HOT OFF THE PRESS

BY SHELLY WEST

If you were asked, “What are 100 things to do in Sarasota before you die?” you might be stumped. Fortunately, local blogger and Bradenton Magazine writer Kelly Stilwell recently published a book to answer that very question. The book is aptly named 100 Things to Do in Sarasota Before You Die. We had the chance to sit down with Kelly to discuss her book and her successful blog, which is where her journey began. The first question was about her background.

“I always loved to write, especially in college, and then I became a stockbroker. Once I got married, had kids, and was staying home, I started writing again for small publications — things like how to take your kids to the zoo for the day, that kind of thing. One of the editors I worked with suggested I start a blog. I said, what’s a blog? This was 14 years ago. So, I started a blog, and that really changed my life. I was writing about family stuff and kids’ stuff, and soon, people began asking me to review products or go on local trips. Eventually, I went to Indonesia for two weeks. Since then, I’ve visited 40 countries because of my site, and travel has just become my passion.”

“I started my blog right after we moved here. There’s just so much to do in this area. Years later, a publisher saw my blog and reached out, asking if I’d be interested in writing a book about the Sarasota-Bradenton area. The 100 Things To Do Before You Die books are a nationwide series, and they said they thought I was the person to write the book about our area. The first thing I did was pick up the 100 Things To Do In Tampa Before You Die book, and I was blown away by the things I had no idea existed in Tampa! That got me excited about writing the book for our area. That’s how the book came to be. I accepted the challenge, and while it was a year-long process, it was a lot of fun. I discovered so many new places that I didn’t know about, and I hope the book will help others discover new places in Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice, and beyond. I also write for Bradenton Magazine and USA Today, and I still run my blog, Food, Fun, and Faraway Places.”

In addition to writing, Kelly is an accomplished photographer, and most of the photos in the book are her images.

When asked about her journey from former stockbroker to stay-at-home mom to travel and lifestyle writer and blogger, Kelly shared, “Well, the whole being sponsored for posting was new to me. I was just writing for fun. I had no idea there was money in blogging. The first sponsored post I did was after someone offered to send me three jars of jelly. I was over the moon, and my husband thought I had lost my mind. He thought this was just a fun hobby and didn’t expect anything to come out of it. But I was like, wow, jelly, this is great! Then, more and more people wanted to send me products. I had boxes stacked to the ceiling and realized, what have I done? I now had all these products to write about.”

Her success came from a refreshing approach to her blog and good timing. As one of the early bloggers, Kelly jokes that she and others who started at the same time are considered “old school bloggers.”

She continued, “Once I had all these products to review, someone reached out and asked if I wanted to go on a trip. I figured, why not?

That first trip was to Kissimmee, Florida. Fast forward to recent years, Kelly has extensively traveled the world, visiting over 40 countries in the last 15 years.

When asked about her process for authoring the book, Kelly explained that she first crowdsourced input on what people from the area suggested.

Since there are similar books for cities across the U.S., the publisher provides guidelines for content, covering categories like food, drink, music, entertainment, sports and recreation, culture and history, and shopping and fashion.

Kelly added, “All combined, you have 100 things that you can do. Most of the restaurants in the book were already my favorites. But like I said, I crowdsourced. I asked my friends on Facebook, went to Nextdoor, and joined other Facebook groups, asking what their absolute favorites were. A lot were already spots we loved, but there were plenty I hadn’t been to. So, every Saturday, my husband and I went out exploring, and that’s how we found a lot of the places in the book. We went to the circus last year so I could get my own photos and it was incredible! Now I want to go back and see the new show! We explored. We went to the Bishop Museum and Selby Gardens, and found all these wonderful places and stories behind them, which was really fun.”

What’s next for Kelly? Promotions, book signings, and appearances are filling her
calendar in the coming months. You can catch her at the Bradenton Farmers’ Market
in October and November, as well as Barnes & Noble and Sarasota Art Museum, to name a few.

For a complete listing of where you can get your copy signed and support a local author, visit Kelly’s website at https://kellystilwell.com/shop/.

As for another book, she says you just never know.