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Of a Woman: The Journey to Becoming is available now!

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Shannon DalPozzal

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Of a Woman: The Journey to Becoming is available now!

Shannon DalPozzal

Table of Contents

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  • Current Titles
  • Of a Woman: the journey to becoming
  • Banana Pudding and other Sticky Situations
  • Civil War Sites in the South (Insiders Guide Series)
  • The Definitive Guide to Travel Writing
  • Upcoming Titles
  • Shannon’s Guide to MIDCOAST MAINE
  • Shannon’s Guide to NEW ORLEANS
  • Shannon’s Guide to BATON ROUGE
  • Shannon’s Guide to ST. FRANCISVILLE
  • The Louisiana Rum Trail
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Current Titles

Of a Woman: the journey to becoming

In every person’s life, there occurs an event so life-changing that it questions who they thought they were, molds who they become, and directs their future.

Follow food, wine, and travel writer Shannon DalPozzal on her path to learning about faith, forgiveness, and happiness. Her transformative journey takes you through the tragedy of a brain tumor diagnosis to the remarkable discovery of the woman she was meant to be.

Be inspired by Shannon’s raw and poignant first-person account and learn to let go of your past and step into the future you are meant to have.

Learn more

Banana Pudding and other Sticky Situations

Join women from different backgrounds as they come together to share their own experiences of disappointment, discomfort, and determination, first-hand and in heartwarming detail. This Women’s Anthology became a Number 1 Beststeller in its first week.

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Civil War Sites in the South (Insiders Guide Series)

U.S. War history buffs will love this unique travel guide to the South’s most famous and infamous battle sites, including historical background, directions to hard-to-find locations, and tips on where to stay, eat, and shop. Updated version by Shannon DalPozzal under pen name, Shannon Hurst Lane.

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The Definitive Guide to Travel Writing

The Definitive Guide to Travel Writing is a practical, no-nonsense approach to the business of travel writing. This how-to book, is a must have for anyone considering becoming a travel writer. This book includes areas to take notes while on assignment, as well as how to land those assignments. This guide will reveal to aspiring travel writers all they need to know to become successful in the beginning stages of their career. Get your passport ready! Written by Shannon DalPozzal under pen name, Shannon Hurst Lane.

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Upcoming Titles

Shannon’s Guide to MIDCOAST MAINE

Shannon’s Guide to Midcoast Maine is a love letter to the rocky shores, quiet harbors, and storybook towns that define this stretch of New England. Written from the perspective of a Gulf Coast transplant turned coastal Mainer, this guide leads you through charming villages, local-favorite eateries, scenic hikes, and salty little surprises tucked along Route 1 and beyond. Whether you’re kayaking at sunrise, treasure hunting in an antique barn, or chasing the perfect lobster roll, this curated collection of experiences offers the inside scoop with a dose of wit, warmth, and wanderlust. Come for the coastline—stay for the soul.

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Shannon’s Guide to NEW ORLEANS

Shannon’s Guide to New Orleans is your backstage pass to the Crescent City’s most soulful sights, bites, and backstreets. Skip the clichés and dive into the real New Orleans—the one where neighborhood joints outshine tourist traps, second lines surprise you on a Tuesday, and every street corner hums with history. This guide blends deep local knowledge with a traveler’s curiosity, highlighting where to eat, wander, linger, and let loose. From the Bywater to the bayous, it’s part culinary pilgrimage, part cultural deep dive, all seasoned with that unmistakable New Orleans magic.

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Shannon’s Guide to BATON ROUGE

Shannon’s Guide to Baton Rouge dives into the gritty charm and unexpected flavor of Louisiana’s capital city. This isn’t your typical guide to government buildings and college football—though you’ll find those, too. Instead, it’s a curated journey through hidden gems, soulful eats, riverside strolls, and neighborhoods with stories to tell. From old-school po’boys to modern art spaces, Baton Rouge blends tradition and reinvention in every corner. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a returning explorer, this guide helps you experience the city like a curious local—one bite, beat, and backroad at a time.

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Shannon’s Guide to ST. FRANCISVILLE

Shannon’s Guide to St. Francisville, LA is a slow-sippin’, story-soaked stroll through one of Louisiana’s most charming small towns. Nestled along the bluffs of the Mississippi River, St. Francisville blends mossy oaks and antebellum history with quirky shops, cozy cafés, and winding backroads that beg for a Sunday drive. This guide captures the town’s timeless elegance and local color—with tips on where to stay, what to eat, and how to embrace the Southern art of lingering a little longer. Whether you’re drawn by ghost stories, garden strolls, or just need a good place to exhale, this is your invitation to savor the soulful pace of St. Francisville.

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The Louisiana Rum Trail

The Louisiana Rum Trail is your spirited guide to the sugarcane-soaked soul of the Bayou State. From historic distilleries tucked along moss-draped backroads to bold new makers redefining Southern sipping culture, this travel companion blends tasting notes with travel tips, insider interviews, and a dash of Louisiana lore. Whether you’re a rum enthusiast or just curious where to find the best barrel-aged cocktail in The Boot, An Adventurer’s Guide to the Spirit of the Bayou offers a flavorful journey through the heart of Louisiana—one pour at a time.

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Popped over to @milwaukeeart for a walkabout. Cool Popped over to @milwaukeeart for a walkabout. Cool museum. Thanks for the museum pass @visitmilwaukee + @ifwtwa1 #IFWTWA2026
Early morning flight to MKE & #IFWTWA2026 - I have Early morning flight to MKE & #IFWTWA2026 - I have a front row seat to this beautiful start to an exciting adventure, thanks to @southwestair 

I’m presenting a session on Monday!  Media Kits That Work: Turning Your Journey Into Opportunity
 
Looking forward to talking all things Food, Wine & Travel with conference attendees 🍷😊✈️
When life gives you BOGO watermelon at @publix , y When life gives you BOGO watermelon at @publix , you make cocktails. 🍉🍹🌴

Introducing The Pink Palm, because apparently I can’t resist a good deal OR an excuse to pop the Prosecco. 🥂 (did I mention the Mionetto Prosecco had a $1 off coupon?)

A little taste of Florida sunshine in a glass!

The Pink Palm 🍉🌴

2 oz fresh watermelon juice
1 oz vodka
½ oz triple sec
½ oz key lime juice
3 fresh basil leaves
2–3 oz chilled Prosecco

Gently muddle basil with watermelon juice. Add vodka, triple sec, and lime. Shake with ice, strain into a wine glass with fresh ice, and top with Prosecco. Garnish with basil.

Cheers to Publix for the BOGO inspiration! Sometimes the best happy hours start in the produce department. 🥂

#ThePinkPalm #PublixBOGO #FloridaHappyHour #CocktailHour #WatermelonCocktail
Yesterday we moseyed around EPCOT while the car wa Yesterday we moseyed around EPCOT while the car was being serviced. I mean, why sit at a service center when you can pop over to a Disney Park!
The Mimosa flight was a must. Hello! It’s me 🤷🏼‍♀️

We walked around and noshed here and there, sampling a few things. The rain tried to dampen the day, but we checked out some of the not busy areas around EPCOT: Awesome Planet and the Disney & PIXAR Short Film Festival followed by Living with the Land and seeing where some of the ingredients are grown for a few of the festival offerings. 

On our way out, we made a final stop for the Wine & Cheese pairing at Communicore Hall. Caymus Cab and Wisconsin cheese? Yes, please! 
 
Perks of being a #disneypassholder 

Have you been to the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival? What’s your favorite dish? And if you are a beer drinker, I have to admit there seemed to be more beer than wine offerings this year. 
#epcotfoodandwinefestival #disneyaddict #wisconsincheese
Some seasons end beautifully. 🥹🍷 Some seasons end beautifully. 🥹🍷
Thirty-two years ago today, I was 21 years old and Thirty-two years ago today, I was 21 years old and walked into the fire department to begin a job I could never have imagined would shape so much of my life.

I had recently left music school and trying to decide what to do with my life. I was getting married in two months after this photo was taken. I wasn’t a mother yet. I had no idea where life would take me, what I would survive, who I would love, who I would lose, or how many different versions of myself I would become.

I look at this young woman now and want to tell her so many things.

I’d tell her that life isn’t going to look anything like the picture she has in her head.

I’d tell her some of the people she thinks will always be there won’t be. Others she hasn’t even met yet will become part of the fabric of her life.

I’d tell her she will become a mother. A grandmother. A wife more than once. A writer. A traveler. A woman who will start over more times than she can imagine.

I’d tell her that the fire department she walked into that day thinking it was simply a job would become part of her identity and would teach her difficult life lessons. That she would spend years answering calls on people’s worst days, live through disasters she couldn’t yet comprehend, and discover that she was capable of far more than she knew.

And I’d probably tell her not to spend quite so much time worrying about whether she was doing life “right.”

Because there isn’t one right way.

This photograph has its own scars. It was pulled from the floodwaters after the 2016 flood in Baton Rouge. Somehow, it survived.

So did she.

Thirty-two years later, I don’t wish I could go back and change everything for her.

I think I’d just sit beside her for a minute and say:

Hold on, sweetheart.

You have absolutely no idea where this life is going to take you.

And what a life it is going to be.

(📸 D. Weimer: 📍BRFD Station 11)
It’s my last day here for a bit. Taking a break fo It’s my last day here for a bit. Taking a break for a refreshing sip on the deck. #Maine 

The Beehive Blush 🍐🍊🌸

1½ oz Absolut Pear Vodka
½ oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
¼–½ oz Chambord
½ oz Key Lime Juice
Mandarin Orange Club Soda
Optional splash of cranberry juice
Ice

Serve in your favorite #cocktail glass
“The future belongs to those who believe in the be “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
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