Category Archives: Authors

Haags Milieucentrum at Earth Day The Hague 2014

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When I think about environmental organizations, quite often the flashy, daring ones first come to mind: Greenpeace, Earth First!, the Sea Shepherds or the Organic Consumer’s Association and their Millions Against Monsanto campaign. These organizations are out on the front line, radically fighting the battle for the environment in their own ways.  And while there is much to be said about their bold, attention grabbing approaches that pull our thoughts toward the environment, we also need steadfast, local groups that bring awareness of local environmental issues and offerings to our fingertips. The Haags Milieucentrum is one such organization, and they will also be represented at The Hague Earth Day Celebration this coming Tuesday, Arpil 22nd, 2014 from 17:00 to 20:00 at the ABC Book Center (Lange Poten 23, The Hague).

I asked Bob Molenaar, an employee of Haags Milieucentrum to give me a short summary of what the Haags Milieucentrum does. Here it is in a nutshell:

For 22 years, the Haags Milieucentrum has been supporting local organisations dealing with nature and the environment. We provide information about sustainability to citizens, companies and the municipality, and try to make it easier for citizens to lead their lives in a sustainable manner.

In other words, The Haags Milieucentrum (The Hague Environmental Center) provides information on all things Green in The Hague. Want to know where you can recycle your mobile phone? Look on their recycling link (consumptie en hergebruik). Want to learn about environmental activities coming to The Hague? Check out their home page. Curious about energy and climate projects and information relevant to The Hague? Check out their Energie en Klimaat link. Perhaps you’re not one to peruse websites, but prefer to get the latest news right in your email box. That’s also possible! You can sign up for their Haagse MilieuMail (The Hague Environmental Mail) e-newsletter and have a list of current eco-events delivered to your inbox.

Come meet representatives of Haags Milieucentrum, rub elbows with others who care about our planet, enjoy some local, organic food, listen to classical music, be tempted by a number of books about the environment, and celebrate the Earth this coming Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 at The Hague Earth Day event (ABC Bookstore), and don’t forget to bring a friend!

Haags Milieucentrum

Everyone is welcome!

Everyone is welcome!

DHiT–The Hague in Transition coming your way!

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My regular readers may know by now that a week from today, on Tuesday April 22nd, 2014, The Hague will be having an Earth Day Celebration. One of the featured organizations is DHiT – The Hague in Transition. The name already speaks volumes; it tells you where this organization is located and the nature of their vision: transition. But what does transition mean in this case?

Featured organization at The Hague's 2014 Earth Day Celebration

Featured organization at The Hague’s 2014 Earth Day Celebration

I spoke with DHiT member Sebastiaan van Zaanen, who will be representing his group at the event, to provide me with a summary of his organization in 25 words or less.  Here is what he came up with:

The Hague in Transition facilitates the coming together of the local community in The Hague to take steps towards a vision of a green, creative and self-sustaining city. In order to achieve this we challenge and transform the current societal paradigms of how we live and work together.

A few weeks ago, I attended a Saturday event at DHiT. I talked with an organic chef, listened to a presentation on a community garden project that vested residents in local, sustainable agriculture, participated in a guided meditation and caught the end of a presentation on green roofs. All this in just one afternoon! This active organization offers a lot to the community and is growing.

Want to learn more about DhiT in The Hague?  You can check them out online here, or you can meet members in person this coming Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 between 17:00-20:00, at the The Hague Earth Day celebration, ABC Treehut, Lange Poten 23, The Hague.

*Although this event is geared toward an English speaking audience, all of the organization’s representatives are either native Dutch or have a working level of Dutch under their belts.

Hope to see you there! Please share our event with your friends!

 

 

Earth Day in The Hague, April 22nd 2014 17:00-20:00

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Every April 22nd, over a billion people in 190 countries take action for Earth Day, according to earthday.org. The Hague will also house a special Earth Day celebration this Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014, from 17:00-20:00 in a Treehut–in this case, The American Book Store’s ABC Treehut, located at Lange Poten 23 just off Het Plein.

Everyone is welcome!

Everyone is welcome!

 

The Hague Earth Day Celebration is a fun, interactive event where you can find out about green initiatives and projects in The Hague, be exposed to a plethora of books on the environment, attend a book signing, eat fresh, organic food and meet eco-minded people.

In attendance will be representatives from the Algemene Vereniging voor Natuurbescherming (AVN), The Seafirst Foundation, Den Haag in Transitie, Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel, Haags Milieucentrum, among other local environmental groups and authors. I know there were a lot of Dutch words in that last sentence, but the event will be bilingual, thus you can count on plenty of  English conversations as well.

Earth Day is a call to action, gathering people together to embrace a sustainable way of life. In The Hague, that call to action can be planting a seed in the soil with The Hague’s own Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel, or a seed in your mind by reading a book with an environmental focus; volunteering for a local beach clean up with the Seafirst Foundation, brainstorming with local politicians and community leaders, or committing to a Seven Change Challenge that will be presented at the event.

Politicians and government representatives will be invited in the spirit of an eco-minded dialogue with community leaders.

Organic food and drink will be for sale by local restaurant Fine Fresh Food, and a number of books that focus on the environment will be showcased by the American Bookstore this day, ranging from non-fiction titles like The Big Thirst, by Charles Fishman, Good Green Guides The Hague, by Harold Verhagen and eco-romance novel Green by Hague-based author Kristin Anderson, who will be signing her novel at the event.

Rather than doing a traditional reading from her book Green, author Kristin Anderson, who co-organized the event with the American Book Center, has taken a rather creative, Tom Sawyeresque approach.

Remember that fence that Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer needed to paint white? Why paint the fence yourself? Better to creatively get all of your friends to do it for you! And this time, the fence is GREEN. In other words, each environmental organization in attendance has been asked to read a small passage from Anderson’s eco-novel Green that relates to their organization before launching into their own five-minute presentation on what their organization does in our community.

If you would like to celebrate Earth Day with other earth-loving people, please join in! If you represent an environmental organization in The Hague, please stop by and meet and greet! For more information, and event updates please contact author Kristin Anderson on Facebook.

If you are new to the concept of Earth Day, this summary on National Geographic explains how it came into existence 44 years ago and why it is so important.

Hope to see you there!

 

Haags Milieucentrum

Alto Sax, Creativity and Green for .99 cents Friday March 14th

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For years I expressed my creativity through music; patterns of notes passing over my fingers, given momentum through an exhalation of breath enforced by my stomach muscles and entering the world through the bell of my alto saxophone.  Music allowed me great adventures–playing in bars in Boston, Reno and Los Angeles, opening for Willie Nelson in Ventura, jamming with  musician friends at Cold Springs Tavern tucked into the shady sycamores beneath a rural mountain pass. Music also brought me in close friendship with a circle of creative people, who shared a passion for exploration, collaboration, performing. I miss those times, but I don’t regret that my creativity has wandered down another path–that of writing.

The differences between music and writing are vast and yet overlapping. I am still expressing myself creatively, producing an experience for others. But instead of collaborating with a band of musicians, I am delving into research, which means interaction with authorities on certain subjects, or with the writing of individuals. My team of readers who read earlier drafts of my first novel and provided feedback were also part of the collaborative process, pointing out to me things I had overlooked, or letting me know how certain scenes affected them.

Now that my debut novel Green has been out in the world for five months, I have heard and read reactions of readers, which reinforce that this book is worth the read. But how do people pull my one  book out of the digital ocean of millions of millions of books? Hopefully, the KINDLE COUNTDOWN SALE I’m having this Friday, March 14th through March 18th, 2014 will help draw new readers. Because, just as a musician wants to play with others, or be heard by others, a writer wants their writing to be read by others. So, here is how it works:

Friday, March 14th, 2014 Ebook version of GREEN is .99 cents!
Saturday, March 14th, 2014 Ebook version of GREEN is 1.99
Sunday, March 15th, 2014 ebook GREEN is 2.99
Monday, March 16th, 2014 3.99
Tuesday, March 17th, 2014 4.99
Then back to the original price.

Available through Amazon on the links to the right of this post (under the pretty cover picture of my book).

Please spread the word!

Angolan Sun

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I just wrote a post on my expat blog about weather, emotions and connection to others that was inspired by a simple tram ride into the downtown area of The Hague to drop off a flyer for my book Green. But the post is just as relevant here on my author blog. Thus, here is a link.

Angolan Sun

As always, I appreciate your feedback and readership.

Author Kristin Anderson

A wonderful way to end 2013!

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Dear literary and romantically-minded peeps. I will always remember 2013 as the year I published my debut novel. That only happens once! I figured my milestones for the year had come to a close, until I saw this tweet by The Oaktree Factory, a fabulous Hague-based photographer: 

The most inspiring people of 2013: record label @sniprecords, writer @AuthorKristin, and distillery Audemus Spirits! #followyourdreams

The idea that I actually made a “most inspiring people of 2013 list” in my role as an author is an incredible compliment. I am so thankful and humbled by this! Now I’m going to go check out sniprecords and Audemus Spirits!

Here is to an inspiring 2014 for all of you!

~Author Kristin Anderson

 

 

The glories of e-book reading

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I sold some expensive jewelry from an ex  and purchased an iPad earlier this year. That one purchase transformed the way I consume fiction. Let’s just say that some people compulsively shop when lured in by tantalizing window displays and an appropriately placed sales sign and others are lured into the amazon.com kindle store, where books can be automatically downloaded. I fall into the latter category.

The biggest problem I’m facing? “Buy now with One-click.” Oh, that little yellow button. What is a girl-who-loves-to-read to do but click, click?

Here are some of the books I’ve purchased this year and enjoyed:

Black and Abroad by Carolyn Vines (autobiography with a good dose of humor and real life insight into being black in America and abroad).

Delusions for Breakfast by Kate Johnston (hilarious, subtle, deliciously written book about food and life).

Just This Once by Rosalind James (Burning hot romance set in New Zealand, this author keeps you flipping the pages and buying sequels, and yes, I’m admitting this in public!)

Crazy Little Thing by Tracy Brogan (Hilarious, well written romance sprinkled throughout with wit, passion and laugh-out-loud moments of absurdity).

Open City by Teju Cole ( a rambling, beautifully written anti-story–lacks cohesiveness–about a young Nigerian doctor doing his residency in New York who takes nightly walks through the city. Still not my favorite book, but the story and characters linger–which mean it redeems itself in some way. And to give it creds, the critics love it.)

Fifty Shades of Gray Kale by Drew Ramsey, M.D. (A wit-filled recipe book extolling the extreme goodness of leafy greens by a doctor who capitalizes on a copycat title to boost his ratings.)

This is just a sampling of the 26 books I’ve purchased this year and read outside my book club choices (only one overlaps).  At least I’m not talking about 26 pairs of shoes, or 26 cashmere sweaters. But what I like about reading e-books, is that you can highlight passages you like, look words up instantly online and make the reading experience interactive. And if I read it a second time, I can delete previously highlighted sections; something I can’t really do in my hardback and paperback copies. Since I have a screen with light, I can read in bed after I’ve wrestled the iPad away from my son (I swear he transforms into an Angry Bird whenever I ask for my iPad back) and I can continue reading after my husband has fallen asleep without disturbing him.

As an author, I am glad that my book GREEN is available in both Kindle and print format. Seeing as the print version has to be printed, it is of course, less environmentally friendly. On the other hand, it is a print-on-demand title, which means it is only printed if ordered–thus no wasteful stacks of unsold books waiting around for a reader.

I’ve priced the Kindle version at 60% less than the print version. Why? Because I actually want people to READ the book, and by offering a low kindle price, I can hopefully eliminate one barrier. My print version is priced as low as possible to cover printing costs and enable me to earn a small royalty.  Once again, my pricing decisions were based on the following premise: books are meant to be read and enjoyed and accessible to all.

Despite my new found love of e-books, print will continue to be my favorite. I especially enjoy my reminiscent strolls by the bookcase where I can touch upon a book like a long-lost friend, remembering the experience I had within its pages. Seeing all of those spines lined up on the shelf, uncategorized and jumbled together, I see a flash of my  interests presented in a spectrum of colors and shapes. An eBook just can’t replicate that experience.

What exactly is “Eco-romance?”

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I have categorized my debut novel Green as eco-romance and some people scratch their heads at this description. I’d like to say I coined this genre, because no one else thus far has described their romance in this manner. But I cannot claim to be the first to write eco-romance.

I’d say the first couple to have an eco-romance had to be Adam and Eve. Picture it; Adam and Eve have just discovered each other; they run around naked in a beautiful pesticide-free garden; organic fruit and vegetables an arm’s length away, ripe for the taking. They are friends with all the animals–until that trickster snake came along. If the author(s) of the bible had been romantic in nature, we would have gotten a little more breathtaking, evocative detail about this first eco-romance story. I’m sure there are other traditions with love stories set in a nature.

One of my favorite authors in life thus far is Barbara Kingsolver. Her novel Prodigal Summer could easily be categorized as eco-romance, but due to her amazing writing style and in-depth research and character development, it most definitely falls into the category of literature.

And Green by Kristin Anderson? Why is it eco-romance and not just romance? The difference is simple; the environment is the golden thread that weaves the story together.

It is set in Los Angeles during the 2010 Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil spill, and this catastrophic disaster looms in the background of an opposites-attract love story. Picture yourself as Ellie Ashburn, a proper young woman who has worked her way up the career ladder and is on the verge of a major promotion. Although successful in her career, she can not find a suitable man. And then there’s  Jake Tillerman, a do-gooder environmentalist with a free roaming lifestyle and contemporary views about relationships and our individual accountability for our impact on the environment.

As their worlds collide, love, or lust, is in the air. But for all their attraction and rapport, their lifestyles are a comedic clashing of realities and viewpoints. And unless you live in a very rural area in a hallowed out tree and only eat nuts, berries and honey–there’s a good chance your daily actions have an impact on the environment as well. Green is an eco-romance, as it explores real life issues of the heart, of the environment and of modern day love.

Do you know of any other eco-romances? I’d love to hear about them.

Tales of an Indy Author book Release

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This past Saturday, after much anticipation and cumulative hours over the last three months sharing messages of hope, fear and excitement, nuanced with begging and pleading for attention and support with my friends, family and online followers alike, I finally had my book release. Phew! You can all wipe your collective brows and know that Author Kristin Anderson’s launch of her debut novel GREEN is now over.

Kristin Anderson signing debut novel Green

Kristin Anderson signing debut novel Green

But as my friends are now pointing out, my work as an author, has only just begun. Now I need to get the world to realize my “debut-novel Green by Kristin Anderson” has been released, that it is receiving great reviews and should be in that stack of books on your bedside table, or in your kindle library. Well, before I begin that journey, I thought it might be fun to share the highlights as well as the strange events that occurred during my book launch this past Saturday, November 16th.

Earlier in the week I thought about contacting my friend Welmoed, owner of Orange Gloss Styling, for her opinion on the best booth location from a Feng Shui perspective. This was the first sign that I was taking this whole thing a little too seriously. (But that was a brilliant idea, wasn’t it?) The night before the launch, my friend Bo Rodenhuis came over and rummaged through my tired collection of clothing with her fashionable eyes. As if invoking some fashion voodoo spell, she created a clothing combination I would have never come up with on my own, and voila! Style!

I awoke Saturday morning with feelings reminiscent of childhood Christmases–I couldn’t wait to jump out of bed and start my day. With the whole “Oh-dear!-what-am-I-going-to-wear” dilemma eliminated, my morning routine was a breeze.

My book launch was held at the Christus Triumfatorkerk in The Hague, The Netherlands, as part of the BezuidenhoutFestival– a neighborhood-centric festival for local clubs, politicians, and community leaders. There were a handful of groups selling handmade items, locally made honey, bridge clubs, a neighborhood watch program, a flower project, politicians and me. Even though the idea for my book was conceived in Santa Barbara, California and set in Los Angeles with a contemporary opposites-attract plot with the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill looming in the background, it could not have been more “locally made.” ; I wrote 80 percent of this book in the Bezuidenhout, The Hague.

To my surprise, friends from just about every hook of my social life here in the Netherlands materialized. They brought offerings of flowers and candles, body lotions and kind words, along with euros to purchase my debut novel. Sister and brother-in-laws, in-laws and nephews joined the celebration. People I didn’t know who had come to the festival attended my book readings along with my friends and family, and even purchased my book. People stood in line for me to sign. This one day felt like a little movie of how I would like my life to be; how it would feel to be a full-time author–how right that would feel. Funny how just a few hours being in one role can change your life perspective.

Minister Ruud Stiemer purchasing Green

Minister Ruud Stiemer purchasing Green

friends purchasing my novel Green

friends purchasing my novel Green

Author Kristin Anderson with reader Janita van Nes

Author Kristin Anderson with reader Janita van Nes

Variety of friends purchasing my book!

Variety of friends purchasing my book!

Considering my eco-romance novel is set in Los Angeles, and is written by an American, it only makes sense that I needed to focus my launch on the U.S. market. Yet, I currently live in the Netherlands. So, I attempted to use some of the social media skills I’ve been learning in Zestee online media school, and create a virtual book launch as a counterpart to my physical launch here in the Netherlands.

But what is a virtual launch? Was the resounding question. My definition is that during the time of your physical launch, you post updates on your website or facebook author page, and plan a group chat through Skype or Google+ hangouts for a hands-on, interactive experience. I decided on Google+ hangouts. It boasted being able to chat with up to 10 people at a time, and I could even make it public, in case Maria Bustillos or another L.A. Times book reviewer might want to join in on the streaming conversation / video and interview me about my fabulous new genre eco-romance. So, I decided to make it public. It took me the better part of a week to figure out how to do a public chat, but I did it! And boy, was I surprised what a public hangout on Google+ could bring!

My first caller was published Santa Barbara author Leslie Westbrook. She’s the real deal, with an agent and multiple titles, and also just an all around friendly person that I knew when I lived in Santa Barbara. While we were talking about the dramatically changing landscape of the book industry, Yuri from the Ukraine joined our conversation. Leslie and I were having Blair Witch Project style flashbacks as Yuri’s toddler grabbed the camera and twirled it around, giving us a seasick overview of the strange warehouse setting where they stood. I tried to politely explain to Yuri that I was doing a book launch and that he was about to make me lose my dinner, but he only wanted to talk to us, and not listen. I quickly discovered the ignore button, and Yuri was no longer in the conversation.

Within a few minutes, another user joined the conversation. But instead of seeing a person, a strange icon appeared, which twirled in circles. The optimist in me considered for a nanosecond that this could be someone genuinely interested in my book. But when he didn’t speak or respond to my conversation, the pessimist in me imagined this spinning disk to be some sort of computer sweeping device munching through all of my files. I quickly discovered the “block sender,” button. Soon a message appeared from said sender that was extremely aggressive, sexist and derogatory because I had blocked him from my conversation. Thus the concept that rules of civility don’t always apply in these non-policed arenas of online interaction.

I closed my session and re-logged on in a private chat, inviting only friends. And friends came to hang out with me. They joined the conversation over the next few hours. As contemporary nomads, many of us author types have friends in various regions of the world. Thus, a virtual launch with a real-time media component, such as Skype or google+ hangouts is very handy. But before you consider doing a virtual launch, I recommend having a method to screen participants.

As the evening wound down, I went to bed as a happy, contented, exhausted author. I knew that the next day, or perhaps a few days afterward, I would need to start the hard work of actually marketing my book so that I can reach readers beyond the scope of my friends and friends of friends. Words that a family friend parsed out the day after my wedding when the job of clean up was at hand came back to me. “You are only Queen for a day.”

Five Days

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It is the sort of cold and dreary weather that is meant for authors and readers alike; tea-drinking, curl up and read or write sort of weather–indulge in the adventures within the book or within your mind.

Five days ago, I had a day, that if I write it up, will seem exaggerated in it’s perfection. It was a day where everything clicked. I had an interview scheduled with Lily-Anne Stroobach from Dutch Buzz about my debut novel GREEN. I was working in the church and had about twenty small, detailed tasks I wanted to finish before heading to the interview. I was able to accomplish almost all of them. As I finished my last email, my husband came over and reminded me I should head out now if I wanted to be on time. I asked him if he could make me a sandwich for the road, since I had to travel across The Hague and hadn’t predicted a growling stomach. Instead of rolling his eyes, he actually made me the sandwich, and even transferred my latte into a to go cup.

My tram pass was where it should be, my keys didn’t play hide and seek with me, my cell phone was actually charged and easy to find. As I slipped on my coat and headed toward the door, my husband handed me my sandwich and latte like a sexy personal assistant, and rather than looking emasculated by the experience, he was all confidence and full of encouragement.

I walked to the tram stop and within one minute, the tram arrived. Pulling in to Den Haag Centraal, my connecting tram also arrived within seconds. I stepped from one tram and walked to the platform, as if the world were aligning for me. The tram headed into an area of The Hague I had never encountered, and as I looked out on small shops and squares, I felt the excitement of one on a journey in a new city: senses alert, in the moment, drinking in the new impressions with the same thankfulness and pleasure as as one gulping water after a hard workout to rejuvenate the body. I wasn’t sure how many more stops, so I called Lily-Anne, who answered quickly, and told me it was the very next stop.

The interview went smoothly and Lily-Anne proved to be a fascinating South African Dutch woman, whose open personality and frankness clicked with mine. The ride home was another flawless journey, with trams lining up with such precision, it seemed they were ordered just for me.

When I went to pick up my son at school, I thought of a mom I needed to talk to. Just then, a little red car pulled up, parked, and out stepped said mom, directly in my path.

I headed back into the church to finish up a bit of work, and one of the church members who works in finance happened to come by. He told me that they would be paying me the balance of my bonus for the year at the end of the month. I won’t bore you, but the entire day continued in this manner–sales of my book popping up on the online reports, my son happy, time with my husband in the evening.

I realized this was a miracle of sorts, this day. And like a gambler who finally hit the jack pot, I wanted more days like this, and said something to that effect on Facebook. But my friend Kirsten Klitgaard pointed out in response: “Don’t get greedy, Kristin. I’m still waiting for ONE!” True. Point well taken. I truly enjoyed this day and the thought occurred to me, why today? Why me? Are there people who run around life with many days like this? Is this the Power of Positive Thinking? The Law of Attraction? A little teasing by the Universe? God moving just the tip of her pinky in my direction? But I don’t recall doing any particular meditations, or especially trying to be in the moment–it just simply was.

Five days from now, Saturday, November 16th, is my Official Book Launch party. I have always dreamed of writing a book. I have started over a dozen, but only ever finished one. So this book launch is a great moment in life, however it plays itself out.

It still feels far away. My life is just continuing along with all the sundry lists and responsibilities of daily life. But I know that this coming Saturday, there will be this event. It will happen in one form or another, and then life will move forward; this too shall pass.

As an author, I am thankful for all of you who have delved into my novel, getting to know the characters within, living with them in your mind and following them along on their journeys. I am thankful to those of you who have taken the time to share your thoughts on my book, have shared it with friends, who are taking the time to write reviews on Amazon. And I’m so excited to see what Saturday will bring! Who will purchase my book this day, who will log on to google+ and find Author Kristin Anderson and join a hangout with me.

If you are interested in hearing the interview on Dutchbuzz.nl, you can tune into the hour long program tonight (Tuesday, November 12th, 2013) at 22:00 (DUTCH TIME) on Den Haag FM 92.0. Or the broadcast will be available tomorrow on http://www.dutchbuzz.nl after 12:00.

See you in five days?