Chandler journalist and author Srianthi Perera collaborated with her friend Romany Kadurugamuwa of Grapevine, Texas, on the newly released book Two Friends on Many Roads: Travel Tales from Near and Far.
It presents 30 stories—15 from each writer in alternating chapters—but it’s more than a series of memories and musings. Some chapters are funny, showcasing dry wit and wry observations, while others are serious. But all of them aim to teach the reader something new.
Whether the tales discuss riding a donkey to Petra’s famous Monastery in Jordan, cruising Vietnam’s Halong Bay or interviewing the Whirling Dervishes of Istanbul, they delve deep into places the authors have lived or traveled.
Some date back to the 1980s, while others are recent. Many explore exotic locales, but others look at places like Fort Worth, Texas, and Boulder, Colorado with a new perspective.
“I like to study history and I like to dip into various cultures,” Perera said, citing Paul Theroux as an influence and noting that he incorporates geography, history, politics and current affairs in his travel books.
“It’s a mish-mash of everything,” she added. “I really like that style because you can get a fuller story rather than the immediate things that happen.”
This is Perera’s second foray into self-publishing. Her first book, the novel A Maiden’s Prayer, was a 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist for multicultural fiction and was deemed a “highly commended book” by the 2021 South Asia Book Awards in the young adult literature category.
Perera calls the book “a celebration of friendship.”
She and Kadurugamuwa met at age 8 in their home country of Sri Lanka, both avid readers who loved to exchange and discuss a wide range of books. Both became writers.
Perera has been a career journalist in Sri Lanka, the Sultanate of Oman, Canada and the United States, including for the Times Media. Kadurugamuwa wrote for the publicity division of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Finance and then magazines in Europe after she and her husband moved there for his post-doctoral work.
Kadurugamuwa later got her Master of Library Science degree and had a long career as a reference librarian in the U.S.
The friends kept in touch over the years, and in 2022, went to Italy with a group of women writers. Their fellow travelers were fascinated they’d been friends for over 50 years and encouraged them to write about it.
“Romany and I looked at each other and didn’t fancy writing about our friendship,” Perera said. But she knew her friend was a good writer, and “that’s when I said, ‘Let’s do a travel book, and let’s do it together,’” she recalled.
Perera, who has visited over 30 countries, dove into past articles she’d written, journals she’d kept and copious photos she’d taken to come up with her stories.
“I’m more than a tourist,” she said. “I’m like a journalist during my vacations. I instinctively write down things. I take a whole lot of pictures to jog my memory.”
“I’m always working even when I’m traveling. It’s built in me.”
Kadurugamuwa, who’s also traveled extensively, said Perera gave her confidence even though she hadn’t written for decades. She read old diary entries, looked at pictures and talked with her husband to help her recollections.
The writers worked independently during most of the process and didn’t read each other’s work until about three-quarters of the way through, Perera mentioned. She added that Kadurugamuwa wanted to wait until she retired about a year ago to start the project.
Meanwhile, Perera took time away from working on another book to complete Two Friends on Many Roads.
She’s finished the research for the first in a pair of compilations on literary destinations; it will include a U.S. and international edition.
That book will feature places like Louisa May Alcott’s home and environment in Concord, Massachusetts, along with the Salinas Valley, California, home to John Steinbeck’s house and museum and the setting for many of his books.
Perera said before she thinks about a second volume of Two Friends on Many Roads,
she wants to work on a sequel to A Maiden’s Prayer.
“There’s such a clamor because people keep asking me to continue the story of Berty and Tamara,” she said with a laugh.
Perera’s books are sold on srianthiperera.com and amazon.com.
This post was originally published on here
