 I’m Somebody!Posted by Susan Sey Mar 31 2010, 4:32 am in DIY, Susan Sey, websites
Remember that scene in The Jerk when Steve Martin finds his name in the phone book for the first time? He’s overjoyed. That’s him, right there in print. It’s official! He’s somebody! Yahoo! I had a moment like that this morning. You see, I’ve been working on it for ages but I finally launched my very first website. And now, when you type in http://www.susansey.com I turn up. Officially. That’s my name, my face and my book cover right there! I’m somebody!
First, I tapped my friend Noah from church. Like me, he stays home with his daughter (whom my daughters happen to adore.) Also like me, he’s doing a little something with all that ‘spare time’ stay at homes have in such abundance. (Careful, that’s a lot of sarcasm there.)
Now, like many of you, when I thought about building my own website, I toyed with the idea of doing something in WordPress. I decided to go with Fruitful instead for a couple of reasons.
I hear that WordPress is user friendly after a fashion but after a bunch of comparison shopping, Fruitful won out. It struck me as far more intuitive, & that’s important to me. I can’t horse around figuring out a website because I’m a terribly slow writer. I need to devote all the time I can get to my WIP.
And whenever I have a question about why something works or doesn’t work, I know I’m going to get an answer ASAP. Because if Noah doesn’t get back to me, I’ll see him at church on Sunday. On the other hand, if I fail to send him a check promptly, he’ll see me on Sunday, too. It works both ways & I like it that way. I know exactly who I’m paying to do this for me–somebody just like me. A person with a passion for what he does, splitting the difference between pursuing that passion and being at home with the little ones. It works for me, and I’m thrilled with the results.
She said she could, and she did. Did she ever. I was thrilled and amazed at what she was able to pull out of my unfocused and largely incoherent thoughts on my work. If you’re looking for a designer, I’d recommend her without reservation. I’ll be happy to share her info privately if anybody wants it. But there are drawbacks. I’m Noah’s first writer client, so we’re learning together how Fruitful lends itself to a writer’s unique needs. There are a few things that need tweaking. For example, I don’t have the capacity to allow comments on my blog right now. That communication will be a one-way street for a while but I’m okay with that. Readers will hopefully want to interact with me at some point in the future, and when the time comes I’ll work with Noah to develop something that’ll fit the bill.
Having a website designed was a big decision. Besides being the biggest writing related expense I’ve encountered aside from attending RWA’s annual conference, a website is probably also the most important link between a new author and her potential audience. I really wanted to get it right, and have been so glad that keeping things close to home worked out. How about you? Do you have a website? A DIY job, or outsourced? Any lessons learned you’d be willing to share? Dianna Love’s Romantic ThrillersPosted by Cassondra Murray Mar 30 2010, 5:51 am in BAD agency, Cassondra Murray, Cassondra's blogs, dianna Love, romantic thrillers romantic suspense, Sherrilyn Kenyon by Cassondra MurrayDianna Love stops by the lair regularly to comment and say hello, but it’s been two years since she made an official visit. In that time she’s added New York Times Bestselling Author to her resume. If you spend any time with Dianna, you can’t miss that she stretches every boundary to be her absolute best. That determination and a whole bunch of talent earned her a coveted Rita award for her first published novel, Worth Every Risk. I was lucky enough to be there that night to see her receive that award. Scroll down a little and A Delicious DilemmaPosted by Nancy Northcott Mar 29 2010, 6:20 am in Bewitched and Betrayed, Lisa Shearin, Raine Benares posted by Nancy Lisa Shearin returns to the Lair to share her heroine’s current dilemma with us. Those of you who’ve read Raine Benares’ adventures know Raine is involved with two hunky guys, goblin duke Tam and paladin mage Mychael. Those of you who haven’t yet made their acquaintance are in for a new treat. We’re going to do something a little different today, but I’ll let Lisa explain. Welcome, Lisa! Tell us what you have planned. My fourth Raine Benares adventure–Bewitched & Betrayed–will hit bookstore shelves on Tuesday, April 27. Here’s a teaser from the book’s back cover: “My "AND WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?"Posted by Suzanne Ferrell Mar 28 2010, 4:01 am in character growth, decisions, family life, Life Lessons, Suzanne Welsh by Suzanne Remember when you were a kid and your parents would say things to you like, “If your friends jumped off a cliff would you do it too?” (That depends on why my friends are jumping off cliffs), or “Eat all your vegetables, because kids in China are starving.” (Would me eating my vegetables actually stop them from starving?) or “Close the door, were you born in a barn? (I don’t know, you were the adult in the room, not me–yes I was a sarcastic child and paid dearly for it). Those are the phrases we heard over and Tattoo Booty!!Posted by Kate Carlisle Mar 28 2010, 3:40 am in Bandita Booty, Karen E. Olson, Kate Carlisle Karen E. Olson has chosen a random winner from her blog last week! The winner of a copy of The Missing Ink, the first book in her fabulous Tattoo Shop mysteries, is … Laurie!!! Congratulations, Laurie!! Please send your snail mail address directly to Karen at karen@kareneolson.com and she’ll ship the book out to you! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to comment and offer all those brilliant drag queen names. We had a blast!!! Pretty Boys and Rugged MenPosted by Jo Robertson Mar 27 2010, 4:01 am in Jo Robertson, Pretty Boys, Rugged Men by Jo Robertson In the world of Hollywood there used to be a standard for the leading man in film. Straight nose, high cheekbones, thick hair of whatever color, and sculpted mouth. Think Alan Ladd, who by all accounts was so short (a measly five foot six inches) that he wore lifts and often had to perform on raised platforms to appear taller than many of his leading ladies. Then the standard for good looking men turned to the rugged, skewed looks, a tad off from perfection. Often the separate features of these men are odd, too large noses, crooked Chloe Harris’s BootyPosted by Nancy Northcott Mar 27 2010, 3:55 am in Bandit Booty, Chloe Harris, Secrets of Sin Chloe Harris, via her alter ego Noelle Henderson, has chosen her winner. A copy of Secrets of Sin goes to . . . Gigi! Congratulations, Gigi. Please send your contact information to AuthorchloeharrisATgmailDOTcom. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! Obsession in the AirPosted by Nancy Northcott Mar 26 2010, 6:30 am in hobbies, King Arthur, obsessions, Richard III, super-heroes by Nancy Obsession is not just a perfume to me. It’s more like a hobby. A lifelong hobby, in fact, though I haven’t been actively obsessed by any one thing all this time. I’ve engaged more in something like serial obsessions. The dh noticed this not long after we were married and commented, “When you get into something, you really get into it, don’t you?” He said this with remarkable good humor, considering that the obsession of the time was Richard III and that it caused him to visit way more battlefields and castles than he cared anything about (which Today’s the Day …Posted by Kate Carlisle Mar 25 2010, 4:19 am in Golden Heart, RITAs By Kate As you already know by now (thanks to Donna’s blog from Tuesday!), today is the official RITA and Golden Heart contest call day. Somebody out there is going to get THE CALL!!! If it’s you, we want to know! Leave us a comment and we’ll celebrate with you!! But meanwhile, here in the Lair, we Banditas are on edge. Even if we don’t have an entry in the contest, we know someone—make that many someones—who do. So you’ll forgive us if our nerves are showing! Will the phone ever ring?? Forget trying to concentrate on blogging today. As Word of MouthPosted by Guest Mar 24 2010, 3:57 am in Uncategorized by KJ Howe When I read THE END of a phenomenal book, the first thing I want to do is share my find with friends, family, and like-minded people. From the transformational abilities of self-help books to the powerful escapism of fiction, a good book can change our lives. Word of mouth is one of the fastest ways for a book to hit the bestseller lists (other than being featured on Oprah!). Just think of the success of TWILIGHT or THE CELESTINE PROPHECY. Both books inspired a loyal following and people kept spreading the word. I recently read THE SEVEN
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