Have you ever shopped for a website design? Where do you look? How do you go about it?<\/p>\n
MatilijaPress.com ( http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a>) is about ten years old (maybe older\u2014I can\u2019t recall exactly when I became a \u201cwebby\u201d). But I do remember that I got my website for FREE. <\/p>\n A friend was taking a web design course and needed a project. I was an author in the emerging technology age and didn\u2019t have a website. So she designed my website as her class project. <\/p>\n My current webmaster and I agree that I need a lighter, more modern look to my site. She has some ideas about making things easier to access. I want an area where I can post and change things. Otherwise, the information on the established pages will pretty much remain the same. I am open to your ideas. My website is for you\u2014to notify you about books that you might need\/want and make it easy for you to order them; to inform you and provide updated resources related to writing and publishing; to let you know about my other offerings such as online courses, my availability as a speaker, a rundown of my speaking schedule, a generous serving of my articles for your perusal and, of course, this blog. <\/p>\n What more would you like to see at Matilija Press? Do you have ideas for making my site more user friendly and convenient? And what about a look\u2014any ideas about that? I\u2019d love your input.<\/p>\n Ordering Books For Holiday Giving<\/strong> The book is interesting, too. It\u2019s the true story of some rather amazing spiritual things that have occurred in Virji\u2019s life. <\/p>\n I also ordered several copies of Renay Daniels\u2019 Ten Little Bulldogs<\/em>, an adorable children\u2019s book. See it here: http:\/\/www.tenlittlebulldogs.com<\/a> Wendy is offering a discount until December 31, 2009. Use coupon code ML66J at checkout. There are a couple of novels I\u2019ve been editing for clients, but they aren\u2019t quite ready for publication. I\u2019ll have to wait until next year to give these books as gifts. And there\u2019s a heart-wrenching memoir about childhood abuse that will also be on my holiday gift list sometime in the future. This client has such writing talent that this book, if aptly pitched and if discovered by the right agents\/publishers, could reach bestseller status. The story is riveting. <\/p>\n I\u2019m hoping that Roy Raynor\u2019s romance novel, Chameleon Man <\/em>will be ready for holiday giving this year. As soon as I know for sure, I\u2019ll let you know. This is a really, really good read.<\/p>\n In the meantime, if you need help or guidance with your current writing or publishing project, consider contacting me. PLFry620@yahoo.com. <\/p>\n I can\u2019t always work with every author, but I can certainly try to point you in the right direction. Just within the last few weeks, I advised a woman with a young children\u2019s book to seek out editors within that realm. I gave her a couple of leads. Writing for young children is a specialty. There are rules that I\u2019m not familiar with. But I know people who are. <\/p>\n I received a manuscript to evaluate\u2014it had already been edited\u2014but gosh it needed work. It was a science fiction, but totally narrative for the first chapter or so. I asked the author to please study well-known books in this genre to get an idea of how to write a lead that grabs the reader and how to tell the story through your characters instead of narrating all of the interesting facts about the land, the people, the story\u2026<\/p>\n There\u2019s sooooo much to writing a book manuscript that most authors don\u2019t even consider. One of the first things I do when I\u2019m going to write a book of a different kind is to study books like the one I have in mind. Study lots of them. Study the openings. Study the way the story is told\u2014how it flows. Take a look at the format of several similar books to get an idea of what would work for yours. To learn more, visit my site: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever shopped for a website design? Where do you look? How do you go about it? MatilijaPress.com ( http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com) is about ten years old (maybe older\u2014I can\u2019t recall exactly when I became a \u201cwebby\u201d). But I do remember that I got my website for FREE. A friend was taking a web design course […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nI\u2019m starting to order books for holiday gifts. I like to give my clients\u2019 books. Generally, my clients give me a copy of their books once they\u2019re completed. I love when that happens. But one client never got around to it, so I ordered two copies of her book from her publisher this morning. One for me and one as a gift. In case you\u2019re interested, it is The News From the Master <\/em>by Virji Angelo (Xulon Press). I don\u2019t usually get involved with cover design. It just isn\u2019t my area. But the beautiful cover on this book was developed from my suggestion. Go take a look at it. http:\/\/ www.xulonpress.com\/book_detail.php?id=6420<\/a> <\/p>\n
\nI told you about Wendy Dager\u2019s ebook, Thrift Me Deadly<\/em>. Oh my gosh, it is a good book. She describes it as \u201cthe (fictional) diary of a serial killer.\u201d But it has twists and humor you would not expect. Read a sample at: http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/4474<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nAnd, I also love Sandra Cropsey\u2019s, Who\u2019s There?<\/em> You\u2019ve got to read her description of this book. I would put it in the \u201cArsenic and Old Lace\u201d category. You won\u2019t be able to read it without laughing and even cringing a time or two. Go here and click on \u201citems.\u201d http:\/\/www.sandracropsey.com<\/a> <\/p>\n