Our Staff

Milli, I want to let you know how much I adore writing for you, simply because of the sheer enthusiasm you have for what we’re all doing. I’ve come to thrive on it, I want you to enjoy what I write and that gees me on soooo much. — JM Merchant

Want to be a staff writer at Milliver’s Travels?
You can apply to join our staff after you’ve had two articles published as a guest blogger. Staff must commit to one article a month. Each staff writer has his or her own story index for showing clips to editors, like this:

Profile for Estrella Azul

Blog owner Milli Thornton started Milliver’s Travels in 2009. With her fun and encouraging style, she manages a staff of eight and also welcomes guest bloggers who follow the guidelines for submission. Milli is the author of Fear of Writing: for writers & closet writers. Read more about her writing career and travel exploits at About Milli or visit her index of 50+ travel stories here on Milliver’s Travels.

Brian R. Williams, spouse of Milliver, is often the photographer (including video) for the stories Milli writes. An electronics and RF engineer, Brian writes emergency communications software for his company, Comtekk. Milliver counts it among her victories in life to have published reluctant writer Mr. Williams as a guest blogger, with a fascinating story from his stint in Russia: A Sakhalin Road Trip.





Judy Clement Wall is a freelance writer who lives, works and plays in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s in love with the California coast; everything from combing the beaches of San Diego to hiking the coastal trails of Humboldt County. Her story Lands End Trail, San Francisco captures that part of her spirit, while her piece on The 92nd Annual Livermore Rodeo reveals her willingness to cover stories that might grow on her as they unfold. Judy blogs at Zebra Sounds.




Estrella Azul is a young emerging writer, passionate about reading, floral art and photography, with an artistic personality and a soulful outlook on life. She is a Hungarian girl living and writing from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the capital of historical region Transylvania. Estrella is our European correspondent (see Walking Through Paris and Fall in Love with Taormina), and she dreams of embarking on a round-the-world trip. To read more of her creative writing, her thoughts and daily happenings, visit Life’s a stage – WebBlog©.




Our Disney specialist, Elizabeth Villanella has lived in the Montrose, Pennsylvania area most of her life. Betsy married her high school boyfriend in 1973. As an Air Force wife, she has lived in Texas, Italy, and Virginia. Between the two of them, her sons have given her 14 grandkids and counting. Betsy and her husband currently live with Albert K. Ninestein, a mini Schnauzer who’s as smart as his namesake. She has had a lifelong interest in Disney, and when she found Walt Disney World she discovered the perfect family vacation destination. She loves to travel and wants to experience (and share) as many places in this world as she can! Betsy tweets as @betsy_v.

Vicki Lathom has spent forty years as a writer and boater and prefers “funky chic” places. Home base is Annapolis, Maryland, hub of the Chesapeake Bay boating scene, where she and partner Barry Miller sail Cantabile, a 43-foot Irwin ketch built in 1974. When not around Chesapeake, Vicki heads someplace with a water view, which has included the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, St. Martin, the Greek Islands, Turkey, and the Maine and Mexican-Caribbean coasts. Funky chic has included several visits to the artist colony of Cortona in Tuscany. In the winter the family’s boat dog (always a Sheltie) accompanies them down the Intracoastal Waterway to the Bahamas.

JM Merchant (or Jo Abram to most) lives in the North End of London, although she aspires to the West End. An occasionally employed sound engineer and stage manager, most of her time is currently spent reading pirate tales as she works on her first novel, and dreams of returning to New Zealand. A time traveller as well as a jet-setter, Jo is smug at having written the first stories in both the New Zealand and the UK sections of this website. She blogs and posts short stories at Am I A Writer Yet? and tweets as @JMMerchant86.

Lisa Carter is a literary translator and writer with a passion for living abroad. From The Netherlands to Spain, from Peru to Mexico, she has taught English, translated, owned a restaurant and a bar, all in the pursuit of new cultural experiences. She and her partner, Jon, live in Ottawa, Canada, but are experimenting with location independence based out of Costa Rica. You can find Lisa on her professional website intralingo.com, her personal food blog sweetsaltysour.com and on Twitter @intralingo.

Ann McElfresh loves to cook and talks about food ad nauseam. She spends way too much time in Disney World, overthinks everything and is currently growing her hair. She lives in Florida where she constantly complains about how cold it is, and hangs out with girlfriends for lunch (aka reviews local restaurants) when she’s not cooking up a storm herself. Ann has been hitched for thirty years to her long-suffering husband, who gives in to her every whim. Honey Bunny is often overheard muttering: “I take the easiest path to peace.” Look for Ann at Cooking Healthy for ME . . . because, as we all know, it’s all about HER!



Originally from the East Coast, Cathie Nichols has spent the last 25 years in San Diego, and stays in the area because of its extraordinary beauty and a lovely lack of humidity. Accused by her three children of looking at too many rocks while visiting Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, and the deserts of Nevada, she continues to marvel at the ever-changing southwest landscape. With her upcoming summer trips to Palm Springs, San Francisco, Turkey and Greece, Cathie hopes to reawaken her desire to see the world, and leave no stone unturned. Cathie tweets as @bloggoneit.



Teresa Davis is an up-and-coming freelance writer. She was born in the great state of Texas. She has a sense of wanderlust in her heart and is always thinking of her next travel adventure. She loves the mountains and spends every vacation she can in Colorado, camping and getting up into the back country. She loves her family and is always the life of the party. She is always learning and ever laughing. Teresa blogs on her own site at teresadavisblog.com and tweets as @iluvmnts4x4. Teresa has also served as photo editor for Milliver’s Travels; you can see some of her work by visiting the 3-part series 10 Courses at Remy on the High Seas.