Around the U.S. in 80 Days

, owner of Write Integrity and Pix-n-Pens Publishing Houses in Holly Springs, is headed on a 7,000-mile road trip to 14 states and 25 cities across the country to promote upcoming authors and small bookstore owners.

But first, she needs to raise $23,000 for the journey. 

The Hope 2012 tour will take 80 days, and Ruckman will be checking in with Holly Springs-Hickory Flat Patch throughout the trip. At each location, she'll ask for recommendations for food, hotels and sights.

When asked why do a book tour like this, Ruckman said: "One of our primary goals in planning this event was to make it fun. What's more fun than a summer road trip? Authors tend to be isolated, due to the nature of their work, so we hope to give writers and readers a break in the monotony and get people talking about books."

And what about that name, the Hope Tour?

"During the holidays last year, I encountered so many sad, depressed, hopeless people—and these were folks others would not expect to be so hopeless," Ruckman said. "That got me thinking about people in general, and whether the hopelessness I saw was just a tiny drop in the bucket compared to what might be going on nationally. I prayed about it, Hope Tour was born. We want to travel around, meet people, spread a little hope, and put some smiles on people's faces. We hope we can put some fun back into the summer. All of us work so hard—let's play a little this year, even if only for a day or two."

After 30 days of fundraising through Kickstarter.com, Ruckman will regroup for two weeks, then head out. Be sure to look or donate through her website.

Here's the full list of stops Ruckman has planned:

• Atlanta.
• Charleston, SC.
• Myrtle Beach, SC.
• Wilmington, NC.
• Concord, NC.
• Virginia Beach.
• Rockville, MD.
• Lexington, KY.
• St. Louis.
• Rockford, IL.
• Rochester, MN.
• Rapid City, SD.
• Boulder, CO.
• Brighton, CO.
• Colorado Springs, CO.
• Pueblo, CO.
• Santa Fe, NM.
• Albuquerque, NM.
• Amarillo, TX.
• Oklahoma City.
• Dallas, TX.
• Austin, TX.
• San Antonio.
• Houston.
• Baton Rouge, LA.
• Mobile, AL.
• Clearwater, FL.
• Auburndale, FL.
• Fernandina Beach, FL.
• Savannah.
• Macon.

Don’t miss any of the you care about. Subscribe to Holly Springs-Hickory Flat Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.