A couple of weeks ago I was sitting with my friend Kelly (owner of Create Happy) at our favorite coffee shop in Holmen (The Grind) talking about how we just wished we could get away for a little bit… for a bunch of reasons, but mostly so that we could focus on a single project without the distractions of every day life. Kelly, in all her infinite wisdom, said, “Well, why can’t we? Let’s just go.” “Where?” I asked. “Duluth**,” she answered. “DONE.”

Just two Wisconsin girls on the road with their Big Buddies. (Thanks for the fuel Kwik Trip!)

So on Sunday we left.

We drove the four hours, talking the whole way. For the next 40-ish hours we came what we did to do… and a little more.

The project I decided to focus on during the retreat was my YA novel in progress (the one about the gymnast that I am working on with my mentor). I need to write about 6,000 more words for a June 9th deadline. On this trip, got about half way there. I also visited a few local businesses (two bookstores and one coffee shop) to pitch my Duluth based series (Champion Chocolatier) for their product line up. (I received mixed results: 1 likely yes, 1 maybe and 1 hard (unfriendly) pass.)

Side note:

one of my favorite things about going in a bookstore, is seeing my friends’ books and saying, “Oh! I know them!”. During this trip I got to see Margi Preus and Bob Allen’s books in Fitger’s Bookstore.

In addition to all of our work, we took in the sights and tourists offerings (especially for the food and beverage variety) of this north shore town. I am happy to report that we will both come home with work completed and also an Instagram feed full of good memories.

Kelly, thanks for inviting me to go on this mini-retreat with you! I’m glad we are entrepreneur friends. I’ll go exploring with you anytime!

I’ll close out this week with a few snapshots of our time in Duluth. If you haven’t ever visited Duluth, or it’s been awhile, perhaps these images will inspire you to take a mini retreat of your own.

Happy travels,

Amanda

** Duluth has always been a city of creative inspiration for me. Both the Champion Chocolatier series and Breaking the Surface series (stay tuned for a revival of this YA series!) were inspired during trips to Duluth. I owe so much of my success as a writer to this city and it was the perfect place to host our mini-retreat.

1: Grasshopper at the Radisson Bar: Apostle. This restaurant is on the top floor of the Radisson Hotel and slowly spins, giving you a 360 degree view of the city and harbor. It’s also 1960’s themed in it’s décor, so just plain fun all around. (See what I did there?!?)

2 & 3: 190 Coffee and Tea is a new to Duluth establishment that has a cool vibe/aesthetic and good coffee too!

4: Mural across the street from 190 Coffee and Tea

5: We ate a delicious brunch t the Duluth Grill. I highly recommend their French toast and loved their witty t-shirt selection.

6: We indulged with ice cream for dinner from Bridgeman’s. I was unable to finish what I ordered, but got to bring home the cool cup! I’ll definitely be bringing my family back to this spot, but I will insist that we share!

7: This chandelier is in the entry way to Bellisio’s, an Italian restaurant on Canal Park Drive. Both the restaurant and the chandelier make appearances in the Champion Chocolatier series!

8: Sunset over Duluth and Lake Superior and seen from Spirit Mountain Ski Resort. We stayed in one of the Spirit Mountain villas, giving us access to this gorgeous view.

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