New Blogger Interface

Despite my refusal to look before they made it mandatory, I did. it's not bad, all Google Analytics and all. But seriously, no reading list? They could do all that but not bother to import my rather extensive list of blogs I follow?

New does not equal better. New usually equals "We were bored with the old look and wanted something cooler" which now equals "We've pissed off our customers".

Yeah. Mark me in that last category.

When updating anything, including your website, make it more user friendly, not less. Make it more readable, not less. Make it something your readers will want to return to time and again. This goes for writer websites as well as Google's massive #fail with this new Blogger interface. New and shiny doesn't mean it's readable, likable, or usable.

Plus I find it hugely ironic that Blogger's spell checker doesn't recognize it's parent company, Google.

Relaxin'

Sent in Temptations and Treachery yesterday and today feel really positive about it. None of that oh, I should've...Oh, but if I just added...so far so good.

Except now I realize I need to fix the web page for that book. *sigh* It's never ending.

I'm going to focus on my contemporary paranormal now. Dig into the other aspects of occult phenomena, see what new and interesting things I can come up with. I'm really excited about this story, there's so much I want to do with it!

Reviews, chats, websites, oh my

I'm having issues with my website. I can't seem to update it. Typical. Will be working on that tomorrow. So if something doesn't make sense, that's why.

Chatting today 12-1 EST at Savannah Chase's Yahoo site, please join us!

Finally, Jennifer from Jennifer's Random Musings did a review on Power Plays, where my short Whispers is featured. Overall she gave the anthology 3.5 stars. Of Whispers she said : And intrigue abounds in “Whispers” by Isabel Roman when a senator and Department of Justice attorney engage in a forbidden affair and overhear a murder plot (I was intrigued by this story and wish it had been a bit longer).

I love this story, personally, longer, hmm...yeah there were things I could've gone into more detail about. Sexy intrigue is always fun!

Red Bow

Going to finish this Christmas story today. I want to also edit DDoD: The Tryst and send it and Memorable out. Going to work on my website a little more, which isn't as easy as it sounds. You'd think I was finished it by now but no...you change something and something else needs fixing. Or rearranging. Or you don't like it any more. Always something.

Website

Working on the website today. Not as easy as it sounds. I can't decide on anything: picture, font, format, anything. What a pain. Then I decided I wanted a page for each different universe: DDoD, short stories, miscellaneous, etc. Oy.

Also wanted to put Ravenous Romance on the homepage. Gotta link to my publisher!

Website

I've decided to redo my site. I'm moving it from my current hosting site to a new (cheaper) one, and am revamping some of the things. I wanted certain spaces reserved for certain things, but those were mostly 'published' things, and as I'm not yet published...

So redoing the thing.

Not sure on color yet. I like the sleekness and classicism of black ad white but we'll see.

Marketing

Along with momentum comes new and brillant ideas. Or at least new ideas. This week I'm working on my website. I'm also going to continue to make a list of places to submit. First things first: the site. I love the design, but it needs more. More articles, more on me, more on the stories. Just more.

I have some articles I've written on the Victorian Era, and one on world-building I want to look over again and polish before posting. Possibly thinking of one or 2 on the Birthrite universe itself. There's a lot going on in that world that requires a background that I don't include in the story. Must rework all that into a postable bit.

Happy New Year!!

My blogs have been reduced to holiday greetings. I'll get better when things slow down and I stop drinking so much. (It's those pomegranate martinis...yum!)

In January I'm going to add a bunch of things to the site, Victorianisms, history, that kind of thing. I also plan on finishing that pesky Austria story that's been driving me up a wall for the past 2 1/2 months.

Wishing you a great start to the new year!