site news

A new look for the website

↑ How it started / How it’s going

Over the past month and a half I’ve been working on a long overdue redesign of this website. I swapped out the old Twenty-Ten WordPress theme I’d been using since forever and replaced it with the spiffy new Astra theme, which meant learning how to use the WordPress block editor (time-consuming and a little daunting, but ultimately worth it). I also restructured the site to make it easier to navigate and find stuff. I’m still tinkering around the edges and figuring out what other features I might want to add, but overall I’m very pleased with the new look.

Another thing I’m very pleased with is my new web hosting service, Siteground, which offers all sorts of cool innovations like a technical support team that actually provides technical support. When I first switched my domain to the new IP address, I was having an issue with emails bouncing back to the sender; Siteground diagnosed the problem and fixed it in about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, it’s three weeks and counting since the tech team at my old host service said they’d “get back to me” about why their built-in file download tool had stopped working.

I’ve also opened a new social media account on Post.news, which you can reach using the link in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen. For now I’m still spending most of my scrolling and posting time on Twitter (it’s like having a front-row seat to the crash of the Hindenburg), but I wanted to make sure I had somewhere to go if and when the bird site finally goes down, and Post feels like the most promising of the current alternatives. And whatever happens, you can always find me here.

Two months and counting

Sixty-two days till publication. Sorry to be so quiet lately, but I’ve been in that inevitable low-energy lull that comes between the high of last-round copyediting and the high of actually seeing the book out in the world. On the plus side, I finally understand the appeal of Twitter.

Some news:

* If you haven’t seen it yet, the Mirage book tour schedule is here. For now, it’s strictly a West Coast tour, but I’m hoping the novel will do well enough to justify adding more dates east of the Rockies.

* I’ve added an Odds & Ends tab to the site navigation bar. It links to an updated version of the “Unpublished works and ephemera” page from my old website.

* I’ve converted my personal Facebook page to a fan page. If you were feeling shy about sending me a friend request, now you can just “like” me.

* Those of you who’ve been asking when/if Fool on the Hill will be available as an ebook, it’s in the works. I’ll post more once I have details.

Welcome to the new Matt Ruff blog

For a while now, I’ve been meaning to upgrade my website, and a WordPress installation seemed like the best way to go. I’m still tinkering with the look of the site, and there may be occasional glitches as I learn exactly what the software can and can’t do, but I hope to have it all figured out in a month or two.

I’m also taking this opportunity to integrate my blog into the site. I’ll be keeping my old LiveJournal account for archival purposes, and may still post announcements there from time to time, but all of my new blogging will be done here, so please adjust your RSS subscription accordingly. [Update: In January 2018, I transfered my LJ archive to this site, and purged my old LJ account.]

Some other news:

* The final galley pass of The Mirage is now locked and on its way to production. Finished books are due back from the printers in early January, and they’ll be in bookstores on February 7, 2012.

* The first round of advance review copies has already gone out. The early response has been very positive.

* The Mirage book tour is still in the planning stages, but confirmed reading and signing dates will be posted here.

* I am now on Twitter, Facebook, and GoodReads. I’m sure all this social networking will do wonders for my productivity.