Changes to the blog

After some debate, I’ve changed the aesthetics of my blog. I’ve done so in the most practical way possible: I’ve reduced noise and directed attention to only the priority areas. Partially this was inspired by my constant need for change, but it was also inspired by my need to consolidate and regain some professionalism. Anthony made a valid point concerning sidebars: they are somewhat passé, especially in regard to the eReader revolution, of which I definitely play a part. Tam suggested that I make meta work for me; that’s where the simplification came in. And until Connor and his friend invent (and share) an awesome replacement for blogrolls, I’m not going to include any.

Speaking of Connor, he reviewed my blog not long ago, and I feel guilty because I changed almost everything so his review is kind of obsolete now. I even thought about changing the title. I didn’t. As you can see. But that took restraint. And a fear of Connor’s wrath. Good thing he lives across the country, right?

I don’t think I ever posted it on here, but Connor interviewed me a little while ago. He’s the second person to ask me for an interview. That’s got to be a good sign. Anyway, if you check it out, you’ll get to read about me rambling on about my life: writing, editing, parenting, Grit City Publications, book reviews, etc. I tried not to be boring but hey, it’s about my life after all.

There’s not much else to report at the moment. I’ve spent the last week battling my temperamental internet connection while trying to format two titles for April’s catalog launch. They’re done. I’m so relieved. The artwork is fantastic and everything looks great.

The internet is still being a jerk, though.

 

Dear Wannabe Guest Bloggers (and other news!)

I love you all. I really do. But here’s the thing: I don’t actually know most of you. So here’s the deal.

Until now, I haven’t set up any guidelines for guest post submissions. I liked the open-door philosophy: if you write it, I will take it! But I’m receiving a lot of prefab propositions that all sound eerily alike and don’t lead back to a blogger. Instead, it’s always someone who just wants to advertise a commercial website. Which is fine. But that’s not why I do this.

I want to support the blogging community. So to guest post for me, you have to have your own blog. It doesn’t have to be about writing, or reading, or anything specific. It can be about rutabagas. In fact, your guest post can even be about rutabagas- if you’re very clever and you somehow make it relevant.

This also helps to ensure that I’m receiving original content. If I know where you live, so to speak, I can trust you more. If I can trust you, then I can ask my readers to trust you, and ultimately this trust upholds the integrity of my site.

Sound fair? I think it does.

Otherwise, my guidelines remain the same. Include a bio and a photo and a good, original post (recycled or new- doesn’t matter), and I will let you hang out at this blog as often as you like. I’ll even give you content in return, if you want it.

In other news!

The talented Connor at Cities of the Mind- Freelance Writing recently reviewed this blog. You can read the review and his other reviews HERE. This is definitely a good place to get overviews on potentially awesome blogs. And who doesn’t want an introduction to that? Connor’s reviews are concise, informative, and accurate. It’s like going blog shopping with a blog expert. I doubt he’d claim to be an expert, though, but then that’s part of the reason we like him, right?

 

Also, speaking of guest blogging, I’m the guest this week at the Gritty Blog. Some of my regular readers might recognize this post about Believability in Fiction. It’s a good one, I think, and it was a fun one to write.

And speaking of GCP, I’d like to give a shout-out to some of our writers. Check out:

Jodi McClure’s blog, “The Swing”

Cynthia Ravinski’s author site

Will Kosh’s author site

I’d also like to note that I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing Will Kosh’s book, Little Winged One: The First Book of Guardians. There are other books on my “to-review” digital stack, too, I know- I haven’t forgotten you… One I should probably mention is Liz Schulte’s Secrets: Guardian Trilogy Book One (what’s with all the guardian stuff, I wonder?) Out of the five authors that participated in the Blog Tour de Force, she was the only one who emailed me about a review. And I’m not including the prefab mass email requests. But honestly, these authors all gave their books away for free; of course they all deserve reviews. Secrets just got bumped up the list because I appreciate the personable approach.

One other thing. My son turned ONE YEAR OLD yesterday. Where did this year go?! My little monkey is growing up. He’s not even technically a baby any longer- he’s a toddler. I have a toddler. What?!