The Reviews Are In! (And New Availability from Online Book Stores)

• "A superb adventure in Africa"
• "A delightful read"
• "Makes you want to travel to Africa"
• "Mountains Never Meet is a fantastic airport or beach read. It’s light, humorous, and all about the mushy love stuff."
• "Kept my attention from the first page to the last"

I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed Mountains Never Meet. I may not say this often enough but I am so thrilled that anyone has paid attention to it and when I read your thoughts on my book it motivates me to keep sharing it with others and to keep writing.

If you haven't reviewed it, please consider doing so on Amazon and Goodreads. And not just my book, on any book that you read. From the best-sellers to the indie authors, everyone loves hearing what the readers have to say about their work.

I know that not everyone loves Amazon, so online distribution has been expanded to a couple other sites for the paperback version. If you already have an account at one of these retailers, why not check it out?

• CreateSpace (This is the Amazon direct-print website where I created the paperback edition. It's also where I get the highest percentage of royalty. :)  Just sayin')
• Barnes and Noble
• Abe Books
• IndieBound

I am still working on bricks-and-mortar stores and libraries. I'd love to see it on a shelf someday!

Thanks again for reading!

Mountains Never Meet -- Now in Paperback!

I'm pleased to announce that after a few weeks of setbacks, Mountains Never Meet is now available in paperback at CreateSpace. It will follow on Amazon in about a week and I am working on additional distribution channels for both the paperback and e-book editions.

I'm so excited, you guys. It's been a busy few months (an updated Bamako post will follow in a few days -- let's just say I have left Bamako about 6 months earlier than expected, due to the security situation). I'm so happy that after everyone's been asking about the paperback I can finally offer it to you.

Thank you for hanging in there!

Also, I will be removing Mountains Never Meet from the Kindle Unlimited program in one week, on February 10. So if you've been meaning to read it for free under KU, please do so now! Click here to go to the Kindle page. It will still be available on Kindle for $2.99.

Mountains Never Meet Kindle Release Day!

About a year ago I half jokingly posted a status on Facebook stating I was going to write expat-travel themed romance novels. Whether they were half joking or not, my friends encouraged me to actually do so. After a lot of work, here it is.

I made it a point to read more independent authors on my road to becoming one myself. I had no idea what I was getting into. I reached out to different online communities and not only did I learn some of the ropes (because there’s really no one way to do this) I met some wonderful people who have helped and supported me immensely.

Mountains Never Meet is available for Kindle from Amazon (in several countries, including the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, and India, so check your local Amazon site). The paperback edition and other digital formats will follow in a few weeks.

Thank you, everyone, for the various ways you supported and encouraged me. I hope you enjoy it. (And if you don’t, that’s okay, too. Not every book is for every person.)

US: http://amzn.to/1MN6QxF
UK: http://amzn.to/1Mbcpsz
Australia: http://bit.ly/1QzHwkW
Canada: http://amzn.to/1Nu7FvY
India: http://amzn.to/1NP4dRj

After you read, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads. (And check out the reviews I’ve left for other indie authors.) Thank you!

Lace up your hiking boots...

The adventure begins soon!

I'd like to give a million "thank you"s to my pal Warwick for the cover design! 

Introducing... Mountains Never Meet

Here is the blurb for my chicklit-travel-expat-romance novel, Mountains Never Meet:

When Maggie has second thoughts about getting married, she thinks an exotic vacation will bring her and Thomas closer together. Thomas agrees but he isn’t thrilled with her choice of a destination – Mount Kilimanjaro. Their rocky relationship becomes even more strained, however, and Maggie finds herself alone in Africa.

Maggie hates asking for help but she finds it in the form of an unlikely stranger. Against the magnificent backdrop of the African savannah, Maggie starts to question everything she’s ever thought about love, life, and where to call home. 

Publishing this November in ebook and paperback!

Travel Photo Friday: Mount Kilimanjaro

From the archives.

We climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in February 2009.

Day 4 of the climb. Our destination, Uhuru Peak, is in the background.

Photo Friday is hosted by DeliciousBaby.com.

Summit Day!

15 Feb
Day 6 – Summit Day!
Barafu Camp (4,550m/14,930ft) to Uhuru Peak (5,895m/19,340ft), 7 km
Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft), 23 km

We went to bed immediately after an early dinner so we could wake up at 11:00 pm. Wind whipped the tent all night long and I didn’t want to go outside. But I put on my layers and went to the mess tent for a cup of tea.

At 12:05 we started walking. It was cold, dark, and miserable. The headlamp illuminated the boots of the person in front of you and you just followed them.

About an hour into the walk my arms and legs stopped doing what my brain told them to do. I’d take 3 or 4 steps, stop, and Mike would give me a little push from behind.

My mind wandered. You have to let it if you don’t want to dwell on the discomforts. I counted steps in French and English. I sang to myself from the “O Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack. I repeated over and over again, “We’ll be at the summit by 8 am” and “24 hours from now I’ll be warm and asleep”.

The hours dragged on. Step, step, step, push. Finally, surprisingly early, we reached Stella’s Point. Even at our slow pace we were less than an hour from the top, Uhuru Peak. I was exhilarated, but I still couldn’t get my legs to work. Step, step, step, push.

A few hundred meters from Uhuru Peak I put my poles away and grabbed Mike’s arm. I wanted us to summit together. He practically had to drag me, and he was having altitude problems, too.

We reached Uhuru Peak at 6:05, exactly 6 hours after we started. I couldn’t believe it took us only 6 hours! I thought it would take at least 7 and I had been prepared for it to take up to 8.

We summitted at sunrise, and the pink sky illuminating the glacier was gorgeous. I nearly cried, but I was too cold. We took some pictures and walked around, delirious with accomplishment.


The obligatory photo in front of the sign, with our assistant guide Jeremiah

But I didn’t stay long. Due to my Gumby legs the guide wanted me to start the descent ASAP. The assistant guide ended up escorting me whole way down, not letting go of my elbow until we got to the door of our tent. I just could not hold myself up. I saw two other people descending the same way, so I guess it’s not that uncommon.

Back at the tent we both crashed for about an hour. Then we had lunch and packing. We asked for a light lunch but a stew had already been made, so we ate as much as we could stomach.

The afternoon trek to the final campsite was long. But eventually it became very beautiful and pleasant. We descend from the summit and alpine desert zones through the moorland to the edge of the rain forest. The oxygen is great!

We decided to camp one last night. We thought about continuing on to the gate but our pace was so slow this afternoon we might not make it before dark. We will sleep well and get an early start in the morning. It’s not as crucial to eat the camp food for fuel, so we can snack on Lara Bars for the night if we have to.

See photos on flickr

I'm typing up my notes from the trip and posting them with just some light editing. Each day will be a new post.

Fifth Day of Climbing

14 Feb -- 5th day of climbing
Sitting in Barafu Camp, resting up for the final ascent. We’ll wake up around 11:00 pm and start climbing by midnight.

Day 3 – Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft) to Lava Tower (4,630m/15,190ft) to Barranco Camp (3,950m/12,960ft), 15 km

Angela decided to throw in the towel. We set off for my birthday trek to Lava Tower and she set off for the ranger station for a ride into town.

The trek up was long. After lunch the first part of the trek down was steep, rocky, slippery, cold, and damp. I did not have fun. Then the terrain got flatter.

Mike had the porters sing "Happy Birthday" to me and they ate all my chocolate.

Valley after the Lava Tower descent

Day 4 – Barranco Camp (3,950m/12,960ft) to Karanga Camp (4,200m/13,780ft), 7 km

Steep climb with some scary rock scrambling. Up and down ridges, hard but a fairly short day. Arrived in camp early afternoon and burst into tears, coming down from the adrenaline of the rocky trek.

Day 5 – Karanga Camp (4,200m/13,780ft) to Barafu Camp (4,550m/14,930ft), 13 km

Very short day, but I think steepest so far. Up a gravely ridge, then flat, then up again to highest and most barren campsite. Windy, but toasty in the tent when the sun is out. Arrived around 11:00 am. Lunch was served at 1:00 pm. I’m losing my appetite for camp food but eating as much as I can. The fresh fruit is good.

As Tina Fey said to the writers on 30 Rock, "We as a group don’t smell so great.” I’m a little tired of being dirty, but it must be done.

Having mild headaches that up until today went away as soon as I stopped to rest. Felt weak on the trek today. Drinking plenty of water. Taking an Aleve and a multivitamin with snack every afternoon.

This morning when we started I realized that in 24 hours I’ll be at the summit.

See photos on flickr

I'm typing up my notes from the trip and posting them with just some light editing. Each day will be a new post. 

Second Day of Climbing

I'm typing up my notes from the trip and posting them with just some light editing. Each day will be a new post.

11 Feb 2009 -- 2nd day of climbing

Yesterday was long. Something was mixed up with our tents and porters so we started with another group and met our guide at camp. Walked with an Australian girl who lives in Boston and two girls from Denmark.


Machame Gate, the very beginning

It started to rain toward the last hour which made us kind of miserable. But tea, popcorn, and dinner by candlelight cheered us up. Angela’s having a tough time and not having fun. We and the guide (Malisa) are trying to convince her to keep going, one day at a time.

Tuesday night slept surprisingly well. Woke up at 2 am to go to the bathroom and the full moon over the campsite was gorgeous.

Wednesday was a shorter hike, 9 km, but very steep. We went up,up, up, then down a couple hundred meters to rest and sleep at the lower attitude. I have a very mild headache that comes and goes. It might be from the cold. I’m drinking tons of water.

Shira Camp, end of day 2

See photos on flickr.

Day 1: Machame Gate (1,290m/4,890ft) to Machame Camp (2,980m/9,780 ft), 18km

Day 2: Machame Camp (2,980m/9,780 ft) to Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft), 9km

Zero Days Until

I can't sleep so I thought I'd work on one last post before we go. My alarm is set to go off in about two hours. I'm sure I'll go back to sleep for a bit. Also, I'm a champion at sleeping on planes so I know I'll get plenty of rest over the next 24 hours. Tuesday morning we start our actual climb up the mountain. We actually don't live that far away from Mt. Kilimanjaro, but Bujumbura isn't exactly a major airline hub so it will take all day to get there. We have two short flights. We'll spend more time in Nairobi for our layover than we will actually flying in the air.

I woke up just before 2:30 a.m. with a headache. OMG! Altitude sickness! Malaria! No, wait, I'm safe in my bed in my house and I drank a very tasty red wine this afternoon, followed by a glass of champagne before dinner. (Everyone wanted just one last drink before we left!) I probably just need a glass of water. So I'm up now, drinking some water and wishing the satellite worked so I could watch some CNN before I'm out of touch for two weeks.

As soon as we get to Nairobi I'm buying a Milka bar from the duty-free shop. I've been thinking about it for a couple weeks now. It's going to be such a nice change to be in touristy, more modern cities for a few nights. I actually hate Nairobi airport, but I'm willing to appreciate it for some of its first-world comforts, like Milka bars.

I think I'm on the verge of rambling, which is probably a sign that I should go back to bed.

See you all on the other side of the mountain!

What have I gotten myself in to?

I'm nearly all packed up. Seeing all the gear laid out at once made me a tad panicky. What the hell am I going to do with all this stuff? And why am I going to do it? At freezing temperatures on the side of a ridiculously high mountain? Gaiters, first-aid kits, hand warmers, trekking poles, mittens, mitten liners, extra socks, snack bars,... it's all piling up. Then factor in trying to fit all this stuff into the new airline baggage weight requirements. It seems like an impossible puzzle.

My four (4) jackets: wool, fleece, down, and gortex. And I decided to stuff them all into my carry-on, just in case.

I told my mom last night my mantra is "Thinking bee! Thinking bee!" It started yesterday with trying to pack. It will continue until I get to the top of the mountain.

Brief panic again this morning when our ride to the airport showed up. Huh? We're supposed to leave tomorrow morning. The tickets are right, right? Right? We hope so. We don't have them. The guy from Mike's office who handles travel and was supposed to arrange our ride to the airport has them. I guess if they're wrong, he'll handle that too. Oddly, that's something I'm not even worried about right now. 

The Mental Challenge

We are just over four weeks away from starting our Kilimanjaro climb. I am so sick of getting out of bed every morning and reaching for my hiking boots or running shoes (in all honesty, this has been one of the worst weeks for getting out of bed and I haven't done it nearly as often as I should have).

Today I actually felt good on my run, but when I Google Mapped it later, the distance was just a smidge over 2 miles. Mike was certain we’d done 2.5 and I thought it would be at least 2.25.

We suck.

We need to change up our hiking route. I’ve been doing the same route twice a week for over a month and I now hate it a little bit. It’s gotten boring. Adding weight to my pack has only made it harder, not more fun.

As I was plodding along this morning it occurred to me that I’ve been thinking of this Kili climb for almost a year. Those cold trail runs in Virginia in February and the humid runs along the river in Georgetown in July. In the back of my mind they were all supposed to be leading me up to this point.

Since the trip and the plane tickets are all paid for, I can’t stop now. And I don’t want to stop. I want to start climbing tomorrow, not in one month. I’m tired of reading inspirational articles and essays. I’m too anxious for my own experience, not someone else’s. I’m tired of thinking over the gear list. There’s so much stuff! Surely people successfully climbed mountains long before Gore-tex.

Part of me wants to lounge about in the mornings drinking coffee for an hour before I go to work rather than put on smelly shoes and sweat for an hour before work. But part of me is already wondering what the next goal will be, after Kili.

Climb every mountain

I am super-psyched for Kilimanjaro. In 6 weeks we'll be on the mountain. We’ve done lots of preparation but still have quite a bit to do. I think we’ve finally ordered the last bit of gear – spare camera batteries. It takes so long for us to receive mail here that we are nearing the drop-dead date for when we can order and receive in time. (We’ve bought so much crap that I’m already thinking ahead to the next trek. I’d hate to use this stuff once and then have it sit in the closet for years. I’m obsessed with Nepal right now, second to Kili.)

Mike weighted my pack (all those bricks of soap from Costco that we bought last August!) and I’ve done my local mountain hike with it three times now. It’s only around 20 pounds and I don’t want it to get much heavier. I feel healthy and strong though. The pack is working out great. I feel the weight in my hips and quads, not my back or shoulders, and that’s good.

We’re so focused on climbing the mountain that the week-long safari afterward has been at the backs of our minds. It will be so relaxing compared to the trek. I got Mike a Blu-Ray player for Christmas and one of the first discs we watched was the Planet Earth episode on great plains. It got us really excited for the safari. I also reread the Northern Tanzania chapter of my Tanzania guidebook to refresh myself on the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Olduvai Gorge. I can’t wait to see all the animals!

Happy New Year! May your mountains be climbed in 2009.