I’ve completed the first phase of amalgamating my websites and blog in one handy location. This isn’t going to be a quick job, but it’s one that I think needs to be done.

Step One – I have a new website, with all of my books under all of my writing names together in a single place, along with excerpts, quotes and buy links. Phew! There are even foreign editions and reader letters posted there. My blog will also be there from now on – this will be the last post at this blog location.

The new site is at http://atomic-temporary-54613782.wpcomstaging.com

In my newsletter and blog posts, I’ll be linking to the new site.

Step Two – Because deborahcooke.com changed its location, the navy site with the same header as my Deborah Cooke Facebook page has disappeared forever. This means that all the links to that site will now be broken. For example, this used to be the link to the Kiss of Fire excerpt. See? No good. The Kiss of Fire excerpt is now here, on the new site, with a different address. The main thing this will affect will be the links in the back of my Cooke digital books and any bookmarks you’ve made in your own browser for that site. Step Two is updating the links in the digital books and republishing them. That’s a January job. It might take a while.

Step Three – Claire Delacroix’s site will remain as it is until the book files are updated. The info about the Delacroix books will be available in two places, on the old site and the new. Once the book files are done, the delacroix.net domain name will be repointed to the new site and the purple website will also disappear. The same thing will happen with the links as with the Cooke site – the page for The Renegade’s Heart will disappear from here but remain here – but since the book files will already have been updated, it should be less of an issue.

You can, btw, get the new version of any digital book file from the portal where you bought it for free – sometimes it happens automatically, but at some portals you have to request it.

I’ll only be updating book info on the new site from this point out. Ijust published 6 books to Overdrive for example and they’ll be perking through to outlets like Books-A-Million and Waterstones. Those links, when they appear, will only be added to the new site.

Step Four – this blog will also move to the new site. This will be the last blog post here – it can survive as a signpost until the transition is done – but at some point, I’ll need to move all the messages over to the other site. I’m not looking forward to that, but it will probably be easier than I expect.

Step Five – Flotsam and jetsam. The Dragon Diaries domain name will be repointed to the new site when that hosting comes up for renewal, and clairecross.com will be directed there as well. The knitting will probably not make the transition. (The new site is called Deborah Cooke and Her Books, not Alive & Knitting) You can find me on Ravelry if you want to talk sticks and string. I’ve also got a designer booked to do some tweaking to the new site, maybe add some flash beyond my capabilities – it will change a bit, but the content is all there.

It’s a big move – like moving house! – but I think it will make things much easier for me to maintain, and for you to find my books. Hop on over to the new site and have a peek. I’ll have Chestwick open a new keg of mead. 🙂