Farewell to Google Plus

When I published my first novel, I read a lot of advice online about the best way to publicize it. Several people/sites said it was imperative for me to put myself out there on social media so that any potential reader could find out more about me and might be inspired to buy my novels.

As a result, I opened accounts with Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon Author Central, Blogger, iAuthor, Youtube, and Google+. I soon realized that each of these needed to be somewhat different since no one wants to read the same information over and over.

I decided that Blogger would have snippets of my fiction, in addition to actual updates and my thoughts on the world, while Facebook would be more about the novels and general space news.

iAuthor, Goodreads and Youtube are sites where I mostly posted items (names & information about the novels, videos about the novels) and then left them alone. Amazon Author Central was the place to post general information about me as an author, with a picture or two.

Then there was Google+. I wasn’t sure what to do with it at first. All of my blogs automatically show up there, but that seemed a little boring. I did some exploring and found out that a lot of people use Google+ for photos, especially collections of photos, so I decided to do the same. At first, I simply shared photos from others that I thought were noteworthy. After a while, though, I posted a few of my own photos. Eventually I posted a few collections. It was always a good place to find amazing photos of birds, wildlife, nature, beautiful things, etc. I liked how easy it was to explore and find others’ collections. And I had around 42 followers!

Now comes the news that Google+ will no longer be available for non-commercial users like me. This makes me sad. It was one place where I could post little items about something cool I’d seen in Wilderness Park or on the flowers out front or while I was traveling. I wasn’t really an author there; I was just one person among many wanting to share some photos.

There weren’t a lot of ads. If I followed someone, I saw ALL of their posts, not just some. If I wanted to explore, it was simple. If I wanted to share my photos with someone, that was simple, too. Google+ never seemed overbearing or difficult; it just seemed like a nice place to hang out once in a while.

I guess those of us hanging out together weren’t generating enough revenue. Also, Google apparently had a data breach and decided it wasn’t worth it to revise Google+ for added security. Whatever the reason, they’ve decided to end the Google+ product, except for business owners.

I’m not the only one who will miss Google+. I’ve read several posts there as people try to figure out where to move their photos and how to notify their followers (sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands). They’re scattering to the wind; I guess it’s a lot like when you leave high school or college in the “real world”: you realize you won’t be with that particular set of people anymore and won’t see some of them ever again.

I suppose it’s for the best. I’ve met a lot of good people since college. I’m sure I’ll find somewhere else to share and enjoy photos.

But I’ll miss this one. Goodbye, Google+.

Photos of Fall

Back in October, I posted that I was glad it wasn't autumn yet because there was a lot to be seen in Wilderness Park. This month it is definitely autumn, but there's still a lot to be seen. Since the weather is fantastic, I decided to take advantage of it and slung my Canon over my shoulder for a long walk.

True, some of the park looks mostly brown, but it can still be pretty:

  

There were things to see when I looked up:

and when I looked down:

Some things I almost stumbled over or missed, but were worth a second look:

Some of the colors surprised me:

                  

I'm glad I paused on the bridge over the stream.

As I was leaving, a woman asked me, "Did you see anything?" I pondered for a moment, spread my arms and said, "Just general beauty." She smiled and continued on her walk. I hope she saw as much as I did.

Thanks for joining me on a walk through the park!

Not Quite Yet

Autumn might think it's here. The calendar might say it's here. But Wilderness Park says otherwise. No, summer is hanging on.

We only have a few leaves turning color so far in southeast Kansas, although the sumac is pretty.

 

Most of the butterflies and flowers are gone. This means that when I go walking in the park, I have to look more closely for the little bits of color and beauty that try to hide in the greenery.

 

It does make me work a little harder to find tidbits to photograph, but I don't mind. If everything were out in plain sight, I might not enjoy it as much. I might just stride by, nodding my head and thinking, "Oh, there's another colorful leaf," instead of searching each area for something of interest.

I almost stepped on this guy!

I like it that the leaves are still green. They'll be beautiful colors soon enough, but right now they make a nice contrast to the little splashes of color out there.

Autumn can hold off just a little longer. I'm still enjoying the warmer air, the refreshing breezes and the greenery. They'll be gone soon enough, so I'll appreciate them now while I still can.

Have a beautiful autumn, no matter what color it is.

Spellbound Book Signing

I made an appearance at Spellbound Bookstore and Cafe today as part of their Grand Re-Opening at their new location in Pittsburg, KS. I want to thank Brett for inviting me as one of the local authors for a book signing. If you go to their Facebook page, you can see a photo of the local authors in attendance (including me) and read reviews of their books (including Outsider). Here's the link: Spellbound FB Page

It was fun! We were there for two hours and I had plenty of time to chat with the other four authors, each of whom provided me with insights and good conversation. We all learned things from each other. Thank you to Kathy Manning Gronau, Loren Chancey, Melissa Fite Johnson and Richard Crooks!

Diane at Spellbound Bookstore 4-25-15

Quite a few people came in while we were there and I was asked some very good questions. It's always fun to "talk shop" and revisit how I managed to write my novels. I got some good feedback on Outsider and even sold two copies, so I'd call that a success.

It was good to see people supporting the local bookstore, too. I hope that will continue because it was sad when Pittsburg didn't have one. I wish Spellbound continued success!

I'm ready to do it again!

Another In The Shadows Update

Good news! I finally finished the blurb for In the Shadows, which means I was able to submit the whole book to CreateSpace.com for review. After waiting 24 hours, I got the word: it's good to go!

I've now ordered a proof copy that's supposed to arrive around January 5. (It's hard to wait!) Then I'll finally be able to hold my latest novel in my hands. What a feeling that is. (And it lasts until I start proofreading and find the inevitable mistake. Oh, well, that's part of the process.) I'll let you know how it goes.

Meanwhile, believe it or not, I've starting working on the next one! (It already has a rough draft.) This one will need A LOT of work: it doesn't have a title and it isn't even broken into chapters yet! (I think I have a good title in mind, though. I'll give it some thought and let you know once I'm sure.)

Remember to tell all of your friends and family members about the first two novels. They'd better hurry and read them before the third one is out, right?

I hope you had a peaceful holiday and will have a wonderful New Year. Look for the beauty that's around you, sometimes where you least expect it.


From Photography Workshop, November 2014

Thanks, as always, for your support.

Photography

I took a short photography workshop today. A group of about 15 people met at a nature reserve and got tutored in f-stops, shutter speed, ISO and white balance. I've taken photographs for most of my life, but the vast majority of those were with a film camera and now I have a digital camera, so I need to learn a new mindset.

I don't know how many times that's happened to me in my lifetime but I'm sure the number is high. No matter how much I want things to stay the way that I'm familiar and comfortable with, the more they seem to change.

Not all the changes are bad: I don't have to wind the camera after every shot and I don't have to worry about wasting film. I like that! However, I have to figure out what all of those buttons on the camera are for. The workshop today helped me make a lot of progress on that.

I think my favorite part, though, was when we went outside to try out what we'd learned. The day was overcast and most of the autumn colors are gone, so some people would have despaired. There's nothing worth taking photos of, they would think. Fortunately, I was with a group of people who knew better. If you'd stumbled upon us, you would have seen one person taking a photo of a tree trunk, one of a cluster of red berries against the brown, one of the pattern on the water, one of a rooster who came to check us out. I took a moment to appreciate their attitude: there's plenty to see out there if you actually look for it.

And I think it's the same with writing. Every week I sit in front of this computer and think there is no way I can write a blog that day because nothing has happened to me lately and I don't have anything to say. But then I remember: if I'd felt that way about 24 years ago, I would never have written my first novel. I wasn't sure if I had something worth writing, but I tried anyway. (I'd done it before with very awful results. Thank goodness it came out better this time!) The point is that I tried. I looked until I found something.

Keep looking.