Katherine Chloé Cahoon

When people see me hobbling about lately and ask what happened, I explain that dance practice for my upcoming music video has been kicking my butt. Then the stream of questions begins: Are you a professional dancer? No. A singer? No. An actor? Well, I was a fish in my elementary school’s version of The Little Mermaid, if that counts:) When I explain that I’m a writer, they ask the logical question: Then why are you making a music video?

After my travel book came out, articles were written about me that included personal details like that I grew up training at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and was on the dance/cheer team at Vanderbilt University. Then I received fan requests to make a dance video. I pretended they didn’t exist. I hadn’t danced since college. Actually, I had hardly even worked out since then because I was so busy writing with three producers on different scripts and on my book. I survived the numerous all-nighters on the “Ben & Jerry’s Diet”—a minimum of three pints a week. But the dance video requests kept rolling in so I finally caved. Here’s a picture of me post-practice soaking my feet in ice water and having a meeting with my two close friends, Ben and Jerry. This shows how much I love you all! My publisher was bewildered by the project and asked how it tied into my book. I found a way. I’ll keep you posted.

Here Duncan Smith, a professional makeup artist, and I show how to look great anywhere on a trip with only eight small products. Duncan gave me a natural look, but you can go more dramatic just by using a deeper-colored travel palette.

To film this video, my friend Brett brought in his Canon 5D and 7D so you can clearly see Duncan apply the makeup. I was quite excited about this upgrade from my tiny camera. Thanks to my mom for spontaneously stepping in as the second camera operator. You can catch a glimpse of her in the mirror at times:)

When I was partway through editing this video, my computer started to crash and couldn’t keep up with the footage, so I had to edit most of it in slow motion. Fingers crossed…let’s see how it turns out!! Can’t wait to edit my next video on my new Mac.

I just learned that my feet are featured on wikiFeet, the collaborative celebrity-feet website, and people have been rating them. I realized when I became an author that people would critique my writing, but I never imaged they’d critique my feet!

For years, I danced ballet in pointe shoes, so my feet got more than their fair share of thrashing:) What’s funny is that before I went on Tosh.0, I accidentally skinned the top of one of them. My mom said, “Don’t worry about it. No one’s going to notice all the way down there.” Well, a comment on the site is about seeing my feet on Tosh.0. I guess nothing goes unnoticed on Comedy Central!

Spring break should be one of the high points of your year. With this ritual upon us, I want all of you who are still in school to have a fabulous time. In my college days, I noticed that friends either came back from spring break thrilled or thrashed. To avoid the latter, sidestep these three break botchers. 

Just Chatting on the Airplane: If you are flying to your destination and have homework due when you return or a big test bearing down on you, I’d suggest doing your work en route. A lot of my friends just chatted on the plane, but then they had to use some of their beach and pub crawl time holed-up in the hotel room completing assignments. Others pretended they didn’t have work on break and had to pull all-nighters when they returned. Instead of being energized after the break, they were exhausted.

Running Barefoot on the Beach: If you are going to a beach for spring break, be careful of glass camouflaged by sand. I saw a girl go running barefoot on the beach as soon as she arrived and badly slice her foot on a piece of glass. This put a damper on the rest of the trip for her and everyone in her group. Unless you know that your beach is combed daily, consider wearing sandals.

Don’t Drink Yourself Over a Barbwire Fence: I have done several university book events, so I realize that some students don’t like to hear how unsafe it is to get drunk. I don’t want to sound like your mom, but it’s important to be in control of yourself. I’m not saying that you can’t drink at all—just watch your alcohol intake. One spring break, I met a guy who got so drunk the night before that he lost his group. As he wandered about aimlessly trying to find his hotel, he hopped a fence. In his inebriated state, he didn’t realize that it was edged in barbwire and wound up on the ground bleeding profusely. Fortunately, some people found him and took him to the hospital…but the ending could have been much worse. You can still be the life of the party without winning a drinking contest.

I hope this year is your best spring break ever!

Order The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men

Brian Feinblum, creator of BookMarketingBuzzBlog, wrote the article entitled, “Interview with Viral Video Queen & Amazon Best-Selling Author.” He asked me about my advice for women, if I’m planning another book, and more! You can read the interview here. It’s the third article.

I love Valentine’s Day:) You probably wouldn’t have guessed that though…I mean it’s not like I wrote an entire book about romance or anything (wink wink)! Since VDay falls on a workday, I’ve heard several people say that they’re having smaller celebrations then and planning future romantic getaways. Here are three destinations that skyrocket in the romantic ratings. 

Rome’s Donna Camilla Savelli Hotel (www.HotelDonnaCamillaSavelli.com) is the epitome of a sexy stay with velvet-wrapped headboards and marble bathtubs. You could never even leave your room and still have a lust-worthy trip. But the rooftop is way too alluring with its view of the city, and Rome has so many hot destinations that not fully doing in the town is out of the question. In The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men, I give details on some of the most fun Rome landmarks that tourists often overlook whether you already have a man by your side or not!

Portugal’s L’And Vineyards (www.L-And.com) are stunning and sure to ignite a romantic spark. Through March 31st, you can get a deal on a four-night stay in a stone and slate Sky-view (and vineyard view) suite at the Alentejo complete with a retractable ceiling for star-gazing. You’ll even have an outdoor patio with a fireplace and heated plunge pool! This incredible offer includes a tour of the vineyards and winery, wine sampling, and a three-course dinner for two. In my book, I reveal a neighborhood and a historic hillside restaurant in Lisbon, each of which would make a trip to remember.

Cabo San Lucas’ Love Beach is a no-miss. The name says it all! This city is known for its lively nights, but during the day, you and your honey can take a boat to Love Beach for romantic relaxation. If it’s low tide, you can simply walk on. This is the perfect prelude to hitting the town. Get those dancing shoes on, because in Cabo people dance EVERYWHERE…and since this is one of the world’s foremost vacation destinations lodging deals abound. 

For descriptions of proven romantic places in eighteen other European countries―complete with true stories in a chick lit feel and lots of relationship tips from a variety of women―read The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men. (Order Now)

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! Even if you don’t have a sweetheart right now, there’s no need to deprive yourself of this holiday. I know a lady who recently went through a tough divorce. She and her single eighteen-old-daughter are having their own celebration, complete with roses and chocolates, in honor of the love the two of them share.

And remember, you only have one day left to enter my Valentine’s Day giveaway. Tomorrow, I will be drawing two people at random to win signed copies of my book. To enter, Email Me With Subject: VDay. If you would like me to write a special dedication, please let me know. I have been receiving quite the fun, creative ones! 

Valentine Giveaway: To enter the drawing for a signed copy of my book, email me at Katherine@MeetingEuropeanMen.com Subject: VDay. Tell me if there’s a special message you would like me to include. On Valentine’s Day, two people will be chosen at random to receive signed books!

I’ve been filming my video about how to meet men in cold weather…and as you can see, it’s definitely COLD here!!! This is Casey, my cute co-correspondent. You’ll be seeing a lot of him in the video:)

Tomorrow is my last day here in sunny LA. Then I return to Seattle where it’s snowing! Rachna, Chris, and Sarah from London asked me to make a video about how to meet men in cold weather…and I can’t think of a better time to film this than in the snow:) I’d love to hear any cold weather man-meeting tips you all have for the video!

I’m in LA filming a dating skit for Comedy Central. As you can see from this picture, I’ve got some skin in the game…literally…and I took a hit for the team! Minus that, it’s been a lot of fun. If you’re wondering why I got a rug burn on my stomach, you’ll just have to wait and watch the skit to find out:)

I hope you all had a bang-up beginning to 2012! The New Year has barely begun, and I have already seen so many ads with statements like, “Look as good as a model in less than a month.” This started me thinking about New Year’s resolutions. I don’t believe they should involve being “as good as” or “better than” anyone else. I’ve decided that the ideal New Year’s resolution is for each of us to be our best…without comparing ourselves to others. As I wrote in The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men, “Every female has something spectacular to offer.” That goes for guys too. So here’s to your best year yet and the best you:)

I’m sending you all some Seattle holiday cheer! This past year, I’ve traveled a lot for work and really enjoyed meeting everyone who attended my book events. Now I’m enjoying the holidays with family and friends. I hope each of you is loving this festive time of year too!

With the holiday season heating up, parties abound. For many single girls, meeting appealing men is the icing on the cake of a great event. As many of you know, I spent four summers studying in Europe before writing The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men. Many Euro cities are known as party central so my girlfriends and I had sufficient practice at learning the best ways to increase our chances of meeting eligible men at parties. Upon returning to the States, we found that the same tactics work here―and that they are not only good for meeting men but for making new friends.

The food is where it’s at. DJs may wish that dance floors were the most popular spots at parties, but let’s face it, no matter how great the music mixes are, the refreshment tables usually win the popularity contest. Sooner or later, people are bound to get hungry or thirsty. If you position yourself near the provisions, you up your chances of meeting party-goers.

Nobody wants to meet a cross person. I have a friend who always crosses her arms when she’s nervous. This often happens when she enters a party where she doesn’t know many of the attendees. She really is delightful, but I have heard people comment that her stance gives the message that she is closed off. Remember how you appear to onlookers and stand in a relaxed, open manner.

People love to laugh. My friends and I found that it’s easier to break the ice by cracking a joke. How you go about this depends on your personality. I have a friend who is extremely outgoing and all about fun. Once at a party, she pretended to be the bouncer and ID’d people at the door. One of the men she ID’d happened to be her future husband! He wanted to meet her, but was shy. If she hadn’t taken this party approach she might not have started the most important relationship of her life! You may not feel comfortable taking on the role of pretend bouncer, but anyone can joke in a friendly manner.

I had a fun Skype interview with Chris Trash for Bookgum. I really enjoyed meeting him. He wrote of The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men,  “The Best Book I’ve ever read.” He also wrote, “Disarming. This is the word that best describes Katherine Chloé Cahoon. Spend one minute with Katherine and you immediately want to become a better person. With a quick, knowing smile and a straightforward tone of voice she makes you feel as if you are the only two people in the world. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Katherine one evening this week and it was a very positive and surreal experience.” I could say the same about Chris!