Dutched Up!

If you need an idea, I’m your girl.

If you need an idea and you want someone to actually see it all the way through to the end, I *might* be your girl, depending on how many good ideas I’ve had in the same timeframe.

The perfect example of this is my new anthology book. I know, you’re all sitting there going, “Whaaa?” because I haven’t said anything before now about a new anthology. Here’s why…

In early 2013, in between signing my kids up for English schools and house-hunting online, I was killing time on Facebook and noticed a disturbing trend. Bloggers were coming out with amazing anthologies (I Just Want to Pee Alone and You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth), and no one was asking me to contribute to them. HOW DARE THEY!

I sat and burned with jealousy for a few days before coming up with a great idea. I will do my own anthology! That will show them!

I messaged my friend Olga and asked her what she thought. When she stopped jumping up and down, she and I reached out to a few other gals we know and slowly but surely built up a facebook group of women bloggers in the Netherlands who might be interested in collaborating on a book…about being an expat woman in the Netherlands.

I sold everyone on the idea and then packed myself up and moved to the UK. never once realizing that an international move and a return to full-time work *might* have an impact on my ability to get said book done in any reasonable timeframe.

Thank god for Olga. Thank god for all the other women.

It has taken us a ridiculously long amount of time and a ton of work behind the scenes by some amazing women, but we are done and the book is out. WOOHOO!

With no further delays, I present to you Dutched Up! Rocking the Clogs Expat Style by Expat Women Bloggers. I have two brand new stories in the book. The first is a set of guidelines for getting past the gauntlet and actually managing to get a prescription for something other than paracetamol. The second is a poetic look back on my time in the Netherlands and what it means to say goodbye. I still love them both, and after rounds of edits and hours of formatting, that is saying a lot!

If you are living in the Netherlands, have ever lived there or are thinking that someday you might want to give it a try, go and buy this book RIGHT NOW! The collective wisdom of this fabulous group of wisdom is invaluable, so the ebook price of only $5.99 (4.99 eur) is a steal of a deal.

Buy the book now at Amazon.com:

or Amazon.co.uk:

or iTunes: 

A special thanks to all of the participating bloggers:

The European Mama – Olga Mecking

The Nomad Mom Diary – Lynn Morrison

Stuff Dutch People Like – Colleen Geske

Finding Dutchland – Rina Mae Acosta

The Three Under – Farrah Ritter

Neamhspleachas – Molly Quell

Currystrumpet – Deepa Paul

George With Ears – Zoe Lewis

Dutch Australian – Reneé Veldman-Tentori

Expat Life With A Double Buggy – Amanda van Mulligen

MissNeriss – Nerissa Muijs

2 Little Monkeys in Breda – Rosalind Van Aalen

Olympic Wanderings – Caitlyn O’Dowd

Smart Tinker – Lana Kristine Jelenjev

Expat Since Birth – Ute Limacher-Riebold

Life In Dutch – Aislinn Callahan- Brand

The Non-Hip Hippies – Alexia Martha Symvoulidou

Naturally Global – Katherine Strous

Amayzmom – Shivangi Tiwari

Naija Expat In Holland – Tamkara Adun

Amber Rahim – Amber Rahim

Amsterdam Mama – Catina Tanner

Like A Sponge – Marianne Orchard

The Tini Times – Damini Purkayastha

Bardsleyland – Donna Stovall Bardsley

Foodlovas – Kerry Dankers

Social Fusion Amsterdam – Iulia Modi Agterhuis