Dancing in Heaven dances across the ocean

It all started on Twitter.

I had tweeted out a thank you to the friends of the library at Kettering College for inviting me to speak about Dancing in Heaven to them and students in a psychology and sociology class.

@cmsmith57: A big thank you to Kettering College for inviting me to speak yesterday about Dancing in Heaven. Great student questions. Great event.

A blogging and twitter friend of mine named Marion, from the Netherlands, responded right away.

@MarionDriessen: And you did great, I’m sure of it! 😀

Exemplifying yet again, how supportive my blogging friends can be. I decided it was time to move forward on my idea of getting Dancing in Heaven into the hands of some of my international friends.

@cmsmith57: Thanks, Marion. I’d like to send my book out into the world, across the sea. Can I send you, or someone you know, one?

@MarionDriessen: YES, I’d love to read it and can give it to friends after. Just tell me what to do 🙂

@cmsmith57:  I just sent you an email asking for your address. 🙂

@MarionDriessen: ROFL, and I just sent you an e-mail too hahaha, they have crossed above the ocean 😉

In case you’re as internet illiterate as I am, ROFL means “rolling on floor laughing.”

And the idea of Dancing in Heaven, dancing across the ocean (Marion’s phrase) was born.

I stopped by Book Bums, the local coffee shop and book club place, and sat at one of the antique tables scattered about the room.

I opened the book and signed it for Marion.

Then I placed it in the padded envelope for its long trip over seas.

I sealed the envelope and headed for the nearest FedEx.

What a surprise.

It was going to cost me $85 to send this little book over the ocean to the Netherlands. “Yikes,” I said. “Never mind.”

Now I know people like to complain about governmental organizations in general, and the post office in particular, but I’m happy to say that the good ol’ U.S. Post Office will carry my book across the sea, making sure it is delivered into the waiting hands of Marion in the Netherlands for a mere $10. And they’ll do it in 6 to 10 business days. FedEx was charging me 8.5 times as much to get it there by Monday (or 5 business days).

You might think that $10 for shipping is a lot for an inexpensive little book, but it typically costs me $2.41 to send the book to most places in the continental U.S.A. so I figured an extra $7.50 to go across the ocean wasn’t all that bad.

My little book is on its way.

Stay tuned.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Marion Driessen, the Netherlands

Marion Driessen blogs in English at Figments of a Dutchess and Dutch on Doldriest. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociological recreation and is working as information manager and e-learning coach at a university. She blogs about art, poems, music, and life. I think she is a sensitive soul with an adventuresome spirit.

Her tag line on her blog header reads, “On Figments, I share my travel through life, my dreams and treasures found. Often with a dressing of humor. And YES, ‘Dutchess’ is misspelled, but hey, what do I know? I don’t belong to the English nobility… I’m just Dutch!”

She is the only dutchess I know.

You might enjoy Marion’s Thanksgiving in Holland post with pictures.

The Netherlands is about half the size of South Carolina. It is located on the North Sea, bordering Germany and Belgium. The climate is northern maritime, with cool summers and mild winters. The government is a Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3204.htm

26 thoughts on “Dancing in Heaven dances across the ocean”

  1. Yay—-your little book will be there before you know it and all of Netherlands will be reading it before you know it!!! it is crazy expensive to send things anywhere anymore but you made a good choice and got it going very inexpensively ! Good on ya, Christine—you will soon be famous there as well as here!

    1. I’m having some fun with it. Now I need to research where the book might be since I wasn’t able to use a service that gives you tracking information.

  2. I love reading about how we are so connected, everyone of us throughout the world, through blogs and twitter and, of course, friendship. Great post!

    1. I don’t know how big of a step it is, but I am having fun with it. I’m going to have to make a list of all my international blogging friends. I know a photographer in the Czech Republic. . .

  3. Congratulations on going international! 🙂

    I noticed that about the post office vs. Fed Ex, too, when sending something to Australia. The difference was astounding.

    I just received my copy of your book today (yay!) and am looking forward to reading it soon.

    1. I’m glad to hear the book made it to you. I suspect it did not take 6 – 10 days. But maybe it did. They probably had to print it just for you.

      I’ll look forward to hearing what you think. I hope you like it.

    1. You know, I shipped some things home from Europe when I was there and I don’t remember it being this bad. Although they wanted an arm and a leg for the case of wine my husband tried to ship.

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