Thursday 13 - Linky Linky!

Here are some links to important (to me) things from the past week.



1. THE LIST was featured in my sorority magazine (Alpha Xi Delta). You can view the PDF here, and scroll to page 29.

2. I co-hosted a LitChat in April. If you're on Twitter, it's a literary discussion every M, W, & F at 4 p.m. EST under hashtag #LitChat. You can view the transcript of my chat here.

3. Here's a link to Amazon if you'd like to buy a copy of THE LIST.

4. I don't know if I told you, but we have a new travel agent/cruise business. We can give you lots of info, and help you book an awesome deal! View our Website for Cruise Deals/info.

5. I posted my trip photos on Facebook. You don't need an account to view them. The first set is of the Keukenhof gardens and the TULIPS!

6. The second set is the Red Light District. (Don't worry, this is the PG version.)

7. The third set is of our Mike's Bike Tour of the Amsterdam countryside.

8. The next set of photos is the sites on our canal boat tour.

9. These are the general Amsterdam photos, Volume 1

10. These are the general Amsterdam photos, Volume 2 (I took a whopping 1000 pics on this trip!)

11. These are the Brussels photos - just the chocolate parts.

12. These are the Brussels photos - the things to see in Brussels parts.

13. Did you see my iReport on the Netherlands on CNN? They mentioned my name! And Jim's! http://bit.ly/ugpnk My part is at about 2 min 30. If the player won't work, do a search of CNN's site for "CNN: May 2, Pt. 3"


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Thursday 13 - Why My List Isn't Better This Week

1. I just flew in last night from my trip to Amsterdam and Brussels. Boy, are my arms tired (along with everything else.)

2. I'm still on Amsterdam time. Right now, it's six hours ahead there. So my body is still adjusting, and I'm beat.

3. We walked and walked and walked. That's what I love about Europe. But it takes its toll on normally sedentary bodies. ;) So I'm tired from that.

4. I can't wait to share my photos from the trip, but there are a LOT of them, so I'm spending time getting those together.

5. After only one week, our DVR is 100% full. I've got to make room for new stuff, and get caught up on Lost and Heroes before someone spoils it for me.

6. Do you know how much dirty laundry can come out of a small suitcase?

7. There is no food in the kitchen for eating. None. Except the milk I bought on the way home last night. Grocery store, here we come.

8. We also shot a lot of video. Need to upload that (takes forever).

9. Then we need to edit the video. Also takes a while. But all for your enjoyment!

10. Need to prepare to go to Boston next week, pitching my book to some agents at Connecticut Fiction Fest!

11. I have a ton of books that I need to get to reading!

12. Came back from vacation to job cuts at work. Spared this time, but still nervous. Grateful and feel guilty for being okay, too. So I need to put in special extra effort.

13. Still need to do some promoting work for \THE LIST to get more people to check it out!

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The Friday Dance

Fridays are the best days of the weekend. Why? Because Friday, when I get off work, there are two whole days stretching out in front of me with no requirement to go to work. Saturdays are okay, because they're pretty lax, but Sundays are tainted with their proximity to Mondays.

This Sunday won't be so bad, though, because next week is a short week due to my vacation! Woot!

However, when I'm away on vacation, I can't be actively selling my book, THE LIST. So I'm offering incentive. For every book purchase between now and when I return, I'll donate some of the proceeds to my hometown food bank. So you can enjoy reading AND do something good for the community.

So BUY YOUR COPY of THE LIST! Tell your friends. And I thank you muchly. Have a good weekend!

Thursday 13, My To-Do List

I leave for Amsterdam and Belgium in 5 days! Woot! I'm excited for the trip, but I have lots of things to do before I go. You know this site is all about my book, THE LIST, but I now have a list of what I need to do before next Tuesday.



1.I have to schedule the posts for my GUEST BLOGGER! That's right, come back next Wednesday, and then Thursday for the Thursday 13 to meet Kimber Chin. She's also a romance novelist, and publishes her works in the form of ebooks. She's a hoot, and I think you'll enjoy her posts. You can learn more about her before-hand by visiting her Website.

2. I need to make sure my favorite PJs are washed and ready to go.

3. I also have to make sure that the rest of the clothes I want to take are laundered. I hate laundry, btw.

4. I need to exercise a bit more. Walking in Europe is exhausting. And I'm sure all the biking will take a toll on my bottom. I'm hoping that my recent walking and biking endeavors here at home will lessen the pain.

5. I need to make sure all our tickets and passports are ready to go.

6. I need to start my "packing pile." Days before actual packing begins, I start piling up items that I'm likely to forget.

7. I need to print out my nice Excel packing list - yes, I have a list for that, too. It includes little boxes for me to check off when I've packed a certain item.

8. I need to confirm with the pet sitter that Pooh Bear will indeed get fed, and the occasional head scratch.

9. Need to print out our Dutch travel words, so I can at least try. I know "thank you" and "hello" and "please" so far. And interestingly enough, "toilet" in Dutch is almost exactly like it is in French. Good think they speak English over there. However, I do like to try and not be the conceited American and make an attempt.

10. I need to decide which book I'm going to take for the plane. I have so many to read, but several are signed by the authors, so I don't want to risk losing them.

11. I have to finish my current book, TURN COAT, by Jim Butcher before I go. No problem, because it's so good. I'll likely be done quickly.

12. I need to keep checking the weather, and crossing my fingers for sunshine and very little rain.

13. I need to post about my new book selling plan. For every purchase of THE LIST between now and the time I return, I am donating part of the proceeds to my hometown food pantry. So, if you've been thinking of getting a copy of THE LIST, now's a good time!

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Are We There Yet?

In 6 days, I will be off on my next travel adventure, this time, to Amsterdam and Belgium. So I won't be able to post on this here blog during that time.

But wait! My loyal readers (Renee) won't be left entirely in the cold. I'm going to have a guest blogger. Woot!

Her name is Kimber Chin, and she is also a romance novelist. She writes ebooks, and you can check her out before next week by heading over to her website. She'll even be guesting for the Thursday 13, and I think you'll find her engaging and fun.

So treat her well, throw her some comments and play nice. :)

My Own TBR Pile

I love to read. I think that's why I love to write so much.

In the last few weeks, I've been hearing about TBR piles (To Be Read). Book reviewers have TBR piles that probably stretch to the ceiling, and when you request a review, you should expect to go on the bottom of that pile. :)

My own TBR pile has increased exponentially over the last few weeks. I usually buy a book or two a month to read before I go to sleep at night, since Jim likes to read and won't turn out the light. ;) So I bought Charlotte Hughes new book, Nutcase. Then, I found out that Janet Evanovich had released a book that she had written a long time ago, so it was new-to-me, and I bought that one. Then, when I did my book signing at a local bookstore in Staunton, VA, (BookWorks) I wanted to support the store so I bought a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book called Glitter Baby. After that, I won a book by Denise Robbins called It Happens in Threes. Then, I did a radio show interview where the host, Rita Schiano, wrote me a wonderful review, and I want to return the favor and read her book, Painting the Invisible Man. I found a few books (which will be in Thursday's post) at the Virginia Festival of the Book this past weekend that I want to read. Plus, I got a free book from another vendor with the promise to write a review called The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. Gasp!

These days, with promoting my own book, my free time has dwindled. Thank goodness for my upcoming vacation for reading time. I have a 7-hour flight to Amsterdam and back, so that should take care of at least 2 books, if you include "sitting in the airport time." Then, maybe I'll share the love with some of these books and hand them to someone else to read in the airport when I'm done. Oh, and that's another book on my list - Rick Steeves Amsterdam, Brussels & Bruges. If you want to check them out, here are the Amazon links below.

Maybe I'll take on the review hat when I'm done and spread the review love. By the way, I love reviews on THE LIST as well, so if you read it, I'd appreciate you telling the world about it!