Author Jo Patti Munisteri sits down with Defiance Press to discuss her compelling non-fiction work “Traveling Off the X” and her extraordinary journeys to some of the world’s most challenging destinations.

Defiance Press: Jo Patti, let’s start with something readers might not know from your book’s description. What can you tell us about “Traveling Off the X” that isn’t in the blurb?

Jo Patti Munisteri: My non-fiction book gives readers background in many of the countries that are constantly in the news. It’s a first-hand, boots-on-the-ground perspective from my time in Ukraine, Armenia, Israel, Russia, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and many other countries. These aren’t tourist destinations—these are places where real history is being made, often under dangerous circumstances.

DP: The cover of your book is quite striking. Tell us about the process for creating it.

Munisteri: I wanted a cover that evoked questions. The photo is from Muree, Pakistan, and shows a landscape with a church spire from the days of British rule. The church is closed because Pakistan is a sharia law theocracy where you can be executed for practicing Christianity or any religion other than Islam. The phrase “Off the X” comes from my time working with the military—it means getting out of the way of danger, which many of the stories in my book refer to across various locations. There are many types of danger: physical, emotional, and even spiritual battlegrounds.

DP: What first inspired you to start writing?

Munisteri: I’ve written journals and short stories since I was a child. I had encouraging teachers in school and always enjoyed reading. My two non-fiction books, “Traveling Off the X” and “Traveler Between Worlds,” are written to remember important and remarkable people in my life and to describe the times and places from the point of view of an outsider looking in.

DP: What’s the key theme or message you want readers to take from your book?

Munisteri: My key themes underlying all my writing are the importance of observation and resilience in life. I also emphasize the vital role faith plays not only in difficult situations but in daily life. I need to serve a higher purpose, and I think that comes through in all my stories.

DP: Are you active on social media where readers can connect with you?

Munisteri: Yes, I have a linktr.ee (https://linktr.ee/jopattix) with all my accounts as well as my personal website at jopattix.com. My readers can reach me via my personal email listed on my website or through direct messaging on Instagram, LinkedIn, GETTR, YouTube, and X.

DP: Have any of your books been made into audiobooks? What are the challenges in producing them?

Munisteri: Both my non-fiction books and my poetry books are available on audio. After having my first book, “Traveling Off the X,” done by an actress, my friends and I preferred that I record the rest myself. I worked with “The Talking Book” based in North Carolina. We did two books in studio, and the last recording I did from home with them giving virtual advice and handling the professional editing. They all turned out well, and most readers comment that they enjoy my reading.

DP: What was the highlight of writing this book?

Munisteri: The highlight of writing both my non-fiction books is getting to re-read journals, look through photos, and remember the people, events, and places I’m trying to transcribe into text. Sometimes I put on music from that country or from that time period, and it transports me back so the writing flows. It’s a transforming experience.

DP: What are you reading now?

Munisteri: I’ve always enjoyed reading biographies of inspiring people. I just finished re-reading Benazir Bhutto’s autobiography, “Daughter of Destiny.” What a challenging destiny she had—assassinated as the first female leader of a large Muslim country, Pakistan. I read her book the first time before I went to work and live in Pakistan, and it was enlightening in a different way to read it again after my family and I had been there, especially after my son and his father died on K2 in 2013 in the Karakorum mountains of Pakistan. We all have a destiny entwined with Pakistan, too.

DP: Can you share something your readers wouldn’t know about you?

Munisteri: I haven’t written about my time working and living in Norway. I was in my twenties and worked on farms in the Hardanger district up in the mountains. I was placed with a Norwegian family who taught me so much about farming, their customs, and their animals. First, I worked as a fruit picker, tying myself to trees that overhang the fjord. Then I was apprenticed to a sheep slaughterer for the hill farm herds. His name was Johannes Tweismann, and he was 80 years old but could still nimbly climb up the mountains. He taught me about different knives and cuts for sheep. He didn’t speak any English, but we managed with my limited Norwegian, hand signals, and both of us speaking a little Latin. In the farm town, we went to “Gammel dances,” and I even danced with a broom one evening. Stories for another book, maybe.

DP: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Munisteri: If I’m in a place where I can swim, I love swimming outdoors—especially in the warm ocean or in a peaceful setting like a mountain lake. There’s something about being in natural water that centers me.

DP: Can you share a brief excerpt that gives readers a taste of your writing style?

Munisteri: Here’s a passage from Chapter 9, “The Inferno Club,” where I’m being briefed for a mission to St. Helena:

“‘You will be going through Brize Norton—RAF—Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire. This is not a country, it’s a military base. UK, US and other military members, mostly from South Africa and local nationals from St. Helena. They call themselves, ‘Saints’. They have their own way of speaking English. A Creole English, really. You’ll catch on quickly working with their children.’

‘Which passport should I use?’ I didn’t realize there were still parts of the world which were not part of any recognized country…”

This captures the uncertainty and adventure that defines so much of my travel experience—always stepping into the unknown.

Jo Patti Munisteri is an author, world traveler, and keen observer of international affairs. Her work provides readers with rare, firsthand accounts of life in some of the world’s most challenging and misunderstood regions. “Traveling Off the X” is available in print and audio formats.