Lisa Moore Ramée

Lisa Moore Ramée still calls Los Angeles home even though she now lives in the Bay Area. She counts coffee as one of her best friends and is a devout believer in dreams coming true. Her debut novel, A Good Kind of Trouble, is a Walter Dean Meyers Honor book, an Indie bestseller and garnered three starred reviews. She is also the author of Something to Say (which also received three starred reviews and is an Amazon editor's pick) and MapMaker, her foray into fantasy. Visit her website at lisamooreramee.com

Did the retreat meet your expectations?

The retreat exceeded my expectations. The accommodations were fabulous, and the setting was idyllic.

What was the most unexpected part of your stay?

We were treated to a vineyard tour and wine tasting which was incredible. Our guide, Michelle, was so knowledgeable and friendly and the food pairings were so yummy. Even though we knew we were staying at a vineyard, we didn't expect to get to enjoy the wines produced! Also having a delicious breakfast delivered each morning was an amazing surprise.

What was the most enjoyable aspect of your retreat?

As much as I loved the tasting, the best part was being able to disconnect from my regular life for a few days and get some serious writing done. I felt inspired each day to dive into my stories.

Did the vineyard setting inspire you and/or your writing? In what ways?

I'm a big fan of walking when I need to figure out a problem with a story, and the vineyard setting provided such a wonderful place to walk and enjoy the outdoors—the weather really cooperated—and also hearing about how much care the Jordan family put into making wine and how hard they worked to make it happen was inspirational.

What did you work on during the retreat?

I worked on edits for a picture book about a young boy travelling throughout Africa in his imagination. (Being able to look outside at beautiful views—while obviously not like Africa—really helped me to think about what types of things one might notice in nature.) I also worked on finishing a draft of a middle grade novel that I had been struggling to figure out some of the plot points.

What other activities did you do during the retreat—any napping, hiking, or exploring the local area?

Our visit wasn't that long (we could have easily stayed for a week!) but we did wine tasting, went on walks, and did a lot of sitting in our great house talking about our writing. We also allowed ourselves the luxury of a nap, and I took advantage of the huge tub and took a wonderfully long soak. We had a couple of meals in Healdsburg which were fantastic.

Did you participate in any activities or events arranged by the host winery? If so please elaborate.

As mentioned above, the winery hosted us to a tour and tasting. I've never been on a tour like that—maybe because it was just the two of us—so it felt like we were celebrities. And a bonus was the winery provided car service to and from downtown Healdsburg so we didn't have to drive anywhere. We were really treated so wonderfully.

Any tips or advice you think might be helpful for future residency applicants?

My main piece of advice would be to apply! Don't miss out on this experience. I do think it really helped to have a plan on what I wanted to work on as it can be easy to get distracted by the beauty surrounding you. But set the goal low. Don't think you're going to revise a whole book in a couple of days. Maybe the goal is to simply spend an hour a day on your writing.

If your retreat was a co-residency do you have any advice or tips for future applicants that wish to apply and work together?

My friend Sally and I have a great relationship and I'd say it's important to talk through what the expectation is regarding visiting with each other. How will you set up boundaries (if needed) to keep from chatting away the day. Sally and I are both really disciplined with this, but it may help to have headphones to signal you're in a "do-not-disturb" mode.

Can you sum up your experience in eight to ten words?

This experience was not only inspiring but also absolutely delightful.