Here are the latest additions to my collection of inscribed books.
I purchased Marissa D’Angelo‘s novel The Cursed Spirit and Captain Michael J. Dodd’s Chesapeake Bay Odyssey at the 2022 Maryland Writer’s Conference.
I got a copy of Who Can Best Work and Best Agree when Charles Matulewicz visited Odenton Lodge #209 (yes, I am a Freemason).
I purchased Lewis F. McIntyre‘s A Gathering of Eagles, F. J. Talley‘s Twin Worlds, and Millie Mack‘s Take a Dive for Murder at the 2023 Maryland Writers’ Conference.
If you’re a poetry lover and are looking to read some holiday-themed poetry either now or later in the year, check out this anthology from Southern Arizona Press featuring mine!
Many thanks to Craig and Roland of The Hidden Gems Author Podcast for featuring me in their 89th episode! I discuss with them the challenges I’ve had to face as an author due to my Asperger syndrome.
You can also listen to the episode on Podbean! If you’re an author with a writing-related subject you want to discuss, be sure to check them out!
And many thanks also to Sally Cronin for featuring an excerpt from Mystical Greenwood on her blog! Maybe that’ll entice you buy it! If you’re an author looking for more promotional opportunities, be sure to check out Sally’s site!
Plus, I have more great news! A few weeks ago, after so much time, I finally completed a draft for the next book in the One with Nature series! Not only that, but Fae Corps is also aiming to publish it next August!
If you’re planning to attend the Maryland Writers’ Conference, I hope to see you there. I am also giving a presentation on manuscript and book formatting later this month. You can attend in person or via Zoom. You can promote it on Facebook too!
Even before I had published my first novel, I was told by at least one friend at a Maryland Writers’ Association meeting that I should have a website first. Some followers of my Facebook page, which came first, wondered whether I had one. Now it’s approaching eight years of being up on the web. So how did I build it? If you are an aspiring writer looking to build your online presence, perhaps you’re wondering where to start? Well, I’m no architect, but I’ll help you lay a few solid foundations.
Here are some steps you can follow:
Look at what other writers have done.
See what you can do differently.
Do what’s best for you and don’t be afraid to experiment.
Be open to change.
It’s a good idea to do research. See what other writers have done. If you know any writers, ask them about their experiences, especially with their platforms. A few I knew through my connections had used WordPress and said good things about it, and at the time, it felt like a good platform to use. But there are others out there. So I looked at other sites to get a feel of what my own could include.
I should mention also that sometimes blog and website are used interchangeably, though there is a difference (like with memoir vs. autobiography). Websites, when you first visit them, place more emphasis on the pages, while a blog is all about the posts that come. That’s not to say a website can’t have a blog incorporated in it, but how you wish to market and share information helps you classify what your site/blog is.
Even though you should research other writers, don’t copy what they do exactly. Every writer’s site needs to be their own, in terms of content, display, and layout. I knew from the start that I had my own ideas even with what I had observed, and so I tried to merge them together. And it gradually evolved over time. I set myself a blog post a month because it worked and still works for me. I learned new things, and when WordPress made changes, such as moving from classic to block editor, I learned to evolve with them.
Websites and blogs are always changing (sort of like the Winchester Mystery House). What works one day may not work later on. That is not to say there should be some consistently and familiarity so people can return knowing what to expect. But mine has gone through several changes, including a change of domain name as well as two facelifts—I changed the theme twice, first after I wanted a theme that wasn’t like one site I’d observed in my research, and second (back in June) after learning the previous one had been retired and others that I follow had bugs with classic themes as opposed to hybrid ones. I even changed my color scheme so to ensure the site was readable. And in experimenting with different widgets, I chose to discontinue those labeled as “legacy” widgets when I discovered they sometimes disappeared in private browser mode or on a different browser.
Two final thoughts on building a website:
Aim for clarity and readability so visitors can easily understand what they find and navigate through it. This can be done with menu arrangement and color schemes.
Get feedback. You don’t always have to accept others’ thoughts on improving your site, but it never hurts to listen if they genuinely want to help improve it. That’s why I created my Happy Customers page.
Writing Update: My essay “Rivers Flowing with History” is featured in the new issue of the MWA‘s Pen in Hand. Don’t forget to sign up for their annual conference!
A few things have been happening over the past month. To start, many thanks to author and blogger Sally Cronin for featuring a blog post I did last year in her archive series:
The holiday anthology featuring my short story isn’t out yet. However, my sonnet “Knights in Shining Armor” was featured by Southern Arizona Press in their new poetry anthology Castles and Courtyards.
I hope you’ll read and review it, along with my other published work! If you’re a poet looking to get your poems featured, be sure to check out SAP’s current submissions!
Additionally, I recently learned that a micro memoir piece that I wrote has been accepted by an online religious literary magazine, WOTL!
If you’re interested in giving a presentation at the 2023 Maryland Writers’ Conference, the Maryland Writers’ Association is accepting submissions! It’ll be in person in October, so you know.
At the beginning of this year, I made a resolution to be more positive. It hasn’t been easy, but after the Easter holiday, I was resolved to keep faith in myself and continue toward that resolution. Even after Easter, though, I have still found myself feeling low and battling self-doubt, which makes me question my previous accomplishments.
Nevertheless, I know need to keep going, and I may have to reevaluate my Internet and social media habits even further as well. I’ve tried being more productive and mindful of my time, though I’m not sure I’m satisfied yet. But at least I’m aware of this, and I know I need to once again remember to believe in myself.
Change happens all the time. As someone who suffers from Asperger syndrome, I can tell you that change to routines and patterns, stepping outside of my comfort zone, has never been easy. Change, especially when it occurs outside of my control, sends my mind spiraling, and I feel trepidation.
But change can lead to benefits. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been making efforts to cut back on social media time, but I’m also seeking to change my online habits, too. During the COVID shutdown I spent more time online, especially Twitter. I did get the word out about my work more and made some new connections, but now the hashtags I followed haven’t helped with book sales. The same’s been happening with tweets asking for book recommendations. These habits and the time spent on them and other sites feel more like a hindrance. To counter them, I’ve tried walking more, and for that, I’m glad.
With most sites, I’ve gotten down to generally 1-2 logins per day. Nevertheless, that is also something that could change in the future. Sometimes, I’ve found myself going up again if I need to do something specific, like website maintenance. I’ve felt if I can limit myself with those moments, I’m fine.
Nevertheless, the temptation is still there, and it can eat time. Plus, I’m aware these efforts could turn into new patterns that could become just as constrictive and worrisome. I need to curb the scrolling, searching, and that addictive, time-eating cycle that can result, but simultaneously, I also shouldn’t try to control everything, because anxiety always comes from not being perfect. It’s been said that with reviews, quantity over quality. With online time and content, it’s the opposite. Now I need to put it into practice.
Likewise, I’ve tried getting back into the writing routine I’ve mentioned before. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, and other times I do not get the word count I’d like, but I need to remind myself that progress is progress, no matter how small. I need to see the fun in writing again, as author Nour Zikra put it. This year, I hope to be more positive about my writing, my online/social media time, my habits, and, most of all, myself.
I realized through prayer that I need to think more positively. Then, at the beginning of Advent, when I was feeling low and anxious again, after an earnest prayer to God, I opened my copy of the Bible without any specific section in mind. It opened to Psalm 77, and as I read it, I knew my prayer had been answered. Even if you’re not Christian or religious, I hope you too will remember all the good that’s been in your life when distressed. If I need to make changes to meet new circumstances, I will have to do so.
P.S. Enjoy these videos of my readings from last year’s open mics!
In 10 days, the two-volume anthology Into the Glen premieres from Fae Corps Inc! The volumes are respectively named Into the Light and Under the Shade. The former will feature my short story The Harbor Master, inspired by real-life stories about monster-sized hammerhead sharks. Many thanks to Fae Corps for this opportunity! They did a great job with the cover and promotional photo:
Some pre-order links are already available on my short stories page, and more will come! Additionally, the 2021 July edition of Pen in Hand featuring my fencing essay is now available on Amazon and Goodreads! Links are on my creative nonfiction page.
One other thing I forgot to mention last time: my novel Mystical Greenwood won in the Science Fiction / Fantasy / Speculative category of the 2021 MWA Novel contest. That’s the first time I’ve won 1st in anything writing!
A couple minor publications are in the works! First, the July edition of the MWA‘s literary journal Pen in Hand features my essay about my experiences in the fencing club at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, which also began there as an assignment in a creative nonfiction class I took during my final semester there. The PDF is available! More links will follow when they arrive!
Here’s a picture of me from my college days in full fencing gear:
I also have a short story that will be appearing in an upcoming two-part anthology from Fae Corps Inc titled Into the Glen. The story is titled “The Harbor Master,” and it was inspired by real urban legends about monster-sized hammerhead sharks in Florida and Bimini.
And don’t forget to check out the other anthologies from Fae Corps that I’ve been in as well. Here’s some promotional material from last year’s marketing campaign for two of them, Fae Dreams and Nightmare Whispers, Volume II: Madness Echoes:
With the latter, it can be purchased as part of the whole Nightmare Whispers collection too, if you would prefer to get all three volumes at once rather than individually!
Andrew McDowell 