What does a Californian accustomed to eternal sunshine do when sunset is at 4:27 p.m. in the winter? You pour yourself yet another cup of tea and set up camp behind the keyboard. And thus, my years as a blogger writing about daily experiences in the Netherlands, were born. As I began to write, not for my day job, but for myself and my family and friends, the writer within me, who had been contained all of these years by professional gigs, was set free.

As my blogging voice developed on Kristin In Holland, I picked up a manuscript I had started in 2010 and started breathing new life into it. After revising my first draft, I sent it off to a half-dozen friends in California, New York and The Netherlands. Two drafts and two years later, I transformed my novel into an engaging reading experience I am proud to share with the world. Green, which was released in November of 2013, is available on Amazon.

My second novel, The Things We Said in Venice, was released in March of 2017. This is an on the move, often-humorous, mature travel romance with some surprising twists. Our heroes are in their mid-to-late thirties and early forties.

Both of my novels are available on Amazon.com, amazon.de and amazon.co.uk.

For the last few years, I’ve written in the pockets of free time, resulting in four, half-written manuscripts.  No one likes being left in a half-formed state and they’re prodding and poking (okay, begging!) to be finished. It’s been a struggle, but thanks to the Salty Sisters writing group, WordUp Amsterdam and Jericho Writers, my writing commitment has been faithfully renewed and the stories are starting up again. These things take time. So no holding your breath. Not that you were. That’s just a cliche that should have been deleted immediately.

Competitions and Awards

Why the sleeping dog photo? I think you know why. In 2020, I started entering Furious Fiction, a monthly writing competition that receives entries from around the world. In January 2021, I finally got a bite. I’m sharing this first success with you. Should I wait until I have a longer list? Hell no. This may be my one hit wonder! Plus, I’m honoured to have been longlisted in this fantastic competition. You can read the caliber of writing in the winning entry and shortlisted stories on the link below. 

Furious Fiction January 2021:  What Would Hannah Do? by Kristin Anderson. Longlisted