Do I need an author website?

I’m getting a quite a few publication credits and I have actual books coming out this year. I know a lot of people rush into getting websites before they have anything to offer, and I never wanted to be one of them. However, I am at a point where people might start looking for me online (maybe?).

The thing with a website is that it can make or break your ‘brand’. My problem … I do a heck of a lot of different things! I write both fiction and nonfiction, articles, short stories, and books, in different genres, and I write for children and adults! Once upon a time, it would have been Steampunk aesthetic all the way! I’m still tempted by that – but then it overshadows everything else I do.

Thinking about a website means getting someone to design it for me (I know my limitations!) and set it up. It means getting a domain name and an email for the site. It means opening myself up more to possible fans – and critics. Do I want to be that vulnerable?

Then I remember how much I was encouraged when I first got business cards that stated I was a writer …

What to do, what to do.

In Lockdown Again

I live in the Greater Brisbane region, and we have just started a three day lockdown. This created a sudden rush of hysteria in the panic buyers, who spent Friday depleting supermarket shelves of milk, bread, eggs, and other items (lockdown commencing at 6pm). I know that some people feel that having a fully stocked pantry gives them a sense of control. However, I still have to wonder why … after all, the cows won’t stop providing milk and the bakers won’t stop baking.

My biggest disappointment is that I will now be cancelling a trip into the Queensland Writers Centre, and that out first writing group meeting of the year has to be postponed. It is the second event that rips at me like dragon claws. The best of us is dying of cancer, and this was probably our last chance to see her – ever. She can’t risk socialising with her immune system at its lowest point.

It seems so unfair that Covid is stripping even these small pleasures away from her.

I know a lot of people thought 2021 was going to be a better year than 2020. The truth is that every year brings new challenges to be overcome. We have to learn to live with the hand we’ve been dealt. I’m so lucky to have my family and my books and a career that involves staying home and in isolation. There is food in my fridge and pantry. My husband has a job. Thanks to social media, I’m not even isolated from my tribe. And yet … I miss hugs. I miss being able to plan an outing without the fear of infection of Covid.

Back in 2017, I didn’t know how lucky I was. Now I do. Maybe this is the lesson we all needed to learn.

Welcome to my Life, 2021 edition

This year has started out very well, career wise. Daily Science Fiction has just notified me that they have accepted a third submission. On the very same day, I was advised the first book in my Summerbrook Besties series – which I refer to as my farm books – is now up for pre-order. Fate decided to keep me grounded by having maggots invade my kitchen bin – EWWWW! Nothing says ‘down to earth’ as much as cleaning up crawlies.

Still, the horror of invading crawlies is good inspiration for my Gothic themed project. Everything is grist for the mill!

I’m not making New Year resolutions as such for 2021. I have my five year career goals, I have my short term career goals, and I have my personal goals (be kind), and they aren’t just to make me feel better about starting a new year. They make me feel better about myself on a continuous basis. If that makes me sound like a grind, so be it. I’ve hit the combination that is working for me and I’m not fiddling with the magic.

I hope you had a safe and happy holiday season, and I look forward to chatting with you all throughout the coming months.