Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, Guatemala

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

After 4 Years, a Blogger Streamline was Past Due

I recently posted on how to change your email address on your Blogger blog. Here's an update in case anyone wonders whether or not to do it themselves. I couldn't be happier with the results. Why?

Convenience of having both blogs under one email. Even though I rarely use From the Shadows to the Page, it's still a live blog that I may utilize more in the future. This way I can administer both blogs without having to sign in and out of different gmail accounts.

Streamlined following list. I started Coming Down the Mountain four years ago, and in that time followed a LOT of blogs. Many of them are no longer active, with some even taken over by weirdness like how to choose auto insurance rates. Change of email addresses made that all go away. Yay!

Besties. I now only follow blogs I'm truly interested in and who are truly interested in me. If I still haven't followed you with my new address, please let me know in the comments. You can tell because it's a different photo :)
Nothing disappeared. My new posts still show up on peoples' sidebars and readers. Neither me nor my blog disappeared from view at all. It was a seamless transition. Win win win.

Blogs change so much in four years. Changing the email address was a super easy way for me to update my blog and my following history, without adversely affecting this blog I've grown quite fond of.  Cheers!

But everything has their pros and cons, and one element of this change is that I'm not getting the visibility I did before I changed emails.  That could be a pro if I'm wanting to lessen the power blogging has over me-- or it could be a con if I want to continue building the visibility of this blog.

Which is a very tough question. But right now I feel like keeping things a bit more toned-down blog-wise is what I'm after.

Where are you in your blogging-- building, maintaining and settling in, or wanting to cut back?

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Characters Who Jump Off the Page

Today I am visiting Wendy Ewurum over at Fabulosity Reads, talking about writing characters who come alive.

Wendy's blog is a real treasure for both writers and readers. She does guest posts, interviews with authors, book reviews, and more. She is so willing to help out with a book release. Her reviews are thoughtful, in-depth and always contain quotable blurb gems.

If you're looking for someone to help with an upcoming release-- or to review your book that's already out-- please consider asking Wendy. Her Fabulosity Reads blog is truly fabulous!

See you over there!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Traveler’ Asdvisory Warning: This is not parenting advice

Yesterday Bruce crossed over the Mexican border with our son in law JC, driving a loaded truck and trailer filled with equipment– tools, mountain bikes, paddle surf boards– for JC’s tourist hotel on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.

I knew traveling in Mexico would be tricky.  As recently as July, 2013, the U.S. issued a traveler safety alert for Mexico; not even U.S. officials and their families drive in certain areas. So there’s Bruce and JC, having to cross at a different border station than originally planned due to complications at the Brownsville station. And to get back on the toll road, they had to travel 90 miles on an off road.

(Read the rest of the post here.)

Friday, September 6, 2013

An Inside Look at WiDo Publishing

Today I'm over at Angela Jackson-Brown's blog, where she interviews me about my books, and a whole lot more about WiDo Publishing. WiDo is publishing Angela's debut novel Drinking from a Bitter Cup, scheduled to release January, 2014.

You'll find answers to this question:

Your son William Gowen, is the CEO of WiDo Publishing, and your husband Bruce is the business manager, while you are managing editor. What is it like to work with your family? 
And this one:
What are some of your dreams for the future of the publishing house?
And this one:
What sort of authors is WiDo seeking? 
 
So if you don't get enough of me here, dear people, or if you want to know more about WiDo Publishing, head on over to Angela's . I'll see you there!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Changing a Blog's Email Address on Blogger

I began this blog under an old gmail address I didn't want to use anymore for blogging. I thought I was stuck with it but guess what I finally found out how to change the email address!

Under settings, you just invite yourself under the new email identity to be an administrator of the blog. Once you go to that email and "accept the invitation" you can then make this new identity an administrator and you can delete the old email identity.

Easy, right? I was so thrilled that I'd finally figured it out and now have both my blogs under the same email identity. Only guess what-- all the lovely blogs I was following under my old email on Coming Down the Mountain no longer come up on my Reader when I sign in.

Drat! The good news is that I'll happily follow you again under this email. But finding you is going to be tedious unless you make a comment here. If your comment is connected to your blog, I will find you!  (movie quote, who's got it?)