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?

First Reviews In!

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As a newly-minted author, I would have nibbled my fingernails off by now waiting for the first reader reviews to come in. Luckily, I was never a nail nibbler; luckier still, my first three reader-reviews have been quite flattering! My book launch is a tantalizing thirteen days away, but these are reviews from purchasers who couldn’t wait that long. There are only first reviews once, and only a debut novel once, thus here’s to this new experience; thank’s for sharing it with me.

Amazon reader reviews of Green, by Kristin Anderson

5 of 5 STARS
It’s Green-tastic!
By Fara Jones on October 20, 2013
Format: Paperback
Firstly, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I’m not one for romances,(I read about one per decade) but this was such a joy to read. Every time I picked the book back up and I always fell right back into the evolving romance between city girl Ellie and eco-focused Jake Tillerman. It’s a solid novel. The structure is solid, great crackling dialogue and steamy emotions fly between these two opposites who continually attract each other despite their differences, and the plot keeps developing with surprises that I didn’t see coming. I never really visited a green-centric character before (except in college…), and the conflicts and the sparks that fly are eye-opening and fascinating. The Green movement is suddenly alluring to me and this book has an original voice.

5 of 5 STARS
Couldn’t put it down!!
By Peter J. Dibonaventura on November 2, 2013
Format: Paperback
I was surprised by how much I loved this book!
I didn’t read the back cover and all I knew was the title “green”. I love a good romance and this one had some real struggles and a happy ending.

5 of 5 STARS
Great book!
By Bailey Quarters on October 22, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
I am a big fan of romance novels, although I readily admit, it is difficult to find well written ones. This book breaks that mold. It is well thought out, and artfully written. I couldn’t put it down. It also tastefully makes you think about how you can make a difference for the planet. You don’t have to be a romance novel fan to enjoy this book, it should have broad appeal. However, if you are a romance fan, you are in for an extra special treat because this book sets the bar at a higher level.

Green by Kristin Anderson is available through the following links:
https://www.createspace.com/4462273

Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde and Calling All Reviewers

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October 16th is not only the birth date of the famous author Oscar Wilde, the 51st birthday of Flea (bassist from Red Hot Chili Peppers) and the 32nd birthday of American wrestler and Jiu-Jitsu specialist Frankie Edgar, but the one month marker until the November 16th launch of my debut Novel GREEN. Truth be told, if you just can’t wait until the release party, the book is ready for your review NOW on Amazon.com. And if you buy it, read it, and write a review in the next 30 days, I will offer a content-appropriate prize to the most creative and heartfelt review.

Know of any organizations that might be interested in reviewing my book? I would love to hear your comments below.
Here is the summary:
Green by Kristin Anderson

Ellie Ashburn has come a long way from her poor, rural upbringing: She has an upwardly mobile career, great friends and access to culture and consumerism denied to her in her youth. Although she loves the fast-paced life of Los Angeles, she can’t stand the fast-paced men.

Just when she’s about to throw in the towel on dating, she meets environmental activist Jake Tillerman. Although the attraction between them is sizzling, their lifestyles could not be more different. As they get to know each other, a series of events unfold that range from comedic and frustrating to passionate and eye opening in this romantic story of opposites attract.

As Ellie embarks into his eco-friendly world, she begins to question the very things she holds dear. When presented with a seemingly irresolvable conflict in their beliefs, both Jake and Ellie must decide if it will tear them apart or transform their budding romance into a lifelong love.

Choosing Cover art for my Debut Novel Green

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Have you ever seen an image that stirs you within? Reminds you of childhood, of longing, of romance, of hope, of nature, anticipation? I had such an experience when I encountered Catrin Welz-Stein’s digital artwork online, especially her painting The View. I looked at that painting and decided I had to order a poster.

Then, as I was working on the final draft of my debut novel, I imagined her beautiful image on the cover of my book. But it wasn’t quite right for my book. I needed a more contemporary version of this same piece. I needed to lift the melancholy out of the clouds and add anticipation and hope. 

But that was a dream, after all. I couldn’t just contact a Swiss artist in Kuala Lumpur out of the blue and ask her if I could not only use her artwork for the cover of my book, but alter it. Could I? Well, if there’s one thing I learned from Doctor Seuss, it’s that you don’t know until you try and it never hurts to ask.

So I contacted her. 

After working with her over the internet for a number of months–me sending mock-up drafts, and she providing her thoughts on composition, color, balance, we developed an idea that suited both of our needs. I called upon my husband’s graphic design skills, and got the final version approved!

Green by Kristin Anderson

Green by Kristin Anderson

I am so excited about my book launch coming up on Saturday, November 16th, 2013, when I will officially release this book into the world. Like more info? Check out my Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/authorkristinanderson

 

(This post was also shared on my expat writing blog earlier this afternoon. For those who follow both, I apologize for the overlap, but this post really belongs on my author blog! 🙂

Title unveiled

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Two-and-a-half years ago I launched a personal blog about my expat experiences in the Netherlands. The most difficult part was finding a name. I was hoping for a name that would encapsulate the many rich experiences I was having on my transition experience in a new culture and climate. But when it comes down to it, simplicity can sometimes really be the right choice, thus I went with Kristin in Holland. Afterall, my name is Kristin and I’m living in Holland.

Today, I am happy to unveil the title of my debut novel: Green. Yep, that’s it–Green.

Green, a debut novel by Kristin Anderson, coming to you through an online portal of your choice this November 16th, 2013.
Summary:

Ellie Ashburn has come a long way from her poor, rural upbringing: she has an upwardly mobile career, great friends and access to culture and consumerism denied to her in her youth. Although she loves the fast-paced life of Los Angeles, she can’t stand the fast-paced men.

Just when she’s about to throw in the towel on dating, she meets Jake Tillerman, an environmental activist. Although the attraction between them is sizzling, their lifestyles could not be more opposite. As Ellie embarks into his eco-friendly world, she begins to question the very things she holds dear. When presented with a seemingly irresolvable conflict in their beliefs, both Jake and Ellie must decide if it will tear them apart or transform their budding romance into a lifelong love.

Literature to Romance; The Slippery Slope

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Background of Snobbery
With a B.A. in English Literature topped off by a Master’s in a completely unrelated field, I had a phase in my life where I would only read literature. My elitist attitude went something like this; give me literature and a glass of chardonnay, not pulp fiction and wine out of a box. Although my eye occasionally wandered at the airport bookshop or grocery store check-out stand, bestsellers were nothing to me.

The Slippery Slope of Motion Pictures
Although I was keeping my snobbish pact with literature in the book department, I was shifting away from thought-provoking indie films and more toward those with a man and a woman on the cover, promising romance and a happy ending. Because really, tragic love and heavy topics can pull you down after a while. There’s enough of that in real life. Put simply, sometimes you just want to be entertained and use the less convoluted parts of your brain–you know,those that stimulate laughter and romantic love.

Romantic films must be the gateway drug of pulp fiction reading, because not long after, romance novels started making their way into my stack of library books and Amazon shopping cart.

Denial
At first I claimed that it was research for my own book, which at its core, is a romance novel. If you want to do well in your genre, you must get to know your genre–including reading and analyzing the writing style, plot, structure, etc.

Surrender and Realization
Soon it was undeniable; I wasn’t approaching these books with critical analysis, I was actually getting caught up in the development of the romance, staying up late, going to work blurry-eyed and continuing this pattern until the author released me from his or her hold.

But the more I read, the more I realized that romance is a diverse genre. Filled with a broad spectrum of approaches and quality, romance can range from literary genius (Jane Austen) to what your cat offers up on a daily basis in the litter box (_____ ____). Speaking of that double blank in the parentheses, I read several “bestselling authors” who truly gave me the bubble gum experience, making my head feel light, my stomach churning from too much sweetness, and a slight headache from repeatedly chewing on zero calories. I won’t name any authors here, because there’s no point. These authors obviously have a niche, a dedicated audience and thus fulfill some need in the world.

I read highly polished writers like Danielle Steel and Nicholas Sparks. I understood their appeal, but I was craving something else; something more contemporary. And then I happened upon Tracy Brogan while doing my romantic research, and have subsequently purchased two of her novels.

Romance Author Tracy Brogan
Crazy Little Thing felt fresh to me. I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion, and although some of her characters and scenarios seemed over the top, I really enjoyed the ride. The second book I read by her is entitled Hold on My Heart. I have to admit I don't like the title or the cover art, but once I started reading it, I knew she was going to crack me up, while reeling me in to her characters, their lives and their entanglements.

I read Hold on My Heart on my iPad during our vacation in France, and it was a fun vacation read–humorous characters, funny situations, some heart-felt moments, smartly written, light enough to remind you you’re on vacation, with just enough substance to leave both your stomach and mind content.

Thanks to a wonderful expat book club I’m in that meets every six weeks, I still read literature on a regular basis. My dive into the romance genre has made me realize humans have always loved love stories, as stories are what make the world go round and we would not survive this human experience without love in our lives.