Best Security for your WordPress Blog: Malware and blocked site woes, reviews and lessons learned

Best Security for your WordPress Blog: Malware and blocked site woes, reviews and lessons learned

If you have a Wordpress blog or website, you may have noticed that it’s getting harder and harder to keep it clean. You may have experienced the “white screen of death” or the dreaded “Reported Attack Page!” that tells you not to visit your own site, because it contains malware and has been blacklisted. As someone...

Starting over with nothing at 32: Thoughts on the creative life, independence and retirement

Starting over with nothing at 32: Thoughts on the creative life, independence and retirement

For the last week I’ve been avoiding my work: the pressures and responsibilities and deadlines have been building up, and like a turtle I react by disappearing, into junk food and catching up on popular TV series. But today I’m catching up – starting with a fancy breakfast of icecream strawberry waffles at a nearby The 3 secrets to book...

The Book Cover Wars: What to Do When Someone Copies Your Book Cover Design; and How to Avoid Copying Others

The Book Cover Wars: What to Do When Someone Copies Your Book Cover Design; and How to Avoid Copying Others

Note: this post caused some very angry comments and discussions, but since the topic is so important and relevant to indie authors, I’m leaving it up. I hope – if any effect on them at all – that it helps the authors mentioned sell more books. Both authors have been remarkably patient, understanding and magnanimous. The 3...

My Super Simple Ebook Formatting and Conversion Process for the New Kindle, Smashwords and Epub Rules

My Super Simple Ebook Formatting and Conversion Process for the New Kindle, Smashwords and Epub Rules

I’ve been meaning to learn ebook formatting and conversion for over 2 years. Sadly, every time I got started, the sheer enormity of the process scared me away. Multiple formats? Lots of Code and HTML? Yuck. But I’ve been giving the work away for too long, and I know it’s something I’m going to need The 3 secrets to...

Becoming DaVinci – how to retire in Tuscany and become an art restoration expert

Becoming DaVinci – how to retire in Tuscany and become an art restoration expert

Today I’m honored to host an interview with an author who’s doing amazing things in art and literature. I met David Clarke while working on his book cover for Rare Traits, a fascinating novel that makes use of David’s interest in art history. Then I found out he’s in Tuscany studying art restoration. Wow – The 3...

It’s all about the money: What does being professional mean for your creative independence?

It’s all about the money: What does being professional mean for your creative independence?

A few years ago I was at a party. This was back in the days when I fire-danced (spun a staff with lighted kevlar ends) for fun and was involved in a small community with similar interests. At the party I girl I knew started talking to me about fire-dancing. She was a little tipsy, The 3 secrets to book marketing, and a haunted castle tour...

How not to be a hopelessly tragic romantically poor artist (why you should buy art, the value of art and how to sell your art)

How not to be a hopelessly tragic romantically poor artist (why you should buy art, the value of art and how to sell your art)

Today I got an email message from the site Nurturing Creativity. It’s a beautiful site with a good message, and I support Denise’s main aim of nurturing creative entrepreneurs. But something about this message struck me wrong. Rather than an inspiration to artists, it’s a confirmation of some very bad messages about what art...

The Best Royalty-Free Stock Image Sites for Your Book Cover (and How to Avoid Choosing the Same One as Everybody Else).

The Best Royalty-Free Stock Image Sites for Your Book Cover (and How to Avoid Choosing the Same One as Everybody Else).

If you’re indie publishing, you probably can’t afford a photo shoot. Fortunately (or unfortunately), these days major publishing houses can’t either, which means everybody is using stock photography. Stock photos are royalty-free images you pay to download, that you can use for book cover designs or other projects. There are...