It's Been a While

But so what else is new? Anyway, I'm back again and some things have changed. My Sebastiano series was picked up by Entangled Publishing, which is good. My Musa books remain homeless, but that's okay as well. I'm doing massive rewrites, and basically turning them into new books. A new family. New location. Who knows what will happen then?

I took down my website. The provider's fee was astronomical, especially for what they provided, so I'm looking around for a new host. It might take some time, but when I've got it up and running again, I'll let you know.

I'm still alive. Still writing. That sort of thing. I do have a new title coming out this summer, from Entangled. It's the fourth book of my Sebastiano series--Where There is Desire. It's Elena Sebastiano's story, set in England, on the country estate of an earl who also just happens to be in search of a wife. I should have new cover art coming soon, so that's something to look forward to, right?

And that's about it. So, until next time...

Hi there!

**waves**

Hi there. It's been a while, but here I am. How're you doin'?

I'm good, thanks. Busy, but busy is good. Busy keeps me out of trouble. For the most part.

So, I realized last night that my website wasn't loading right. The background was way too dark and the font was too dark to read against the dark background. It took me a while, but I realized what the problem was. Somehow, on the bottom of the home page, in one of the boxes, I inserted cover art that was beyond huge. How I didn't see it at the time, I'll never know.

No problem. I'll just go in and delete the photo. Problem solved. Right?

You know the answer to that, right?

I can't get the picture to delete. Whatever box I inserted it into must be frozen, because I can't click on the picture, nor can I get anything in the same box to work. Brilliant. This ginormous picture must be locking something up.

An hour later, I slam the laptop shut (well, okay. I didn't actually slam it.) and go up to watch North America on Discovery (if you haven't been watching, you have no idea what you're missing. I love these BBC documentaries) and as I'm watching, I realize that if I change the template, maybe then I can delete the picture. Revert the template back. Boom. Problem solved.

I've been working on getting the third Sebastiano book written (well, actually, it's the fourth. The true third book is sitting in rewrite hell, determined to make me crazy) and I've been trying to make sure I write 3,000 words a day. I want the first draft done by the end of this week because I'm sick of looking at it. So, this morning, before I sit down to write, I figure I'll make the template change and then I'm done.

I make the change, and find a new template that I actually like better than the old one. And while I'm there, I figure I'll update about selling Stolen Promise, and update the copyright notice, yadda yadda yadda. Should take me about twenty minutes. Half hour tops.

HA!

The template problem was the easiest to fix. Change template. Delete photo. Oh, look! It's all done! Yay!

Updates?

Not so much.

It took me an hour and a half to insert the back cover copy from one book into the page. One frickin' book. An hour. And a half. Ninety minutes. For three paragraphs, totaling about ten sentences in all. First it didn't want to center right. Then the font didn't want to italicize where I wanted it italicized (but had not problem doing it where I didn't want it, of course,) and then the font would shrink down and go gray (I don't even know how that happens, to be honest. I've had this problem the entire time I've had this website. Total. Pain.) And to think, all of this is actually an improvement over when I had a web guy (I think I've posted about my awful website guy. You know how bad that had to be, if this fight is an improvement.)

I finally got everything done and the site's updated and all. And once more, I'm debating whether or not I even need  a website. I update this blog every few weeks in a slow month. My site was last updated last September. So, I have a decision to make - to keep or to not keep (either way, I'll hold onto my domain name.) Is having a website worth the trouble it takes to maintain it, or is a blog just as good?

Decisions, decisions...

Blog vs Website

As I was scanning through my daily blogs, I came upon an interesting blog post over at BookEnds about social networking. At the end of the post, Jessica asked her readers what was it about author websites that people either liked or disliked. And that got me to thinking about my own website.

As long time readers might recall, I had a website professionally designed and maintained. And it was a pain in the tuckus (how do you spell that???) It literally took weeks to get updates done. Now, I grant you, the web guy had other clients, so I tried to be patient, but when it took weeks and many, many emails (most of which went unanswered) to get the simplest changes done, I'd had enough. It was enough to wait for non-time sensitive things (book releases, sales to publishers, that kind of stuff), but having to chase him down for time-sensitive things - like contests - got to be too much. I later found out that my computer guy (who is a wonderful, wonderful person and still my go-to guy for computer issues) actually fired the web guy. Apparently I wasn't the only one who got tired of hunting him down and hounding him to get things done. Mind you, he was paid to do this kind of stuff, and he didn't come cheaply. I got tired of throwing my money away, so off web guy went into the sunset.

And there was much rejoicing.

But, I needed to get a new website, soooo... long story short ("Too late!" the audience roared.) I have my website through GoDaddy, and I do the updates and everything myself. It isn't fancy, but I don't think it's horrible, either.

After reading that BookEnds post, though, I wonder - does a writer really need a website and a blog. Is one better than the other, and if so, which do readers prefer?

My blog gets updated more often than my website. I try to keep it entertaining (jeez, I hope it's entertaining, really), I try not to simply push my books on everyone (buy, buy, buy!) I try to keep it a mix of life, writing, and that all-elusive perfect cup of coffee (which, sadly, remains just out of reach.) In short, I enjoy my blog. I enjoy posting, I enjoy getting comments (you like me! you really like me!), I like commenting back. In all, I just like it.

Maybe I shouldn't admit it, but I prefer it over the website. Updates are easier, so they are more frequent here. I don't have to fight to get this picture to fit, or this font to look right. It's. Just. Easier.

But, it isn't for me. It's for you. (No, really. It is. Honest.)

So, I'm curious. Which do you, as a reader, prefer? Website or blog? Or is it necessary for a writer to keep both?

Friday!

Three posts, three days in a row.

That's it - the planets have aligned and the end of the world is at hand...

Okay, maybe not quite that dramatic, but still, considering how horrible I've been about posting lately, I wouldn't be surprised.

Anyway, it looks like the situation with Disability and Unemployment have been worked out (yay!) but since that's what they told us the last time around, I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm still trying to decide which project to work on, because I just feel like writing. That's how it is sometimes, I just want to write. I might not know exactly what I want to write about, but I just have this need to get something down on paper. **sigh** what to write **sigh**

I revamped my website again - I decided I hated the way it looked so I took it down, played around with it, and voila! A new website is born. Go take a look. Tell me what you think. Go ahead. I'll wait...

Meanwhile - since it is Friday - here's a classic clip from George Carlin - "Cats vs Dogs"

Enjoy!

It's ALIVE!!!

My new website, that is.

Yay!

Go check it out at kimberlynee.com.

Let me know what you think, or if something doesn't work right. I've been toying with it all afternoon and I think I have it just how I want it for now, but I've been looking at it so long that I'm afraid I can't see any glitches.

I'm still thinking about a contest idea to go along with the official launch. Hmmm... I wonder if there'd be any interest in that? So, look at the site, let me know, and let me know what you think about a contest as well.

Go on. I'll wait. Really. =)

It's Really Over Now

Adventures with Web Guy has, officially, come to its (long overdue) end.

My domain name is really and truly mine.

It is registered under MY name.

My web site now belongs to me.

It is fresh and new and current and will hopefully be coming to a computer near you within the next day or so.

Yay!

I've been having fun designing my new site - it isn't fancy or anything, but it looks nice (I think) and, most of all, it's up to date. Finally. I think it was about two years out of date because trying to get updates done in a timely manner was really more hassle than it was worth. Web Guy was expensive and aggravating and those two never mix well, at least not for me.

So, I'll post an announcement when the site is live (should be anytime in the next 24 hours or so.) Who knows, maybe I'll run a contest to celebrate my new site. Until then, it's time to get back to writing, which has been woefully neglected in the website mess. I also owe all of you a huge thank you for all of the advice and support you've offered through this whole website nonsense. It's been therapeutic, being able to vent here, and I've received a lot of wonderful advice in return. So for that, thank you.

Now that I won't have Web Guy irritation, I can finish the final revisions that I thought I'd have done by now. Man, I ought to send Web Guy a bill for the lost writing time due to web issues. But you know what? I'm done with him and that is payment enough, right? Come - do the happy dance with me, won't you?

It's Over

The Saga of the Website, that is.

Finally.

I received all of the files that made up my old website. Thank God. I don't have to deal with that terrible web guy any longer. And from what I've heard, I'm not the only one with the "he never returns emails without a thousand nagging follow up emails" gripe with him.

But it's in the past now.

Over with.

Done.

Whew.

However, that also means my website is down. Well, if you go to it, you get an Under Construction message. But, it's down. For now.

I'm in the process of redoing it - but it might take a while. It seems there is a little problem with my domain name (apparently you can only transfer it once in a 60-day period, or something like that and since I'd transferred it once already - and then decided the hosting company really couldn't offer what I needed (I know, brilliant, right???) - I apparently can't transfer it again. I think.) But that's okay because I can get a domain name that is thisclose to being the same - only I have to use my middle initial. No biggie, right?

So, that will be on the horizon - I'll get the new site up soon, and then I'll be putting the call out for look-sees to tell me what you think. Oh, and if anyone knows a way around the transferring my original domain name (or if I'm wrong about it), I'm all ears.

Hopefully I'll be resuming regular blogging very soon. I know, I keep saying it. But real life has been throwing all kinds of wrenches into the works and making it very difficult for me to resume a normal anything - between my back, and sick kids, and me being sick... ugh, spring can't get here soon enough!

On that note...

What Am I Getting Myself Into???

Well, anyone who's been following my "Adventures with Web Guy" know that my adventures have mostly sucked. And it's about to get better...

Yep. I'm going to take over my web site and be my own web guy.

What the %#@#%! am I thinking?

Seriously, I'm only just a little bit fluent in html and am just beginning to learn about CSS. I know it's writing a LOT of code to get a tiny bit of web page.

I've gotta be nuts.

But I'm tired of chasing Web Guy down and hounding him in order to get answers to questions. Technically, I'm going on Day Three of waiting for an answer to a question. Fortunately for me, dumb luck was on my side and I just happened to stumble across the answer myself. But it's things like this that make me determined to just do it myself.

That and some good ol' fashioned Irish (or maybe it's German) stubbornness. I can do this and I will do this.

Or so I really hope.

Now, I know this is going to take some doing and my web site is really out of date. But I'm hoping I'll have it current, up and running by March. I hope. Boy, do I hope.

So how crazy am I? How badly am I going to regret this? And will my back ever stop hurting???? (Yes, I was feeling better but then just had to clean my daughter's gerbil tank. BAM! I'm right back where I was last week. Rats. Hopefully I'll be back to my old self by next week. This not going to the gym is killing me, you know.)

Oh, and my son started preschool last week. He rides the bus every day to and from school. By himself. He's three. And he looks sooooo tiny in that seat, it just about kills me to see him go off like that. But this is a good thing. It's a special preschool for kids with his type of problem (the whole speech thing - sigh - he's getting better, but not quite there yet, if you know what I mean.) He loves it. He's already made a little friend and he can't wait for the morning, when he can ride the "schools bus" as he calls it.

Okay, that's it for now. My back hurts and sitting at this desk isn't helping. Hopefully, sometime this week I'll start Adventures with Me as Web Guy, and we'll see how well that goes (I'm trying soooo hard not to snerk when I say that. I already know. And it's not good. Not good at all. But I'm trying to stay positive!)

Ahem...

So keep your fingers crossed. Oh, and if anyone knows a good bail-out-the-web-chick-who-should-be-kept-far-far-far-away-from-the-computer person... I'm all ears! =)

Playing Catch-Up

That's the only problem with this time of the year. Okay, well, it's not the only problem, I guess, but it's a pretty big one. For me, anyway.

Things get so crazy around this time of the year and there just isn't enough time for everything. Then, when there is time for things like blogging, I'm all out of sync. Sigh.

And it isn't just blogging, either. It's reading blogs, staying on top of emails, writing. Everything gets pushed aside for Real Life (unless, of course, I'm under deadline, which I wasn't this year. Sad)

So, I'm trying to get back into the swing of everything from getting up early to get the Girl to school, to tackling the ever-growing mountain of WIPs I seem to be collecting. Oh, and on top of that, my web guy's gone MIA again - and yes, I am totally surprised by that. I'm done with him. I'm sick of chasing him down and hounding him for answers to simple questions (two weeks on the latest. I was nice, considering the holidays, but now, he'll get an email a day this week and then one every hour next week if I don't hear from him.) I've got a few requests for web site quotes out there, but this is really waaaay down at the bottom of to-do list for now, unfortunately.

On a happier note, the WIPs are going well - and I should have several manuscripts going out to my editor(s) within the next few weeks, so that's a positive. And what I thought was going to be a major rewrite is turning into a new book in itself, so that's a good thing.

Next week, my husband and I have a meeting with the preschool people for the Boy. Our caseworker called before Christmas to tell us the Boy had gotten into the program and she would be sending out the paperwork we needed. Well, we're still waiting for it, and hopefully we'll have it before this meeting. So we get that settled and the Boy will start school. And that means a little more free time for me. Which means more writing time.

So, the new year's beginning with a crunch of everything. And with any luck, I'll be caught up with most of it in a week or so. I guess I'll go through my blog post list and see if there are any topics there that I want to do, and I know that list was getting a little short, so maybe it's time to write up a new one. New year, new topics. Eh, why not?

Still No Response

I sent an email to my computer/web guy on Monday morning to alert him to the fact that my website has been suspended. I asked how I go about securing my domain name until I am ready to use it. And I've yet to receive a response.

Tell me, am I being unreasonable?

Is it too much to ask that he answer one question? One little, teensy, very-politely worded question?

Apparently so.

Hmm... I'm also in the process of trying to get rights to two of my books reverted back. I've been emailing the publisher since, oh... let's see... October... about getting them back. I've been told the rights will revert. I have asked for something in writing saying that, as of such-and-such a date, the rights reverted back to me. And what have I received so far?

Nothing.

I've sent requests to various website designers to get quotes. I contacted four. I've heard back from one, asking me to be a little more specific about my needs. No problem. I sent her back what I was looking for and we'll see what she comes back with. One quoted me a price so high I almost fainted.

The other two?

Nothing.

What IS it with these so-called "professional" people who can't be bothered with responding to their email? Why is it so much to ask that they just reply?

If they are slowing up for the holidays, I can understand that - but a simple autoresponse saying such a thing would be nice. At least let me know someone will eventually be in touch with me.

The publisher I can deal with - I have all the time in the world to nag them to death. But this computer guy's really teeing me off. One. Simple. Question. And like I said, my domain name and my website mean jack squat to him, but they mean something to me. Not to mention, it's just rude to not reply.

Grrrr....

So far, I'm learning html code. I'm learning CSS. It's all pretty cool. We'll have to see if I actually have the skills to create my own website. If not, I might have to see about getting a template from someone else and working with that. But that will lead to a million more questions. That is, a million more than I already have. But at least I know I will always reply to myself.

And really, I don't have the time or the patience to chase after these people. I'm sick of having to do that. Ugh, now I'm just bumming myself out.

Oooh, new email. Do I dare hope it's a --gasp-- reply???

Website Woes, Part... I've Lost Count

Just an FYI - my website is beyond static right now. It's suspended and I am in the process of switching from my old computer/website guy (who is not exactly keen on keeping me in the loop as far as MY website goes, which is why - surprise surprise - I am looking for a new one) to a new designer. I don't know how long it will take, but hopefully not TOO long. I have toyed with the idea of designing one myself, but I don't know much about webpage design, so any tips, hints, recommendations or ideas would be welcome and greatly appreciated! =)

I know once before I'd complained about the computer/website guy - but I honestly thought we'd worked out the kinks since he fired the guy who actually did my website. Hindsight 20/20 though. I have to admit, I would have liked a little notice that my renewal was due - but you see, the computer/website guy seems to think it's more fun to just kind of let me - yanno - stumble upon it myself. Oh yes. Absolutely and total joy.

So we shall part ways, my computer/website guy and me. I was hoping to put it off until after the beginning of the year but now... well, seeing as how I have no website now, I guess I can't really procrastinate on that. How aggravating, really, when I think about all of the other things on my desk that need my attention. Hmm... maybe I should just design the thing myself. I don't know - seems kind of scary to me. I have a nasty little habit of getting into trouble with technology - just see the sheer number of technology rants in my post list.

And now I will wait - I've already contacted a few places to get quotes, so we'll see how that goes. I may end up doing it myself anyway. Heh heh... why does that scare me?