How have I forgotten to post these here?! I guess I’ll blame it on the pandemic! CNBC.com – the online version of NBC – has published two of my articles in its “Make It” section, with a third coming out tomorrow. Here is the first, my basic story.
It trended in the Top 3 stories for more than a week, and I received hundreds of messages and emails, all of which I answered (eventually!).
The editors wanted to focus on the low cost of living for the first story, something I’m not entirely comfortable with trumpeting all over the place. That’s only one of the many reasons why I moved to Mexico! But I guess they know what people are looking for.
The second story has tips for making the move to Mexico – things I wish I’d known.
These articles have reached tens of thousands of people and hopefully inspired many of them to follow their dreams and move to Mexico too!
And I’m listed on the CNBC site as a Contributor – woo-hoo!
“American Women Looking for a Change of Scenery Choose Mexico” / ExpatsInMexico.com
Run by Bob and Felice Arden Nelson, Expats in Mexico is a bright, intelligent website dedicated to providing a broad view of living abroad that includes detailed information about how exactly to do it. Both are widely traveled and experienced expats for many years, and their expertise comes through on their site.
In terms of Mexico, there are dedicated pages for 11 cities with current info about things like climate, cost of living, health care, safety, lifestyle, etc. There’s also a free e-newsletter you can sign up for to keep up-to-date about new articles. The article about “Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats,” written by Sarah DeVries, is part of the site’s section on “Moving.” It’s a comprehensive look not just at the book, but also at some of the contributor’s personal stories and their particular perspectives..
“Books We Love” / Review in The Adventuress Travel Magazine
The Adventuress Travel Magazine is a unique website & community created by Carolyn Hamilton – herself a fascinating woman, author and world traveler. “We are women over 50 doing fun things,” she says. “We talk about food and books and films by & for women who love to travel and have had adventures in their lives that will thrill, entertain and inspire you.” Carolyn recently reviewed my book, in particular mentioning contributors Gayla Jones, Jan Davis and Gwyn Higbee.
“Gone Girls,” / Good Times Santa Cruz
This was the first article written about me and the book, in the Good Times weekly in Santa Cruz, California. It was (woo-hoo!) the cover story, titled “Santa Cruz Expat’s Book Explains “Why We Left” with a very clever greeting scrawled across the photo.
The article was long and comprehensive and Wallace Baine is an award-winning, inspired, sensitive writer (and author of three books) who really “got” it. (Full disclosure: I used to work there and the writer is a friend of mine. )
Although I’ve been a professional published writer for more than 20 years, it’s an entirely different thing to be the subject of a story – and a cover story at that. Friends in Santa Cruz sent me pix of things like this:
And of the actual pages of the story, which I still have not seen in real life.
All in all, it was a fantastic experience and has set the stage for lots more press requests. I’m so appreciative that my first interview was with a friend! When I stumbled, gave confusing, rambling answers or changed my words, I knew he would focus on the gist of what I was saying, allow me to gather my thoughts and move on. Phew!
“Finding the American Dream in Mexico,” / Podcast with Cristina Mendonsa, KFBK, Sacramento, California
An informative, fun podcast with award-winning journalist Cristina Mendonsa about my book and expat life in general. “I’m a storyteller, first and foremost,” says Cristina, whose journalism career spans more than 20 years. “And there are lots and lots of stories to tell in lots and lots of fields.”
She asked great questions, so I was able to give pretty great answers! We talked about the questions everyone has about how to move to Mexico – and the fact that everyone figures out different ways to solve them. “There is no one answer,” I said. (Interestingly, the story before my interview was about a terrible shooting in the US.) Click on the arrow to listen here.
Her co-hosts described my book, “Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats,” as like a “Moving to Mexico for Dummies” guidebook. “Here’s how you do it – how to get outta here – and live the life!”
“She’s 63 and living by the beach in Mexico on $1,000 a month: ‘I can’t imagine living in the U.S. again'” / MarketWatch / Wall Street Journal
This was my first really big – REALLY big – press. MarketWatch is a financial publication of DowJones / Wall Street Journal that gets 16 million visitors a month. I had read a story by reporter Catey Hill about expats in Tijuana and sent her a letter explaining about my book. She replied immediately, and off we went!
Catey is senior content strategist for MarketWatch and author of “The 30-Minute Money Plan for Moms.” She writes about how to upgrade your life – whether it’s getting ahead at work, boosting your health or happiness, or improving your finances. You can follow her on Twitter @CateyHill or follow her new series about where to retire.
“Woman flees America to live in a cheap Mexican beach town” / New York Post
Sigh. This article came out a few days after the Wall Street Journal story. It still makes me chuckle, and I really want to have a T-shirt made with the headline on it. For those who might not know, the New York Post is known for, shall we say, “exaggerated” headlines and stories.
My friends and family in New York definitely got a laugh out of this! I guess it is kind of true though, when you think about it. And you know what they say: Any press is good press. Read the full story here.
Janet Blaser 