What's blogging ever done for me?

I have just been over to Hoydens and Firebrands blog to put up a post about Rakes and Rogues of the Restoration. Hoydens and Firebrands is the place where I can reach other fans of the seventeenth century, a period in which I have written three novels. The blog has a small but enthusiastic following.

Blogging takes up quite a lot of my writing time, so why do it?

Firstly, it is interesting and a writing challenge to compile a short informative piece that does not take long to read, but gives a good introduction to the subject. Usually I have already done the research for the post whilst researching my novels, but a blog post is different. I try to make these short posts visual and include links and references where possible for those who want to follow up the subject in more detail. Blogposts have actually been invaluable to print off and use as brief notes on my subject matter when I talk to Library groups or Book Clubs about my books and my research.

Secondly, I get to interact with people I have never met, but who share my passion for historical fiction. Through blogging I have had one or two great invitations. My blog posts through Debra Brown at English Historical Fiction Authors Blog will appear later this year in a new anthology, Castles Customs and Kings




This means my posts will be more widely read and appreciated.

Thirdly,through blogging I was invited to appear on two panels at The Historical Novel Conference 2013 in Florida. Of course I could have said no, that's too far to travel, but instead we have incorporated it into our family holiday, and I am now looking forward to meeting US fans of historical fiction and US writers who I only know from their icons online.

Here is a video showing the conference in London this year, and I'm sure Florida will be just as great. 



Fourthly, It is my pleasure to promote other authors of historical Fiction via my other blog,
Royalty Free Fiction, where I can find other great new reads and help promote the genre in general. This blog focusses on books which do not have the draw of royalty (ie Kings and Queens) to help them gain a readership. Through doing this I have been made aware of many fantastic books I might otherwise have missed.

This is not to mention the great book bloggers who hosted me on my virtual tours with The Gilded Lily and took the time to review it. I appreciated them all, not to mention Amy Bruno from Passages in the Past who set up the tours.

So what's blogging done for me?
Quite a lot actually!
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Published on April 07, 2013 03:37
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message 1: by Mirren (new)

Mirren Jones Thank you Deborah for this thought-provoking post. Mirren Jones has been procrastinating for some time about setting up a proper blog, rather than just having snippets on our website. Your reasons for blogging are very positive, make lots of sense, and will give us a push in the right direction! Elaine (Jones of Mirren Jones)


message 2: by Deborah (new)

Deborah Swift Thanks for your comment. Blogging is time-consuming but I've found that the best way to reach readers is to be available for interaction. Your blog can be syndicated to sites like Goodreads and also to your Amazon pages, so it can multi-task too. Let me know when your blog is up and I'll visit and spread the word!


message 3: by Mirren (new)

Mirren Jones Thanks for that very generous offer Deborah we'll definitely take you up on it! We'll get going on the Blog very soon. The syndication sounds a great way of 'killing several birds with one stone' so to speak - clearly we've a lot to learn.
I've just downloaded my first Kindle purchase for the old Kindle Marion gifted me and Yes, after enjoying The Gilded Lily so much it had to be The Lady's Slipper! Elaine


message 4: by Deborah (new)

Deborah Swift Thanks so much. It is really nice to hear when someone has enjoyed one of my books.


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