Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Frye.
Hi Jason , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer and I’ve always written – notebook-sized “novels” about my elementary-school class, short stories and poetry through middle and high school – but in college I majored in English and Education with the intention of becoming a teacher. And I did. For a few years, I was a Language Arts teacher, but I hated thinking I’d become a cliche: the English teacher who’s “working on a book” this summer. So I went to art school at UNC Wilmington, where I earned my MFA in Creative Writing. After that, I began taking on freelance assignments. Over time I turned a “say yes to any assignment” philosophy into a “let’s pitch fun stories about travel, tourism, and food and see what happens” way of doing things. Now – 18 years, 31 books, and thousands of stories later – I’m so glad I turned my career toward food, drink, and travel.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Getting here hasn’t always been easy. The freelance life is one of irregular paychecks, no weekends, and you learning everything about how to run a business. You constantly run into challenges larger than your own expertise and have to learn the lesson of how to ask for help. Help comes from other professionals – your CPA, a contract attorney, IT support… – and from the friends who wholeheartedly believe in what you’re doing, but it also comes from within, and you’ll find moments you need to learn, grow, and meet the challenges instead of hiring them out.
The financial cycle is the hardest thing to get used to. Some magazines I write for pay when I submit the story, but others pay in 9 or 10 months when the issue come out, so you need to adjust to the erratic pay cycle before you’re comfortable in the role.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a writer and editor, but primarily known for my writing. As the author of 31 travel guides, predominantly about North Carolina, I’m often called Mr. North Carolina, Mr. Tarheel, or something similar. But I also get called the Smoky Mountains Guy, Mr. Parkway (for my Blue Ridge Parkway guide), and, most recently, That Hiking Guy for my newest book: Moon USA National Parks Hiking.
It’s hard to say what project I’m most proud of. The easy answer is to say “the most recent book to hit shelves” and there’s truth to that, but I’m quite proud of the whole body of work so far. The cover art – always a beauty shot intended to inspire readers to travel – is beautiful and I put a lot of thought into the types of places I recommend inside. With my USA National Parks Hiking Guide, I knew I had a particular challenge: to make the outdoors accessible, open, and welcome to all hikers of all ability levels, familiarity with the outdoors, and across the spectrum from National Parks fanatics to the folks who’d rather be inside. In that book, I found some monster hikes – 44 miles, 100 miles, 7 days backpacking – that will challenge the most trail-savvy hikers, but I also found more than a dozen accessible hikes, meaning people who require a mobility assistance can find a trail that still delivers a superb National Parks experience.
I may not be in the best position to say what sets my work apart from others, but I hope it’s the imagery and music I insert into my writing, the deep connections I make to places when I’m researching, and the variety of recommendations I make.
What makes you happy?
A lot of things make me happy for a lot of reasons. I love the outdoors, so hiking a new or a familiar trail, paddling some unknown waters, or exploring a new environment makes me very happy. But I love a good book, the way a novel can pick you up and place you in a landscape and situation and make you feel it as if it were real, that’s powerful and it makes me happy to read and to experience. Music – getting lost in a Grateful Dead or Phish jam is bliss. But I also enjoy learning how terroir expresses itself in wine and cannabis, and learning to cook a new dish.
Mostly what makes me happy is spending time with my wife and my cats at my house. It’s an easy place to relax and recharge.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beardedwriter/
