The New Website’s Here! The New Website’s Here!

That’s right, woodchuck chuckers, the new site is up and live and you’re reading this on it RIGHT THIS MOMENT.

So–what do you think? I personally am overjoyed with it. It’s a huge step up from where I was, and it’s got some awesome features I’ve been looking to add for a long time. What are they?

  • First of all, my blog and my website now share the same space. This is really big, and it’s been something like eight years in the making. Up until now, my two web presences have been separated. They looked totally different from each other, there was no cross over between them, and it just felt clunky. With this new site, I’ve got my blog here where it belongs, and that feels great.
  • More than that, my blog is improved (I think.) It’s easier to find old material. It’s searchable. It’s got a better mechanism for making comments and sharing posts. I’m a big fan.
  • I’ve got a new way to track my writing. My website designer and I bounced a few ideas back and forth. I know some authors who show a “progress bar” on their site to show how the new book’s going. Dan (my designer) pointed out that such an approach meant something to the author, but it was really abstract to fans–mainly because it used word count to track progress. 50,000 words means something to me, but it’s totally abstract for non-writers. With this new approach, I track word count over time, and it shows some fascinating things to me. I can compare how fast I’ve written and revised each book I’ve written since VODNIK. (Check them out at TARNHELM, GET CUPID, and THE MEMORY THIEF’s pages.)
  • There are easy to find ways to get in touch with me–both through email and social media.
  • There’s also a spot to order stuff from me directly. I didn’t put in a full-fledged order page, mainly because I just don’t have enough demand to warrant it yet. But there’s a list of what I could send you–and there’s even an offer for some free VODNIK tattoos. (You know you want them!)
  • You can now subscribe to my blog, as well–have it sent directly to your email, so I can clog up your inbox as well as your now defunct RSS feed. The more the merrier, right?

Basically, this site gives my page a much needed refresh. It’s neat, it’s clean, and it conveys the information well. If you’re looking for something similar for your own site, might I recommend Tubadan Designs? (Note: that’s a site he put up this morning, knowing that I’d need a link to a space online where I could direct people.) I can’t say enough good things about him. He was willing to work with me through the whole process and offered fantastic recommendations and insights into how the final site’s design should look.

(I think one of the biggest differences with this revision was that I wasn’t the one doing it. I would always settle for “good enough,” and Dan pushed me to think beyond that and add the extra polish a site needs to look professional. At this point in my writing career, I think a little professionalism is in order.)

Anyway–there you have it. The new website! Give it a spin and tell me what you think. If you find any glitches or bugs, please let me know about those, too. There ususally are a few with something like this.

 

 

5 thoughts on “The New Website’s Here! The New Website’s Here!”

  1. Looks great! I was also excited to combine my website and blog one one site ๐Ÿ™‚ I feel your joy! I love the Vodnik theme in the background. And yes… I do find myself wanting Vodnik tatoos ๐Ÿ˜€

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