Jae-Ha Kim

When bill collectors called the Crews house, they talked to Kambri, the hearing child of deaf parents. Today, Kambri Crews, a 40-year-old author, having watched her charismatic father beat her mother, tells her compelling life story filled with love, hope and fear, in her thoughtful and sly memoir “Burn Down the Ground” (Villard, $25). One of the more unique places that Crews travels to is the Texas prison where her father is serving a 20-year sentence for the attempted murder of a girlfriend.

A senior Washington correspondent for the Fox Business Network, Peter Barnes spends a good chunk of the year flying around the world. He’s also a children’s book author and publisher. Barnes, 53, and his wife, Cheryl, are the founders of VSP Books. Their next literary collaboration, “Liberty Lee’s Tail of Independence” — a tale about the Declaration of Independence as told from a mouse’s point of view — will be in stores this May.

Singer-actress Ashley Brown originated the title role of “Mary Poppins” on Broadway. She reprised the role in the national tour, receiving the 2010 Garland Award for that performance. Her television special “Ashley Brown in Concert: Call Me Irresponsible” also won a 2011 Telly Award. Brown is currently performing in Kern and Hammerstein’s musical “Show Boat” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and “Speak Low,” her CD of American standards, is available now.

Versatile actor David Cross’ plan for world domination is simple: recruit fans at a young age so that he’ll have a steady stream of residuals. He’s kidding, sort of. The star and creator of IFC’s “The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret,” Cross also has a young fan base, thanks to his movie roles in “Megamind,” “Kung Fu Panda” and the “Alvin and the Chipmunk” franchise. Cross, 47, is also known for his work on the TV series “Arrested Development.” Engaged to actress Amber Tamblyn, Cross is an avid traveler whose bucket list includes visiting places such as Moscow, Warsaw and Lisbon.

Brother Guy Consolmagno — a staff astronomer and the curator of meteorites at the Vatican Observatory — travels about 100,000 miles each year, splitting his time between Tucson, Ariz., and Rome. The planetary scientist also gives 40 to 50 talks annually at universities, schools and parishes around the world. “Indeed our founder, St. Ignatius, once said that our vocation is to travel,” he says. “Certainly, I do!”

When Samantha Brown was growing up, her family took road trips to visit nearby family, but that was about it. So when she got the opportunity to work with the Travel Channel, Brown “realized that my input would be as a layman. I wasn’t an expert traveler like Rick Steves or Rudy Maxa, but I could show people that if I could navigate my way around Nicaragua, they could, too.”

Raised in Houston and now living in Los Angeles, actress Erica Dasher is the star of ABC Family’s new series “Jane by Design.” A graduate of the University of Southern California, Dasher also is the producer of the upcoming documentary “Speak Easy.” Of her first childhood trip (to Tucson, Ariz.), Dasher says, “I still have an affinity for the desert and cacti.”

A stage, film and television actor, Stephen Lang, is known for his commanding roles. One of the stars of “Avatar,” the 59-year-old New Yorker may currently be seen in the Fox series “Terra Nova.” Lang’s love of traveling began early. “The first trip I recall was driving with my family to Washington, D.C., Mount Vernon and Williamsburg,” Lang says. “I liked all of it, but my favorite part was staying in motels. I loved motels when I was a kid, particularly the swimming pools and ice machines. My kids were the same way. I imagine most kids are.”

To television viewers, Andrew Zimmern of “Bizarre Foods” fame is known as that guy who’ll eat anything. And he’d like Americans to give it a shot, too. “Open up and expand your horizons, people!” says the James Beard Award-winning chef and author. “My favorite mixed metaphor is, ‘Put on your big girl pants and man up!’ I am unable to comprehend a place on the planet where the food is ‘too different.’”

Henry Winkler is an actor, author, director and photographer, but if he were to pursue a new career, he says he’d become a professional fly fisherman. “There’s no way I’d compare myself to any of the great fishermen out there,” says Winkler, 66, “but what a perfect way to spend your life.” Best known for playing Fonzie on the hit TV series “Happy Days,” Winkler currently has roles on the series “Royal Pains” and “Childrens Hospital.” His latest book — “I’ve Never Met an Idiot on the River: Reflections on Family, Fishing, and Photography” (Insight Editions, $21.95) — is a collection of photographs and anecdotes about his life.