technical difficulties

This is just to say that my internet connection seems to be experiencing technical difficulties (I can--with difficulty--access one e-mail account, but the Hotmail account hooked to this blog won't connect, and all other website access seems spotty as well). If you are trying to reach me and it's time-sensitive, use the telephone. (Not that I can think of any time-sensitive reasons for anyone to want to reach me, but you never know.)

It might have something to do with the weather--we woke up to the most sickly pink-green sky you've ever seen. Truly creepy-fit for Halloween. But maybe lighting hit something somewhere and it's slowing things down along the wires? 

web presence

This is just an aside from a would-be writer who reads a ton of books and also even buys them. Usually when I read a book I really like, I'll go see if the author has a web site because I want to know a) what else is in the works that I can look forward to, and b) who is this person who wrote this book, and what kind of influence was the book born out of. When I feel like I have a handle on the book and its context, I usually tell other people about it, which leads to them reading it and/or buying it.

Which brings me to my point: I know not all writers like to blog or have an internet presence; I know some people with limited time would rather spend that time on writing new books, not hanging out on line. I know some people prefer to be ab-so-lute-ly anonymous. That's okay. But I really, really, really think it's a good idea to have at least a bare bones web site representing you and your book(s). Yes, books sell because publishers invest in advertising, but books also sell because human beings buy them and tell their friends about them. When you have absolutely no web presence, it's hard for readers to feel forward-momentum excitement about your present and future works. I know that at least some publishers will set up a basic web page for their authors. There are also free web hosts out there. 

Anyway, here is Rose Nobody, ending Weekly Suggestions and returning you to your regular programming.
 

Halloween...

So, what time do you take your kids out trick or treating? What time do you expect people to start knocking on your door? And if your kids have come home from school with buckets of sugar, and are about to go out again, do you bother trying to stuff lettuce into them before going out on the streets?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Oooh, I love Halloween!

What a great holiday. Finally my two worlds mesh. I got to celebrate a classic American children's holiday like I remember doing, plus we got to walk and walk and walk around the neighborhood with everyone else in town out, just like normal people do all the time in Germany. And what can be more perfect than 60 degrees on a starry Friday night? Perfect!

(But maybe we could bring on the sugar crash now, because I'm driving to visit my parents tomorrow, and it would be helpful to get some sleep beforehand.)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

more Halloween

Put under a cut because I know that not everyone is interested in other people's kids' costumes...

( Read more... )