I Heart... Google Maps

I use Google Maps all the time.
Running errands?  Google Maps.
Looking for a friend's house?  Google Maps.  
Planning a trip?  Google Maps.

I find that they are an incredibly useful tool to organize information in addition to helping me navigate from Albuquerque to Zambia.  And you can make them either public -- which means other people can search the information on your map -- or private -- you can share it with others, but they have to be invited. I create both kinds.  For example, during Cruise Week, I had more recommendations to make than I could include in one week of blogging, so I added other restaurants and places to visit on the Cruise Week map.  That map was public -- and viewers can even make comments on the map as they use it. 

The same is true for the new Rome's Angels & Demons: the Insider's Guide Map.  The free ebook (download your copy here) has a map with the primary locations marked, but you should also check out the new Google map where every location mentioned in the book is also located on the map.  All of Rome's obelisks?  Check the map.  That spot where Raphael and his lover were caught in fragrante delicto?  Check the map.  All four Altars of Science?  Check the map!  There are more than 30 Angels & Demons-related locations in all. 


View Rome's Angels & Demons: the Insider's Guide in a larger map

I am gearing up for a 2-week trip to Ireland in June, and you can bet I'll be including Google maps when I am blogging about that trip as well.  Right now my Ireland maps are private.  I am plotting my hotels and planning daily itineraries for my travels, but when I start to blog about the trip, some of those maps will become public and part of my blog posts as well.
So, how do you use Google Maps at home and when you are traveling?
And don't forget to enter the Tweet-to-Win contest!

Angels & Demons Tweet-to-Win Contest!

You only have until noon PST on Friday to enter the  

Rome's Angels & Demons Tweet-to-Win Contest!

The Prize: A Rome Goodie Bag
Sponsored by Roaring Forties Press and EternallyCool.net, this basket contains:
How to enter:

That's it!  And you can enter as often as you like.  So, help me get the word out about Rome's Angels & Demons: the Insider's Guide.  And don't forget to download your free copy at Roaring Forties Press!

Rome's Angels & Demons: Launch Party!

I love a good party!  Today we are celebrating the launch of Rome's Angels & Demons: the Insider's Guide -- my latest guide to the city of Rome:
In Angels & Demons, Dan Brown places his fictional characters in the very real city of Rome, lacing together historical realities and fictional possibilities to create a tale so entrancing that copies of the book were seen in the hands of the faithful who converged on St. Peter’s to mourn the death of Pope John Paul II.

As a lover of both fiction and Rome, I wrote this guide to give readers and viewers of Angels & Demons a deeper appreciation of the history that underlies Dan Brown’s story. In part, this guide draws on my book A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome, which explores the life and career of the man who did more than any other to shape the art and architecture of the Eternal City. Not only did Michelangelo inspire artists such as Raphael and Bernini, he also designed many of the defining landmarks in the city through which Langdon and Vittoria race to save the Vatican.
The book is filled with interesting tidbits and photos -- including photos by my dear friend, Miss Expatria!
 
And here's the best part:  the ebook is FREE!  Talk about party favors, eh!

Just click below, and you can download your very own copy suitable to be read on a Kindle or printed:


But it gets better...
I'm having a Tweet-to-Enter Contest, too! 

The Prize: A Rome Goodie Bag
Sponsored by Roaring Forties Press and EternallyCool.net, this basket contains:


The Winners
We will choose a winner randomly and announce the results here on Friday, May 22, 2009. Many thanks to Roaring Forties Press and  Eternallycool.net for sponsoring this giveaway.

Spread the Word!
If you have family or friends who you know will love this giveaway, just click the little envelope icon at the bottom of this (or any) post to email it to a friend.

If you don't win (because not everyone will)
You can purchase your very own Eternally Cool Water Bottles here .
You can purchase A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome here .
And don't forget to get your copy of Rome's Angels & Demons: an Insider's Guide!


Good luck!