Toughing It Out

I learned two lessons this week. One, have a back-up plan when things go terribly wrong. Two, there is no “the end” once a book is written, contracted and published. Today, I spent several hours updating my author website. If I had to compare my experience with everyday tasks, I’d say it’s like getting gas, doing the grocery shopping or cleaning the house. These are errands I don’t want to do, they’re not enjoyable. But, they are necessary to get me to where I want to go, to feed my body and mind, and to have a sense of accomplishment.

While updating my website, I decided to “clean house.” I deleted cover images I didn’t think I needed anymore. Imagine my surprise when these images disappeared from my archived posts. Yeah, I was ready to smack my forehead on my kitchen table several times. Instead, I took a deep breath, went to my document files and found the images. It was a pain in the ass to embed them back in the posts, but well worth the effort. I still get hits on these posts and want to please, not frustrate, my readers. I figured if I didn’t have the items in my document files, I can go to my old emails and download/save the files again. Whew!

Updating a website or blog is important. These days, authors are asked to do more with less and to take on a much bigger responsibility for their own success and exposure of their books. The best way for me to do this is to direct readers to my website for upcoming releases, events and contests. I hope you enjoy my revamped website. In the end, it was more fun and less of a chore for me. And the next time I take on a project like this, I’ll be ready with all I’ve learned today.

Song of the week:  3 Doors Down ~ Here by Me (The inspiration for If Only)

Quote of the week:  “When the world says ‘give up,’ hope whispers . . . ‘try it one more time.’”