You may have noticed a slight change to the site. Or maybe you didn’t. Like I said it’s kind of small, just a change of phrase, a change to the tag line of the site. But though it may be small to everyone else in the universe, it’s a major huge big deal change to me. Go ahead look up. You’ll see it. 🙂
Swirl and Spark is now my author site!!
I’ve toyed with the idea of creating a brand new separate author site, or even one that links back to this one. But…I just couldn’t do it. This is my website. This is the one I’ve put my heart and soul into for almost four years. This is the one that has allowed me to connect with so many great writers and I am just not ready to let that go. Not yet. Maybe one day I’ll branch out, but for today creating a whole new author site feels almost like a betrayal, like I’ll have to abandon all the hopes and plans I’ve had for the site through the years.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of having an author site. I’ve been working to be able to do that for much longer than I’ve even had this site. I love the idea of having a home base for my books. But Swirl and Spark is a part of me and so for now I want this to be the home base for my books and my author doings as well as a place for the writing community to gather. I know this site is not perfected yet. I have a lot of work to do to get it where I want it to be. Some of the tabs here are in dire need of updating (Hello Book Nook and Scribble Tips!) But just because I have a book coming out next year, doesn’t mean I won’t still strive to bring something to the writing community through Swirl and Spark. I want my author site to be more than a place where people can learn about my books and author events. Sure I’ll be adding that stuff at some point. But I want it to be more than that too. Who knows what it will look like down the road but that will always be my goal.
Does anyone remember Critique Corner? Back when I started this site (in 2013!) it was a periodic critique round where brand new writers (even kids!) could submit their work and get feedback from other writers. It was great fun and I loved hosting that series. But at the time there were other places writers could go for that, and over time it lost it’s popularity. So I phased it out in favor of other things. Some worked, some did not. Today, that spot is occupied by the Writers Around the World series. Although it’s only been up for a few months, the page views tell me that you like reading the interviews—and so do I! So I have every intention of increasing the frequency of those posts and seeing just how many fantastic writers (and people!) we can connect with.
I’ll continue to post about living the life of a writer too because that’s what I do. It’s fun for me to post about what it’s really like and hopefully something I say may inspire you along the way because I still believe that if this publishing thing can happen for me…it can definitely happen for you—if you are persistent enough. 🙂
So onward and upward! It’s time to get back to work. Time to draft, time to revise. Time to stay strong when any of it gets tough. If you get stuck for an idea or on a plot point, go for a walk. Fold the laundry. Take out that work from your day job. Watch Once Upon a Time on Netflix. Think about something else. The solution will probably come to you eventually. But if it doesn’t, write something. Anything. Usually it takes nothing more than fingers tapping on the keyboard it get the ideas swirling.
Have an amazing day, everyone! But before you leave, check out the Q& A’s at Writers Around the World. There’s great stuff in those interviews, and some lovely writers to connect with.
I’m off to make some coffee and see how much of this next chapter I can write. Wish me luck!
Jackie ❤
swirl and spark 