Every few weeks or so I make a point to check my blog stats. I'm not quite sure why I do it; probably for the same reason writers check their Amazon ranking and the best seller lists. It's just another way to drive yourself completely insane without leaving the privacy of your home.

Well, this afternoon I clicked on the blog stat link, checked my traffic, then decided to click on the World Map feature and let out a whoop of excitement.

Yes, a whoop. I didn't know I was capable of whooping until that moment but it turns out I am a very talented whooper.

I know this is going to mark me as hopelessly unsophisticated but there is something deeply exciting about seeing that list of countries represented. I guess I'm still the tiniest bit in awe of the power of the Internet and the fact that we can literally reach across the globe without our words and touch each other is downright mindblowing if you stop typing long enough to really think about the concept.

So I want to issue an official welcome to my wonderful visitors from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Korean, Taiwan, Canada, Phillipines, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, the U.K., Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and my home base United States of America.

I'm so delighted I can barely type this post! In fact, I think this deserves a contest. Send me an email at this address and I'll pick ten winners who will all receive signed copies of Just Like Heaven.

I'm so glad you're here, all of you!