KISS - Keep it Simple Steph.

You've probably heard me ranting about my website recently. Right now I have a haphazard html site and a Flash site that covers all my pen names. The problem is the Flash site is usually updated more frequently and quite frankly the html site says a lot in terms of my own inability for graphic design or creating cool, professional looking author sites. While my Flash site looks wonderful (thanks to the Wix team), not everyone has Flash on their computers (especially Mac folks or people web surfing on their mobile devices) and Flash is notorious for crashing IE 8.

Hence my dilemma. The reality is I need a new website. After talking with some friends I've decided I'm going to do a Wordpress site on my server. So eventually, all the other sites will disappear and this blog will direct everyone to the new site and the new blog(s). 

Some thoughts about the new site - things I want it to do (and really this list is more for my benefit than anyone else's):

-I want separate blogs for each pen-name.
-I want people to be able to subscribe to the blog(s) of their choice (or maybe just the site?).
-I want to move my spiritual blog to the new site (it would still be by sign-up only).
-I still want to have the book information pages currently on my existing Flash site (Bio, Fantasy, Mystery, NF Esoteric, Erotica, Events, Free Stuff)
-I'll definitely want Amazon widgets so I can link to my books.
-I'll definitely want YouTube widgets to link to my video blogs.
-I think I may want to display the moon phases and astrological information for each day.

I think the hardest part is actually going to be designing the template and coming up with a new header graphic. I am seriously thinking it should be called Sephira Alchemy. Each pen name represents an element within myself. The NF Esoterica is Mercurial Air. The Erotica is Venus and Fire.  The fantasy is Watery Neptune, and perhaps the Mystery is Saturn and Earth.  It's kind of a fun approach to a more complex Word Press site.

There are a lot of reasons I decided to do this. First - I need a site I can update quickly with little hassle (meaning I don't have to constantly dick with coding things) no matter where I am in the U.S. or abroad - as long as I have an Internet connection. Being in NY for two weeks late last year showed me just how important it is to be able to access things from wherever you are. Second - I only want to have to go to ONE site to update everything. As it now stands I have to go to three (here, Wix, and my domain host) if you don't count YouTube, Twitter or FB.

So I'm really excited about the new Sephira Alchemy site and hope my readers will be, too.  Of course it may take me a few months to get it up and running so don't expect it until summer...