Grindstaff Publishing: Recent Episodes
Tyler Grindstaff
Exploring what it means to be a writer in the digital age. Grindstaff Publishing is a mixture of self-narrated audiobook chapters, writing dissections, habits, and discussions of creating works of literature. Life is full of distractions but there is always time to create something meaningful. Why can't that something be a book?
My college years were spent balancing eight months of school with four months of farming. The first years were spent outside my hometown but due to unforseen circumstances I had to change surroundings. I found myself in the shadow of the Wallowa Mountains in far eastern Oregon living with a young family farming alfalfa and tending to cattle. The work was hard and the days were long but the nights were filled with bars and reading and lightning strikes and dreams of what would come next. It was a fateful trip to the other side of the state, to the Oregon Coast, that would spark an urge to fish, a desire to be on a boat, and a need to follow in the Alaskan footsteps of my forebears.
Chasing the King Fish begins with an unnamed man arriving to log timber in the spring of 1973. We don't know who this man is but we know his history, his future, and the beauty of the memories he and his family will make in Alaska. John F. Kennedy said "We are tied to the ocean..." And so begins the Chasing the King Fish audiobook much in the same vein as Room To Roam. Here the chapters come to you with little editing followed by extensive behind-the-novel insights from the author Tyler Grindstaff.
Who we are is a culmination of everything we have done and experienced up until this point. The same is true with whatever art form you dabble in. For me its writing and for me everything I've done in the past, the jobs, the people met, my family, all culminates in a collection of data I can pull from to create the best I can.
Family is at the center of every Grindstaff Publishing project. This episode examines the work-life-work balance of being a dad and a person who tells stories. Plus, the podcast/narration gets professional-grade with brand new gear from Rode!
The Process is a new component of the GP podcast layout. It is where discussion topics will reside, like today's topic: audiobooks and audio in general. Join me as we talk about the idea to record myself reading my novel, late-night Christmas den editing sessions, the struggles with meeting technical demands, and the triumph of coming out the other side of a new-to-me medium.
We are back! This next section of the Grindstaff Publishing Podcast dives deep into the world of Chasing the King Fish, the adventurous second novel about fishing commercially for salmon in Alaska. Join Tyler as he discusses how he went from a nerdy biology major in a western Oregon college to fishing in southeast Alaska.
A few years have passed since the conclusion of the Europe trip and a lot has changed. Our protagonist has went from a homeless wanderer to a loving husband and father. Along with these changes so much has been pulled from the journey across a continent but the one true constant was, and will always be, the importance to being present.
The final push from Iceland, over the north pole, and into rural Washington was a sprint to the finish and after 94 days 3 hours 24 minutes and 23 seconds my grand European adventure was complete. My growth as a person was immense and the stories gathered were enough to write a novel!
On a ferry bound from the tip of Denmark toward the east of Iceland with a gale force wind thundering and 20-foot seas rocking, beers with Faroese dog sledders, beers with Icelandic painters, and beers with a man from Afghanistan who had escaped the Taliban. The North Atlantic in late autumn is unforgiving...but it makes for a hell of a story.
The end of the grand European adventure was coming to a close. With only the North Atlantic Sea standing between our intrepid traveler and a flight out of Reykjavik home was in sight. Rough seas, Faroese dog sledders, Icelandic painters, and a man who escaped the Taliban all mix in what makes for the most interesting journey in Room To Roam.
Arrive in Copenhagen with a touch of lonely deja vu, walk past the same sights, feel the same vibes, hip hostel, fireplace and bar, watch the weather to the north, storms, board three descending quality trains, arrive at the top of Denmark, Hirtshals, gale force winds, search for ferry, taxi to find it, wait all day with windows rattling, late night bus to Frederikshavn, board empty ferry, find cabin, talk with Icelandic artist, talk with Faroe Islands native, warm beers until 3 am...Denmark Pt. 2
Wandering around London was filled with feelings of finality. Amongst the beauty and seeing so many sights from my childhood daydreams I couldn't shake the notion that everything was heading towards an exit from the European adventure.
Overnight bus from Amsterdam, ferry security, 3am security questioning, load onto ferry in the dark, arrive in the United Kingdom at dusk, English countryside, arrive in London, tea, Buckingham Palace, wander, Westminster Abbey, lunch under London Eye, cross bridges, hostel, Abbey Road, 221B Baker St., Christmas movies at the hostel, miss my bus, catch the next to the airport, $16 flight to Copenhagen, strange feelings to be in a place I had already been, feelings of finality...United Kingdom.
Belgium. Netherlands. Luxembourg. I arrived to the northwest corner of Europe with overhanging gray clouds and a bit of snow. Mixed with the medieval atmosphere present in every corner it was a beauty which kept each day wondorous. The beer, the fortification walls, the snow, the weather, the travelers, the trains, everything in that corner was fantastic.
Belgium. Netherlands. Luxembourg. Train from Paris to Luxembourg City, whole city has a medieval feel, snow, banks, Christmas markets, bomb threats in Brussels, train to Ghent, 13th century hostel, walking tour, Christ's blood, fancy chocolate, beer museum, party hostel, Belgian beer tasting, Thanksgiving in Belgium, on to Bruges, medieval belfry towers, convent, more beer, bus to Amsterdam, Christmas decorations all over, ferry to hostel, Red Light District, marijuana bar, Space Cake, way too high walking around the canals with lights blurring and people staring, back to hostel, next day walk all over Amsterdam, 30 hours in the city of sin then off on a bus to London...BeNeLux
France wound up being the middle of the European adventure. Not in real time but in feel. As I stood in the drizzling rain looking at the Eiffel Tower I realized I was to be heading home in three weeks. Toulouse brought so much of the smaller town vibe, Lyon brought history and a bohemian mood, while Paris brought...Paris. The catacombs, the art museums, the history, even the everyday look and feel brought out the best of what France has to offer. It was now a mad dash to take in as much as possible before the ferry left for Iceland in three weeks!
Bus ride into the terrorist-stricken country, toulouse at night, photography, drinking with locals, a true French bar, offered stolen watches in Lyon, bohemian hostel, reading along the waterway, Paris, Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, the Louvre, gallons of rain, stinking boots, Pere Lachaise cemetary, Jim Morrison's grave, booking the ferry back to Iceland...back to home, three weeks left, once on the train I began missing France
Spain blew me away. It was the country where I felt like I had experienced the most. Ranging from the coasts of Barcelona, the metropolis of Madrid, the medieval centers of Toledo and Segovia, and the cultural warmth of Pamplona. Spain continues to stay with me and I recommend it to anyone who ever asks the inevitable question from a trip like the Europe one had morphed..."which country was your favorite?"
Off the ferry in Barcelona, palm trees and blue skies, artistic architecture, walking tour with a crash course in Barcelona and Spanish history, sketchy hostel, Gaudi tour, getting up high with a castle and Olympic stadium, on to Madrid with amazing hostel and great travel friends, lucifer statue, carbonated wine, pub crawl, bus to Toledo and Segovia, castles and aqueducts, on to Pamplona, following Hemingway's steps, read in bars, watch the Paris terror attacks live, watch in shock and wonder if France will remain open, next stop France...
Waking up in the Alps and going to sleep over a canal in Venice, that was how the Italian segment of the trip began. Venice was everything I was expecting, magnificent and awe-inspiring. The canals of Venice gave way to the intellectual feel of Bologna with its university and anarchists. Florence felt like the seat of the Renaissance and the Cinque Terre felt like the coast of Italy. The wonders of Italy ended with a slow ferry from Genova to Barcelona and the Italian cactus gave way to the palm trees of Spain.
Train from the Alps to Venice, Italian culture and tourists, pizza and cheap red wine above the canals, Bologna and its university, revolutionaries mixed with punk rock and beer, Florence with the Duomo and Renaissance masters, Pisa and the tower with its complex, Cinque Terre hiking, microwave pizza and a funeral, on to Genova with a California girl, pizza with sardines, contemplating the meaning of the Great European Adventure, on a ferry from Italy to Spain, walk off amongst palm trees and Barcelona
After Budapest I found myself sitting on a wooden bench at an Austria castle looking out onto the Alps with black clouds streaking wildly across. The following day found me on top of those Alps, high in the clouds drinking beer in an Alpine hut. The clouds finally broke and I hiked frantically, taking pictures and finding new angles. Innsbruck was full of pastel colored buildings with snow-capped mountains behind, a hostel full of just as colorful people and a hike into a magical land. Austria started off with the big city of Vienna but ended with the natural beauty of the Alps.
Arrive in Salzburg, birtplace of Mozart, climb up to the Hohensalzburg Castle, Alps moody in the background shrouded with clouds, morning on a tram to the top of the Alps, clouds block the view, German beers in a traditional Alpine hut, clouds break, able to see vast Austrian countryside, trek to Innsbruck, pastel colored buildings and Alps, professional chef cooks the hostel food, communal table and conversation, hike amidst grass fields and towering mountains, meet a junkie plagued with demons, fall asleep wondering what kind of demons I myself am trying to run away from...Austria.
Austria. Slovakia. Hungary. Three countries in a little over three days. Fast travel and a whirlwind of mind expansion in a short amount of time. The countries may have flew by but the insight gained by the people, cultures, and sights will last a lifetime. Join the discussion of the trip as it moves south through Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest!
Quick stop in Vienna, high-socked tourists gazing at old statues, crap hostel, sprawling palace with red roses, on to Bratislava, free beer at the hostel, wonderful castle, European politics with the bartender, rugby match in a crowded pub, on to Budapest in the rain, couldn't find hostel, found a travel friend, walking tour, Hungarian liquor and night photography, three countries in three days...exhausted.
With a new found confidence in "eastern Europe" I meander down through Czechia. Brno brings culture and an underground bone collection, Prague is massive with soaring Gothic architecture, Ceske Budejovice becomes my writers retreat, and Cesky Krumlov is a medieval UNESCO wonderland. Czechia, or as it was called in 2015 Czech Republic, was an amazing country which offered so much more than I could have ever thought.
South from Poland by train, Brno in the rain, party hostel with room to myself, giant phalic astronomical clock, underground ossuary, pondering mortality amidst piles of bones, Prague with its Gothic architecture and supreme beauty, old Japanese man with wooden sandals, Ceske Budejovice as a writer, hostel above a bar, drinking with Czech men, Cesky Krumlov and its UNESCO castle and pink church, more writing more wandering, ending Czechia in a travelers pub with fire raging and pen flowing...Czechia.
Poland was the first country which gave me second thoughts. On the bus from Berlin to Gdansk, I couldn't shake the anxiety of going to "eastern Europe" and the stigma it held. Once there all of my trepidation was taken over by historical beauty and the friendliness of the people who live there. Castles, architecture, food, history, and tragedy all came together beautifully for me in my quick journey through Poland.
On to eastern Europe, Gdansk at dawn, girl on heroin, Edward Gorey-esque buildings, medieval crane, old men fishing, drug deals, train tracks to a hippie hostel, The Doors, Columbian and English leading the way to a castle, a true hostel environment, on to Krakow, loud hostel, found luggage, Aushwitz, Berkinau, horror of history, rebound in the city center, on to Czechia...Poland.
Germany stood as the first country I would tackle alone. Missing a bus, lost in a big city, almost losing my bed in a shit hostel...the beginning to the solo adventure was rough. Hamburg turned into Berlin and the notion of walking amongst history I knew was a relief. By the time I left Germany on my way to Poland I felt like I had travel under some sort of control. Plus, the currywurst and cheap beer was a great help!
Alone in Europe, train on a boat to Hamburg, lost, crap hostel in a punk district, American politics, currywurst, red wine and journaling, exploring innocent love and the sex district, cheap bus to Berlin, chasing sunset over Brandenburg Gate and Victory Column, Berlin Wall, Charlottenburg Palace, community talks in the hostel, drunk Australian guy, socks from a gypsy, homesickness, McDonalds, bus to Poland...Germany.
Denmark was the country which stood at the precipice of the grand European adventure. Reed and I had traveled through Scandinavia and Denmark was the final stop for him, for us as traveling companions, for me as a sheltered wanderer. There was a haze over our final country but it wasn't dark. It held something whithin which I would soon found out to be beautiful and rewarding. This chapter is me before I was alone in Europe.
Train to Copenhagen, party hostel, free walking tour, chance encounter which changed my life, budgeting, food truck emporium, Nyhavn district, brothel turned hostel, last duo days, beers and goodbyes...alone.
Sweden and Norway brought stability to the routine of travel but contemplation of what was to come, a reality where I was all alone in the vastness of a different continent. Viking ships and Swedish craft beer helped bring levity to the travel and the atmosphere of Scandinavia brought a lightness to everything around us. The calm before the storm has never been so peaceful and full of adventure!
Back in Sweden, Gothenburg, college town, late night beers with locals, nautical scene, refugees, nearly alone, beers to quell the pending isolation...Sweden...again
Train to Oslo, no place to stay, last minute bookings, island hike, Viking Ship Museum, stave church, expensive craft beer, Olympic ski jump, giant gnome, Werner Herzog talks, train back to Sweden...Norway.
Ferry to Stockholm from Finland, sleeping in tiny capsules, picturesque medieval town center, small boat hostel, grafitti, supreme craft beer, pizza, locals who are too good looking, train to Norway...Chapter 4.
Finland is about adaptation...arriving with lost luggage the adventure starts the minute our alcohol-addled brains are tasked with dealing with adversity. How do we cope? Movement...to fortified islands, Olympic stadium hostels, boat hostels, ferries, and finally Sockholm. Along the way, the idea of writing a book begins to fester!
Losing my backpack full of 'essentials,' Helsinki, Olympic hostel, sweating men, island fortress, lost luggage, over-priced craft beer, train to Turku, boat hostel, ferry to Sweden, Czech girl, autumnal storm, facing the elements, and landing in Stockholm...Chapter 3.
Room To Roam Chapter 2 was all about Iceland. The beauty, the Big Nature, the beer... Months of waiting culminated in a New York to Reykjavik flight fueled by Aurora Borealis. Join the writer as he talks about the first hostel experience, the excitement of meeting his friend in Europe, and the amazement that ensues. Plus a beer explodes during recording so...happy 5th anniversary!
Flying from New York to Reykjavik, seeing the dancing Northern Lights, meeting up with Reed, renting a car, driving all over southwestern Iceland, geysirs, tourists, waterfalls, whale bones, lighthouses, drunken nights...Iceland.
Further exploring the stories and events written in Chapter 1 of Room To Roam. The philosophy of slow travel, frantic writing, Aurora Borealis, how significant someone met so briefly can be in a story, and advice on hostel life.
After months of anticipation the adventure begins in southeastern Washington. A slow train to Seattle, overnight flight to New York, flying over Greenland, dancing Northern Lights, late night arrival to a Reykjavik hostel. The backpacking journey across Europe has quite the beginning!
Starting a publication company isn't as hard as you might think. Join us as we journey from picking a name, setting up ISBNs, choosing software, marketing, and publishing novels under your very own imprint. The amount of work is high, the number of jobs is many, but as writers we love the struggle.
Who I am, what we are, how this podcast will be different from others out there about writing. This episode sets the foundation for what's to come, explains who I am as a writer and scientist and husband and father and creator. How I came to be this person and what I hope to achieve in the future.
Room To Roam is a novel chronicling the trip of a lifetime. A 26-year-old's journey of backpacking 19 countries of Europe in 94 days. Constant movement. Many lessons learned. The Prologue explains the life before the big trip. Expansive hop fields, close friends, dreams of a Europe so far away, a decent Man Bun...it all culminates in a kind of 'going away party' before everthing gets thrown into an adventurous chaos.
Narrated by the writer - Tyler Grindstaff
Room To Roam is a novel chronicling the trip of a lifetime. A 26-year-old's journey of backpacking 19 countries of Europe in 94 days. Constant movement. Many lessons learned. The Author's Note gives the listener insight into why the novel exists and how it came to be.
Narrated by the writer - Tyler Grindstaff