March 26, 2007 - Big update!

Over a year since my last update. Shameful. Well, I need to go over some things, that maybe I shouldn't even bother sharing, but I think it's only fair to let everyone know what's been going on, and why I haven't updated in so long.

I hit a bit of a wall, and needed to do some soul searching. I've still been writing, but I felt some ambiguity about my writing career and my publisher. I haven't been too happy with how things have been going, and it's not really anyone's fault, but it took me awhile to figure out where to go. I've decided to leave my current publisher, and go a bit independent so I have more control over my work and its distribution. I was feeling kind of stifled, both creatively and professionally. I'm not a conformist, I go by my gut and what works for me, and what was maybe once working for me, stopped working for me. I'm sorry if this comes off cryptic, but I don't want to burden anyone with trifles.

Now that that's out of the way, onto some real updates. I'm revamping my website completely. I feel the current design was a bit indulgent and not really user-friendly. I sat down to read over some of the content and realized that the text is a bit hard on the eyes. I apologize for that. I'm working on a big make-over and that should be coming within a few weeks.

And for some really good news, I'm doing the finishing touches on a book called The Disk, and I will be releasing that in a few weeks, if all goes well. I'll bring you more details as soon as I possible. I actually wrote it in between Going Down Memory Lane and Castle of Death, but because of my own issues I skipped it when deciding what to publish. I have really polished it though, and I'm thrilled that I'm releasing it now!

So look forward to some big updates coming soon, and I hope I haven't completely alienated any of my visitors.


February 15, 2006

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day.  I just noticed on the trailers page that the links weren't working, but they should be now. Sorry about that!

January 7, 2006

Happy New Year everyone! Where did the last four months go? I know I haven't updated in awhile, but I want you to know that I didn't disappear into thin air, nor have I given up on writing. It seems like the holidays just eats up a lot of time.

I have updated the musical inspiration page to include Castle of Death. I wrote quite a bit on that page, so pace yourself! I'll be working on the Castle of Death trivia page soon. I also need to figure out which book I want to send to my publisher next, and I have other books I want to work on, so I have a lot on my plate right now, but I hope I can keep this website updated.

Before I end this update, I would just like to say thank you to all my readers who supported me in 2005! As still a relatively new author, you don't know how much it means to me. Thank you, and here's hoping that 2006 will be even better!

August 29, 2005

Well, I finally have added the freebies section. You can get to it through the Castle of Death page. Be sure to check it out!

July 28, 2005

I feel very bad for not updating sooner than this. I had to wait for my cover art to get done, which ended up taking longer than I thought. My cover designer designed two different covers for me, and frankly, I didn't care for either one of them for my book (the covers looked great but not what I had in mind). So I ended up designing the cover myself, and it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. It still wasn't quite what I envisioned, but I did what I could with what I had to work with.  Anyway! The cover is now up on the Castle of Death site and the trailer has been posted!  That took longer than expected as well but I won't go into the boring details.  

The official release date for Castle of Death is September 12, 2005, however from what I can tell it is available for pre-ordering at Amazon and Publishamerica.com.  The direct links are on the Castle of Death page.

The freebies which I mentioned in my previous update will be coming soon, honest! I'm just running a little behind schedule but I will get caught up soon.

June 6, 2005

I have posted two sample chapters for Castle of Death for a limited time only! After the book's release, only the first chapter will remain on the site, so make sure to read the sample chapters asap!  

I'm still working on the trailer, but I realized today that I won't be able to complete it until I have my cover art...woops! I'm going to try to get it all done, so it will be ready to go as soon as I have my cover art.

One last thing, I have added all main links to the top of every webpage for easier navigation.  

Ok, I lied, this is the last thing.  I have a couple of freebies in mind to give to those interested in Castle of Death and/or horror in general. I'm not going to say what they are yet, so check back for more info.  This will also have to wait until after I have my cover art. It's so difficult to be patient!

And as always, don't forget to sign my guestbook and sign up for my mailing list :)


May 23, 2005

I have started a new mailing list, for those who are interested in receiving announcements of my book releases.  Presently, this is just an announcement group, but if interest is expressed, I may make into a group where readers can talk with each other about my writing, suggestions for my site and upcoming books, and anything else in relation to books or writing.  I want to wait until there are some sign-ups before getting a vote as to whether I should change it or not.  If you would like to sign up, you can find the form on my homepage underneath my email/mailing address.  *Note, for those of you who are already signed up to receive announcements, I will be sending you a personal invite to resign up. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I also have some good news about Castle of Death. It seems that it may be released sooner than I was expecting.  I haven't received my release date quite yet, but I was told that it will probably be out in a couple months!  So it looks like it'll be more of an end of summer release rather than an autumn release.  I'll keep you posted on the release date.  

One more thing, I have added a page about "novel trailers", including a trailer of Going Down Memory Lane, made by yours truly.  Soon this link will be added to all my pages, but for now you can access it from the Going Down Memory Lane page.  It shows "teasers" from some of the more exciting scenes in my book along with some corresponding images.  I am currently working on the one for Castle of Death, and that should be posted (hopefully) sometime in June.   


May 11, 2005

I have added the new webpage for my upcoming book Castle of Death. Not a whole lot to see there right now, except for the synopsis, but more info will be added as soon as possible.

I've also added an interactive story which is in the left panel on my homepage. Here's the deal: I started a story, and now any visitor to my site is welcome to add on as much or as little as they'd like! This is just for fun, so get your creative juices flowing!


March 31, 2005

I would love to be able to report some big exciting news, but right now in the world of writing, things have slowed down a bit.  I'm still in the middle of the publishing process on my second book, and getting a tad impatient.  To help pass the time, I've taken to working on a fairy tale series which I've been working on for five years now (I can't believe it's been that long). It's sort of been on the back burner and now I'd really like to get it done.    

As for website news, I have added a new page called Games, which has a bunch of free games for you to play on my website. I figured it would give you all something to do in between updates.  

I had some other ideas for the website, more writing related, but right now I want to focus my writing energy on my novels.  Eventually, there'll be more exciting updates, I promise.

One final thing, I have added my P.O. address at the bottom of the homepage, so if you'd like to write to me for any reason, you can use this address.  I will answer all mail, but for the fastest response I recommend sending a S.A.S.E. (self-addressed stamped envelope).     


January 12, 2005

I would like to wish everyone a happy new year! I know again it's been awhile since an update, but a lot's been going on. I've had a lot of work to do on my second book and it fell right at the holidays, so I haven't had a whole lot of time for other things. I finally thought of a few things to add to this site, but I don't know how fun they are. But at least it's something. One link added is about my take on the "Business Side of Writing". I tell a bit about my publishing experience and promotion. The second link I added is called "Musical Inspiration", which tells how songs played a part in the writing of Going Down Memory Lane, and this will be updated for each book. The third link sends you to my new "live journal" at livejournal.com. A friend of mine recommended and said it was fun, so I thought I'd give it a try. It'll basically be for ramblings and for you to see me in a more open and comfortable setting.

November 9, 2004

These updates are getting fewer and farther between aren't they?  I've been busy with a few things, including working on my second novel, which has been accepted for publication by my publisher.  More details on that will be added closer to the release.  I know nearly a year ago I mentioned wanting to submit my second novel, but there was a change of plans.  For one thing, the book that I was going to submit which was technically the second book I ever wrote, just didn't feel right to me.  It had never been one of my favorite works, and even after extensive editing I just didn't have full confidence in it.  So, I decided to skip sending that one in and start working on polishing up my third novel, which is the one that will be released next.  

As for website updates, there's a new review blurb on the Going Down Memory Lane page.  The link to the full review is there as well.  Also, on the Bio page is a link to an interview I did online.  I plan on making a page just for interviews I do, but I'll wait until I have a few more under my belt before going to the trouble.  Also I had added a Halloween poem back in October and completely forget to include an update about the addition.  So if you haven't seen it, go ahead and take a look. I would really like to add some more things to my website to make it more fun, but I'm sort of at a loss as to what to add.  So if you have any suggestions, feel free to drop me an email at laurapfalz@earthlink.net


July 27, 2004

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since my last update.  I just have a couple things to mention.

I have decided to remove the messageboard and polls from my website.  For one thing, they don't seem to be very popular and also, I just noticed that there are pop-ups on those pages.  Since I hate pop-ups and strive to keep my website free of them, these pages must go.  I also noticed that the page with the form to be notified of announcements also has a pop-up.  I will be removing this as well, as soon as I find a service free of pop-ups to replace it.  

Also, I just want to mention that Going Down Memory Lane is officially released.   If you are interested in buying the book, but hate ordering online, please remember that you can go to any Barnes & Noble or Borders bookstores to buy it.  They may not have it on the shelf, but they will special order it for you, if you ask.  If you don't have a local Barnes & Noble or Borders, ask at any of your local bookstores.  Most are happy to special order a book for you!


May 12, 2004

I have received the official release date for Going Down Memory Lane, and it is June 12, 2004.

On the Going Down Memory Lane page, there is now a link leading to a gift shop with merchandise featuring the cover of my book.

May  4, 2004

I've discovered that Going Down Memory Lane is available at most major bookstores online for pre-order.  Links are available at the bottom of the Going Down Memory Lane page of this website.


April 25, 2004

Going Down Memory Lane is now available for pre-order through my publisher.  All information is available on the Going Down Memory Lane page of this website.  

I also would like to mention that with the numerous viruses on the web, I will NEVER send an email attachment to anyone, without a clear mutual agreement by both sender and receiver to do so.  If you receive an email from me that has an attachment, do not open it!  It is not from me.  It is fairly simple to disguise email addresses to look like they're from someone when they are not.  Also, I will not be opening any attachments without prior notice as to what it is, so please don't send one without contacting me first.  Everyone should scan their computers for viruses at least once a week so not to accidentally spread them to others or damage your system.  If you cannot afford the popular virus scans (Norton, McAfee, etc), you can do a free one at: PandaSoftware.com

April 15, 2004

The cover for Going Down Memory Lane has now been added.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I also changed the text color on the page, to better match the cover design.  The book should be available for pre-order in the coming weeks, and there will be another update at that time with the necessary information.

 

March 10, 2004

The first chapter of Going Down Memory Lane has been added. It's on the Going Down Memory Lane page.

Please vote on the poll on the homepage. If there isn't a better response soon, it will be taken down.

The messageboard and guestbook are always open, so feel free to leave comments, questions, suggestions, etc. Or you may E-mail me.


February 19, 2004

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day!  

I have added a messageboard to my website, which is now a link at the top of my webpages.  Please read my welcome message so you know what's what. 

In addition to the messageboard, I also have a new poll on my homepage.  The vote is for Favorite Fiction Genre.  I plan to change the polls regularly, so make sure to check back.

One last addition: now it is much easier to be added to my New Releases notifications list.  Whenever any books of mine are released, I will send an announcement to everyone on the list.  If you would like to be notified, the link is on  my homepage--Look for the green "Click Here" link.  You will then be taken to a short form to be filled out if you wish to be included.  Less of a hassle than having to send me an E-mail!    

January 20, 2004

Unfortunately, there's not a huge update, but I just thought I'd mention that a guestbook has been added to the homepage at the bottom, so be sure to sign it before you leave.  I value the opinions of my visitors!  Also, if you haven't visited the links page, please be sure to do so!  I will add your website link, if it is related to writing or anything else in the creative field.  If you're unsure if your site qualifies, drop me an email.  I'm pretty easy-going!


January 6, 2004

First off, let me wish everyone a Happy New Year!  My website is finally up, so take a look around.  As for writing news, I am currently editing my second book, which I'm hoping to get submitted to my publisher by February.  More info on that will be available soon.  I am still awaiting a release date for Going Down Memory Lane, and that will be posted as soon as I find out.

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