booksandstories.com

November 2003 Review

Web Page Progress

So what's changed and what's new? Those of you who visit the site will have noticed the small advert column on the right hand side of the pages. This is due to a change in Brinkster's policy for free web hosting. They still do it for free, but now the discreet adverts appear. I can't really complain because Brinkster have been very good. I first uploaded my site four years ago when they were EwebCity, and since then I haven't really had any problems. Four years without an advert or any charges has to be a good deal. And they are an ASP Hosting site too. I have an option to pay a small monthly fee to remove the adverts, and I mean a small fee, but as yet I haven't decided. I know how annoying pop up adverts are, I spend my time closing them all when I visit other sites, but these don't seem too bad at the moment. I'll wait and see. If you don't like them, let me know (fat chance, eh?). And remember my UK site at readstoriesonline.com and readstoriesonline.co.uk. This site doesn't have adverts until you access the pay chapter files.

I mentioned last month that I have a new job. At the moment it is time consuming without being excessively profitable. I hope this all changes soon. In the meantime I have begun to think of all the costs associated with this site, and the time I have to commit to it. Am I getting tired of this? Maybe. I sometimes wonder if I am talking to anyone out there. Writing these Reviews are a bit like writing in a diary, the only difference is that diaries are meant to be secret! But new content is what keeps any site alive on the Internet. Leave it for a few months and even less people find it. So far I am still having a few visitors, but I am beginning to wonder if the Internet has now faded from centre stage in the fashionable technology steaks. People now text more and play on their mobiles more. And as these are more visible to their friends and can be used anywhere, the old PC is rapidly becoming old hat. Spam emails don't help either. If you have emailed me, and your letter doesn't get a mention in one of these Reviews, it will be because it got accidentally shovelled out with the crap. So send it again, and use the email button on the left as it will get a booksandstories letter subject so I can pick it out of the dross more easily.

Writing Progress

Still no Short Stories this month. “The Friendly Ambassador” is now on to chapter forty-four. I am concentrating on my main story as I have little time to do anything else. I want to finish it and I don't want to miss any opportunities that stem from the story now that I have gotten it this far. So I am working my way through it and leaving everything else. When it's finished I will go back to the Short Stories. I will probably do “A Fine Woman” as a complete story and place it in the Contemporary Thrillers and Romantic Books section. “The Curfew” will eventually get the same treatment, but in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Books section. “The Heroic Englishman” will then take over as the bi-monthly Short Story.

As I said in a previous Review, September I think it was, “The Friendly Ambassador” is getting so large that I have now had to split it into four sections. So if you go to the List Page you can now choose between chapters 1 to 20, 21 to 30, or 31 to 40. All three files are pretty close in size, and I still have more to do. Ah, well, more for you to read if you are interested.

I have been thinking about expanding one or two of the other Short Stories. I think “Catch Or Kill”, “The Happy Eater” and “Wagstaff And McClean” all have something more in them. Again, free time and work will dictate when I do this, but hopefully I might see some changes by Christmas (yes, that dreaded word and time is now upon us!).

See you in the holidays.

What do you think of it so far? Email me!