Venice | Author Kristin Anderson

It has been an exciting last few weeks for me here in The Netherlands. On a personal front, we had the most amazing snow storm that brought the nation to a standstill while whitening the way for snowmen and snowball fights.

On an author front, I had two pleasant surprises!

The Things We Said in Venice was listed as one of the 2017 TOP 10 PICKS by Venice expert and blogger The Venice Insider.

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This is quite an honor, as Katia knows Venice inside and out. I wish I had discovered her blog before I wrote The Things We Said in Venice, as I could have enriched the Venice scenes in my travel romance with tidbits from her blog. Here is a screen shot of a few of the books that made her list.

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Please follow this Venice Insider link to see her full list of her 2017 Top Ten of Venice-inspired books.

The Things We Said in Venice also made it into the Winter 2017 edition of ACCESS, an expat magazine in The Netherlands with national distribution. Expat journalist Molly Quell wrote the following review:

access review

Print copies of ACCESS magazine are available at expat centers throughout The Netherlands and it is also available digitally. This magazine provides newsworthy information for expats on living abroad, as well as a look at culture and the arts. Here is a link to the online edition of Access magazine.

And my last bit of news is that a shipment of books arrived from the United States a few weeks ago. If you live in The Hague area, you can order a copy through The American Book Center of The Hague, or contact me directly for a signed copy. It is also available online via Amazon in your respective country in kindle and print format.

As a kid, I was terribly shy. So my mom–showing sensitivity and understanding for my inherent shyness–threw me head first into a summer drama program.

I started out on a large stage in the small role of the Dormouse in Alice in Wonderland at the Solvang Theaterfest. I moved on to play a street urchin in Oliver! Despite my height as a youth, I even had a role as a dwarf in The Hobbit before eventually getting a lead role as Gerda in The Snow Queen. In other words, I had the shy beaten out of me, one play at a time.

I’m now an extroverted introvert who begins conversations with others, can network and even speak in public, though my stomach still gets all tied up in knots every darned time I step on a stage.

The good thing is, I actually like talking to people now. I even like talking to reporters, most of the time. So I guess, after all of these years, I am thankful to mom, to the drama teacher Maria Bland and her opera singing brother Jo, who taught me to use my voice. I’m also thankful to that motley crew of fellow youth actors who bolstered my confidence in those early years in the Santa Ynez Valley.

You need a voice in life after all, especially if you want to be a known author.

Right now I’m a known author to a small but growing circle of readers, family and friends. I wouldn’t mind being a star. Or at least mentioned in the Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Mission accomplished! (SEE BELOW)

Thank you home town paper! Question is, after reading this interview, do you feel like continuing the reading experience by ordering my novel? That would be the true test.