. With the health problems you encountered, I doubt if I would have stayed on the trail as long. I had to cut my '07 thru attempt short because of family issues back home, and I still think of the trail every single day. I do long sections now, and I hope to run into you on one of them! Keep on hikin!!!!

[Rain Man]

Amy, I finished the journal portion of your book just early this morning. As someone else said, I admire your grit and I also liked the flora and fauna references and the stories about other characters and places on the trail. Thanks for sharing! I'll go back now and look at the first half of the book.

I was fortunate to have this book on a trip I took this week. It was interesting enough to me that I wanted to keep reading it, and as a daily journal, it was convenient to stop where I needed and pick it right back up later.

I wouldn't put this book on the same top tier with Bill Bryson's or Model-T's (J.R. Tate), but then I hardly put any on that tier. But I would recommend your book to AT enthusiasts, yes. Thanks for sharing and for your full and honest accounts.

(May post more after reading the first half.)

Rain:sunMan

P.S. Interesting how once you got OFF those medications, your period settled down on its own. Medications sometimes cause more problems than they are able to solve or mask.

.

[Rick Hancock]

Timber. I purchased your book for my Kindle ( I have about 12 AT books on it along with about 200 other books.) Purchased from Amazon yesterday and read it between doses of The Walking Dead. It's a pretty good read and I enjoyed your style. As a side note so far there are no problems with format, text, or spelling. Nice Book.
Rick Hancock
Ga-Me '80

[AmyJanette]

Thanks so much for all your nice comments! :)

It's devastating when you have to leave the trail, chiefduffy, but somehow, someway, you keep carrying on, and when you have the chance, you continue on. My next hike of the AT will be whenever I make enough money from my books (there are more coming, though in the fiction genre) to be able to afford plane tickets from Canada plus the time off work.

A few of you have mentioned the flora/fauna section of the book; I have to admit, of the 'trail guide' part of the book, that was my favourite chapter to write. I saw quite a few animals on the trail, but I wish I'd seen more of those described in my book!

I'm glad you didn't find any errors in the formatting, spelling or text of the book, but if you look closely at the entry for the Stover Creek Shelter, you'll find one that I found so funny when it was pointed out to me that I left it there. I know, not very professional, but I've always had a warped sense of humour.

My friend, who'd never been hiking, pointing it out to me...She said, "I don't know if I want to hike the Appalachian Trail if pain pours from the sky!" Me: "What do you mean?" Her: "In the one entry, you're talking about the pouring rain, but you typed pouring pain." Me: "Must have been a subliminal message or my subconscious talking..." LOL...Do you guys think I should take it out or leave it for those who find it to get a chuckle from? :p

[GlitterHiker]

Amy, I'll buy your book today. I'm a noobie backpacker and I want to hike the Great Allegheny Passage. Hike, not bike - simply to observe and record flora & fauna. I'll look to your writing as inspiration.

[theinfamousj]

To quote my review ----


I am always a fan of reading trail journals that have been turned in to novels. As such, I was thrilled to read Timberrr! and the story of a hike cut short, but a true, honest accounting of the emotional changes undergone, rather than just a focus on gear. In my opinion, this book joins Jan "LiteShoe"'s printed novel: The Ordinary Adventurer {http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Ordinary_Adventurer.html?id=aMGmGAAACAAJ} as a great trail journal turned novel, though Jan's is about the Vermont Long Trail. Coincidentally, both are by female hikers, and I - sharing this account with others through BugMeNot - am a female reader.

So, the trail journal part was fantastic, but as an added bonus, you get a whole section on the wildlife that you might encounter along the trail, along with photos from Amy, herself, and a few chapters on the realistic risks of hiking the trail as well as what to do should you encounter any of those risks.

All in all: five stars and worth every penny! I've saved this to my online cloud storage space so that I can reread the book should it ever disappear from SmashWords.

[rocketsocks]

Thanks so much for all your nice comments! :)

It's devastating when you have to leave the trail, chiefduffy, but somehow, someway, you keep carrying on, and when you have the chance, you continue on. My next hike of the AT will be whenever I make enough money from my books (there are more coming, though in the fiction genre) to be able to afford plane tickets from Canada plus the time off work.

A few of you have mentioned the flora/fauna section of the book; I have to admit, of the 'trail guide' part of the book, that was my favourite chapter to write. I saw quite a few animals on the trail, but I wish I'd seen more of those described in my book!

I'm glad you didn't find any errors in the formatting, spelling or text of the book, but if you look closely at the entry for the Stover Creek Shelter, you'll find one that I found so funny when it was pointed out to me that I left it there. I know, not very professional, but I've always had a warped sense of humour.

My friend, who'd never been hiking, pointing it out to me...She said, "I don't know if I want to hike the Appalachian Trail if pain pours from the sky!" Me: "What do you mean?" Her: "In the one entry, you're talking about the pouring rain, but you typed pouring pain." Me: "Must have been a subliminal message or my subconscious talking..." LOL...Do you guys think I should take it out or leave it for those who find it to get a chuckle from? :pOh Heck yeah, I'd leave that in, It is totally plausible,I've had pain poring down on me before. That's my pick anyway, I think it works, and I think anyone who has felt the pain, would agree. Nice book by the way, but I'm a Nook man right now, is it available there also, I'd spring for a few bucks on it. Hope you get back to the trail one day Amy:)

[jfarrell04]

Got nothing for you, I had nothing before
Don`t even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, Pain pouring down
Nothing you can sell me, I`ll see you around

[rocketsocks]

Got nothing for you, I had nothing before
Don`t even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, Pain pouring down
Nothing you can sell me, I`ll see you aroundAnd there ya have it, it's a phrase/lyric, yep...I'd leave it in, hehe:sunIt speaks volumes!

[AmyJanette]

Rocketsocks: It is available in multiple ereader formats at http://tinyurl.com/74f34tx which is the Smashwords.com website. One of those formats includes one compatible with the Nook. The formatting is different, and I'm not sure how well it translated from the Kindle version, so if you download it and find the formatting is horrible, let me know and I'll see what I can do about getting you a better copy.

GlitterHiker: Good luck with your hike! I had a wonderful time looking at and identifying the flora on the AT...I hope your experience on the GAP is just as rewarding. :)

theinfamousj: Thanks so much for the review! It's always nice for me to hear that others enjoyed reading about my hike. :)

Other reviewers: Thanks to EVERYONE for their reviews and input on what they liked and didn't like about the book...Every critique, whether good or bad, helps me develop my skills as a writer, and I do appreciate hearing from anyone who cares to share their opinion. I have developed a Facebook Page for anyone who would like to discuss my book (hopefully BOOKS by the end of the year!) or anything else you wish to discuss, really. The page is titled "Amy J. Hiusser". So far I am quite pleased with the feedback I've received for 'Timberrr'; the likes outweigh the dislikes, so I'm happy. :)

Pouring pain...I think I'll leave it in the Kindle edition...But I think I'll take it out when I get going on the print version. (And yes, there IS a print version coming, if I can figure out how get my pictures ready BEFORE I throw my picture editing software out the window!)

[rocketsocks]

Will do..it looked good, is it ever going to come out in paper, I have no idea of how the whole process works for e-books. Thanks, any info would be good, I'm sure many would like to do one some day, it's a great way of documenting your hike.

[Toli]

Hi everyone!

Last year I hiked the southern section of the Appalachian Trail. When I got home, I couldn't get the AT out of my mind, so I decided to write a book about it. The result, an ebook called 'Timberrr!!! Or, How I Fell Down The Appalachian Trail' by Amy 'Timber' Hiusser is now available on Amazon (for the Kindle) and Smashwords (for other eReaders and on your computer).

The book has two sections: the first is a trail guide, and the second is my trail journal. The trail guide is basically a preparation guide that covers everything I did to get ready for my trip, as well as flora, fauna, gear, first aid situations, cooking on the trail, and other topics of interest to my fellow hikers. The trail journal section is an edited (i.e. tidied up) version of the daily trail journal I kept on the trail.

Please check it out! Here are the links:

Amazon (for Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7ra2rz3
Smashwords (other eReaders):http://tinyurl.com/74f34tx

Thanks! :)

Timber~

Got ur ebook for my Kindle Fire earlier 2day, set up my Qiwiz Cuben tarp in my back yard and spent the entire rainy day dry and very happy reading ur book... You did good girl... Looking forward to you finishing the rest of the book/ trail... Thanks... Toli

[rocketsocks]

I found it on Smash Words, but do not have an account there, and am just not ready to open another one. It is also not available on the Barnes & Noble Nook site, if it should become a paper book, please do post again, it looks interesting.

[AmyJanette]

Rocketsocks: I am putting the finishing touches on the print version of my book. Once that is finished, I will need to approve a proof copy, and then it will be available in the Amazon bookstore. This publishing is a lot more complicated than the writing ever was! But it should be out within the next couple weeks, barring any huge changes after I receive the proof copy.

And as an aside, I will be including a few additional pictures in the print version that I couldn't fit into the Kindle version without making the file too big. And, I have taken into consideration people's critiques and edited in a couple of places, while the gist of the book remains the same, while giving it another once over for typos and other errors.

In the meantime, thank you all so much for your continued support in purchasing and giving me feedback on the Kindle version. If anyone would like to contact me with comments, questions, concerns, and critiques, good or bad, please feel free to email me: ahiusserbooks at hotmail dot com - remove spaces and replace at with @ and dot with . and you'll get me but the junk emailers won't (I'm hoping...lol).

I hope that the majority of you who have bought the book on Kindle have found some nuggets of wisdom in there somewhere. :)

[Rain Man]

Rocketsocks: I am putting the finishing touches on the print version of my book. Once that is finished....

Timberrr, I read your book on Kindle and enjoyed it. But I did find typos, misspelled names, and similar mistakes that a professional editor would have caught. I'm NOT a professional editor, but am a wordsmith (attorney) and have hiked much of the trail. If you'll provide me with a print version, I'd be happy to re-read and report any errors to you for correction before it goes on sale. I've made that offer to other AT authors in the past.

Not that you have to take me up on my offer! But it irks me to pay for a published print book and find it full of errors (NOT that yours was!),-- as is often the case with self-published AT memoirs,-- which would be so easily avoided by the simple process of getting a third-party to read it with fresh eyes.

Apologies if I'm just butting in.

Rain:sunMan

P.S. I leave Friday for the 75th Anniversary celebration in Harpers Ferry, then two weeks of hiking the AT through New Hampshire, so will be out of touch for a bit.

.