Jane Christmas brings a humorous twist to the travel writing genre. Her two previous books, both Canadian bestsellers, are much than laugh-out-loud romps through a country or place they take the reader by the hand into emotional territory. It’s all done in that authentic, fresh voice that makes Jane such a distinctive writer and that has earned her a devoted following. “When we travel,” says Jane, “we take two trips simultaneously—the physical one with all the strangled chaos of airports, fouled up accommodations, and the adapting to culture and language. Then there’s the parallel journey, the one that confronts your deepest fears—whether it be snakes, unpredictable girlfriends, or your cantankerous mom who’s decided to join you on the trip. I love to explore a place but I also love finding out what the journey reveals about me. Travel has a way of uncovering what a total idiot I can be, but once in a while it also brings to the fore moments of thoughtfulness, resourcefulness and something approaching brilliance—though on second thought that last one might just be the sun shining in my eyes.”

Christmas’ writing has been compared to Bill Bryson, Nora Ephron, and Anne Lamott. She is the author of The Pelee Project and What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim. She lives in Hamilton, Ontario.