Check Out My New Website! And Don't Miss the Giveaway!

Welcome to my redecorated blog which is now connected with my brand new website! Hurray! Time to party!

Even though at first appearance, my blog seems to be just another page of my website, if you look at the blog URL, you'll see it's still a Blogger Blog. My digital media management team, PulsePoint Design, was able to integrate my website and blog together so seamlessly they appear as one, and you don't have to worry about changing the URL in your bookmarks:)

And that’s only one of the many fantastic things that excite me about my new cyber home! Probably the thing I'm most thrilled about is having a place readers can go. Sure, they can come to my blog too. I've poured my passion about writing into my blog, and while readers may enjoy hearing about my writing journey, not everyone likes to comment or participate in the discussion.

So, now I'm super excited to have my website for my home base, the place where I can offer more to everyone. It's my hope people won’t stop with just browsing my website pages, but will connect with me in one of the ways they’re most comfortable—whether that’s leaving a note on my Facebook Page, a tweet on Twitter, an email, sign up for my newsletter, or a comment on my blog. I don’t respond to blog comments unless it’s a question, but I do try to chat with people over on Twitter and Facebook!

During the process of developing my website here are a few things we took into consideration, things that every writer should think about:

Decorate the Website to Reflect Our Uniquenesses:

I don’t write a specific type of historical that could easily be classified as Western or Prairie or Victorian. So, we steered away from an online brand that might box me in.

Instead we looked for colors and styles that reflect my heart and personal tastes, similar to the way I’d decorate my home. In fact, PulsePoint's creative director, Kelli Standish, even asked for pictures of my living and family rooms to help her get a feel for my style. They were able to make my website an extension of me, just as if they’d come into my home and added on an office.

Highlight the Things Most Important to Us:

Because social media is an important aspect of my writing career, the PulsePoint team made a specific point of including links to my sites in the header of the website. No matter what page of the website someone is on, my links are accessible. My blog is also a key part of my identity, and so Kelli put a feed for my blog front and center on my home page. I also really like visuals, so we included lots of pictures throughout the site.

Offer Something to Visitors:

Ultimately we don’t want our readers to come to our site once and then never return again. We desire to have an ongoing relationship with people. Part of making that happen is offering them more than just a picture of our books and a bio about ourselves.

Kelli and her team were great at encouraging me and giving me ideas for what I might include on my Reader and Writer Pages (check them out). She helped me realize my site isn’t so much about me as it is FOR others.

So, in honor of my new website and as a way to say thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement, I’m doing a giveaway! No strings attached—you don’t have to sign up for my newsletter or be a follower or tweet ten times or anything like that! Of course, you can if you want, but it’s not required!

I’m giving away a $25 Amazon gift card OR a free critique of the first 15 double-spaced pages of a manuscript. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post by Friday July 30 at midnight EST. I’ll do a drawing and post the winner next Monday Aug. 2. *Offer void where prohibited.

So, leave your email address and tell us what you're bringing to the house-warming party! Time to celebrate!!

P.S. Come back Friday and I’ll share why I chose to have my website professionally designed as opposed to doing it myself.