VERMONT MAGAZINE Winter 2022 | Page 51

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his husband , Jeff Johnson , in the 1980s . “ We originally intended to buy a house in Williamstown , but we decided that we wanted to purchase a property out in the countryside . Our real estate agent told us that our best bet would be to go across the border to look in Vermont , so he took us to this beautiful stone cabin . It was situated on a wonderful plot of land with incredibly scenic views . We bought the house in 1986 , and it ’ s become one of our favorite spots in the world . Southern Vermont is a gorgeous area , and we ’ ve made some good friends in Vermont .”
Conrad says that the time that he has spent in Southern Vermont has also been incredibly helpful to his creative process . “ There are fewer distractions , and the scenery is very inspiring . When I ’ m at our house in Vermont , I feel completely content with my surroundings , and I ’ m not
distracted from the inner workings of my imagination . That kind of beautiful bucolic isolation really makes it possible for me to do some of my best work as a writer .”
As Conrad looks towards the future , he remains driven in his pursuit of creative excellence and continues to find great fulfillment in his work . “ I ’ ve been writing for decades , but it still brings me great joy whenever I can take a simple idea and make it come to life on the page . There are many aspects of the creative process that I find truly terrific , but there ’ s nothing quite like making the pieces of the plot all come together in the end .”

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