Mollie Boutell-Butler describes her love for Wisconsin as "stronger than normal," so when she saw a post on Craigslist looking for someone to write a guide book for the Badger State, Boutell-Butler inquired, applied and got the job.
Published by Countryman Press, Boutell-Butler’s 374-page book, "Wisconsin: An Explorer’s Guide," was released a couple of weeks ago.
"The Explorer's Guide series has been around for a long time, but recently started to really move out of New England and into other parts of the country," says Boutell-Butler.
Based in Vermont, Countryman Press’ parent company is W.W. Norton, so the book is being widely distributed. The 36-year-old company publishes about 70 books per year and currently has more than 350 books in print. The Explorer’s Guide travel series has sold more than a half million copies.
While researching the book, Boutell-Butler spent the full summer of 2008 traveling the state, plus trips during the off-season. In the end, it took about a year for her to complete the project. She also took all of the photographs, including the cover shot.
"My family joined me much of the time because my daughter was still nursing and refused a bottle, and I couldn't just leave her for days or weeks at a time. So we all loaded into the car and hit the road," she says.
Boutell-Butler lived in a few cities in Wisconsin before settling with her husband and two children in Shorewood. She still has friends in many different parts of the state.
"I love the history here. The truly amazing things as well as the kitschy. The beer and the cheese," says Boutell-Butler.
Boutell-Butler will continue to travel around Wisconsin because she is already planning to write a revised edition of the guide and a blog.
During her travels, Boutell-Butler says she uncovered many Wisconsin gems, specifically the Great River Road along the Mississippi River which she describes as "breathtaking and enchanting" and The Historic Trempealeau Hotel in Trempealeau.
"I learned that I love this state even more than I realized. And I love digging in and finding the really cool places in small towns. Art spaces like the Wisconsin Concrete Park in Phillips, and old-school candy shops like Beernsten's Confectionary in Manitowoc," says Boutell-Butler. "And the coffee houses! You won't go without a latte, anywhere. I was also really blown away by the focus on local foods around the state. It's exciting, and delicious."
Boutell-Butler is a regular contributor to the Shepherd Express and is the assistant city editor of the local A.V. Club. Prior, she wrote for the About.com guide to Milwaukee for four years. The Explorer’s Guide is her first book.
"I'd love to write another, but I don't have anything in the works. There are a few niche Wisconsin books I'd love to do, and I have some ideas. Now that I know what I'm doing, it would be even more fun to work on something new," she says.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
