Strong Women: Roller skating

1,100 miles from Houston to Chicago

Can you imagine someone roller skating 1,100 miles from Houston, Texas, to Chicago? Well, my son assisted his friend, the super talented Natalia Victoria, in her quest to do this. She skated into her destination, the Picasso statue at Chicago’s Daley Plaza, yesterday!

It took her 26 days, mostly skating at night on the less-traveled roads. This determined lady averaged about 17 miles an hour. She skated through blisters, a sprained ankle (from the grueling uphill roads in Arkansas), heat, cold, and bad weather. My youngest son followed along in a slow-going car to help protect her. Though this involved speed skating, she’s actually a trained skate dancer.

The odyssey was inspired as a tribute to her late mother, a Chicago native who was also a skater. Natalia skated into Chicago on her mother’s birthday, July 12.

Some of the great videos of her travel along the byways of mid-America can be found  here.

My son took two weeks’ vacation from his job as a print journalist to help chronicle her journey. After two weeks, he worked his real job remotely (in spite of sketchy internet and cell service) while trying to catch some sleep whenever he could.

Don’t you think Natalia is definitely the stuff of which heroines are made? (And she’s beautiful, too!)

30-plus Historical Novels for 99¢ Each

I promise this is my last reminder about the special July promo of 99¢ historical novels. My offerings include my first Beresford Adventure, Lady Mary’s Dangerous Encounter, which received a rare 5-star review from InD’tale Magazine.

My other title is my lighthearted Miss Hastings’ Excellent London Adventure, which was a USA Today bestseller.

You can find all 30-plus books here: