This website needs a massive overhaul, and I’m currently working on it.

Let’s be honest here, it’s not exactly clear what I do or what this site is about when one stumbles on this website. It looks like some kind of a weird amalgamation of a blog and…well, I don’t know. Either way, it’s a mess that needs cleaning up. So, I’m going to be working on that.

My goals for this website are as follows:

1. Make it clear that this is a writer’s website…not a snarky cat-poster who can’t (or won’t) get his mess together.
2. Make it clear that this is not, primarily, a blog.
   • Separate the blog from the main landing page
   • Make only a brief summary of the latest blog post available on the landing page
   • Transition the homepage from a columnar navigation and blog list to a solid “welcome” style page explaining just what, exactly, this page is about.
3. Since I’ve got a separate gallery for artwork, I may also make some changes to how I manage the blog and posts entirely.
   • A dedicated section for blog posts ranging from opinion pieces to updates.
   • A dedicated section of the website only for sneak peaks and previews of what’s available.
   • A dedicated section for short stories.
4. Improve navigation.
5. Improve the look and feel of the website in general.

At present, I’ve made the following changes:

1. The homepage will only show the latest blog post. The blog can be reached by clicking on the “Blog” link in navigation or the “More Blog Posts” link below the blurb for the latest post.
2. I’ve added an “Archive” to the bottom of the Blog. While the Blog will only show the latest 5 posts (I think), the archive will let you look through prior posts by month and year.
3. Removed the “About This Site” page. That should be obvious when you get here. If you can’t figure it out, then I’ve done something wrong. So, I’m fixing this.

I am looking also at the immediate tasks I need to complete:

1. Add an actual “Welcome” section above the “Latest Blog Post” section. I’ll be adding it above so that mobile and tablet users have a more consistent experience while desktop users don’t have to do anything.
2. The drop-down list for “Published Work” may or may not remain. I haven’t decided this. It’s really rather pointless for now, since The Aos Si’s Gift is the only work available for now. Until more is available, I will probably roll this up into the navigation pane. Among other things, that should make it easier to find at a glance.
3. A better “About Me” page, maybe with a new name. It sucks. It needs work. It needs to be rewritten. So, it will be replaced.

Obviously, this is a long-term (and, likely, continuous) project. Every website needs regular improvement, overhaul, etc. As time goes on, I’ll be continuing to work here, and hopefully will have something that is at least somewhat independent of the walled gardens of “social” media. I don’t want to rant right now, but the fact that any post I make which includes a link–even to my book which is actually available for sale–automatically has its reach throttled. I’ll rant about that some other time.

In the meantime, I need to take a break for now. I have other things which I need to do today.

Because I don’t exactly have the ability to just take the site down for a prolonged period of time, the website’s appearance, layout, etc, is likely to be experiencing rolling changes…probably about every time I save it. As such…

Please, excuse the mess. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.