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I’m Nelly, a French travel planner and writer. Today, I primarily write about travel experiences in the USA.
If you’d like to know more about my journey, how I ended up in North Carolina, and my publications, you should start by reading this page.
I’ve already fulfilled one dream by becoming a travel guidebook author and writing for a living. But another childhood dream of mine is to write a novel—my own book. It took me until now to discover what I truly wanted to write about.
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Suddenly, everything makes sense: the history I’ve learned during my travels in the USA, the stories I’ve shared with my readers, and the history of the state I now call home—North Carolina. I want to write about the people who first lived in this land, those who fought to stay here, who managed to reclaim their land. I want to tell the story of North Carolina Cherokees.
I want to write a book in French, to be published in France and perhaps other French-speaking countries. I want to share this inspiring story with the world. People in Europe may have only a vague idea of Native American history and have likely never heard the North Carolina Cherokee story. I want to change that.
My book will be a blend of fiction and documentary, including portraits of Native Americans and historical insights. The fictional storyline will lead my character to Cherokee, where she will discover the history of North Carolina Cherokee and spend time with them. This is where the documentary and historical part begins. Through my character’s discoveries, I will tell the story of the Cherokee people, their history, and their present-day life in the Qualla Boundary. I plan to follow some families and create lively portraits of them, perhaps through the eyes of women, as I am drawn to the idea of a matrilineal society and exploring the strong role of women. I will decide the exact angle as I learn more about Cherokee life and history.
In my book, fiction will be used to draw the readers toward a theme they might not have explored on their own but the real heart of the book would be the real story of the Cherokee. My book would offer an authentic voice to them, providing a space to share their stories and those of their ancestors—a place to tell the story of their people.
To accomplish this, I’ll need significant resources. I plan to spend time in Cherokee to meet with the families whose stories I’ll be sharing and to utilize all available local resources, as well as research by historians and scholars.
This is why we should connect! Let me know if you’d like to schedule a call or meeting. I’d love to share more about my book and my project with you!
nelly@travelwithmeinus.com