Grr... technology and I just aren't getting along these days. I'd get a divorce from it if I could, but then I'd have to say goodbye to most of my readers, so I'll have to stay joined. The current irritation is that after a break of two months from this blog, I try to add a new post and get a notice to say that Firefox no longer supports the text edit and I need to go on Google Chrome instead. Now, I'm not a fan of Google Chrome, I think it has secret plans to take over the world. Recently, I tried accessing my Smashwords account from my tablet and it refused to let me go on the website at all. As I only have a tablet in order to read ebooks, I wasn't best pleased. I ended up having to faff about downloading another server (Firefox–oh-oh. I wonder what it won't let me do the next time I switch it on!). This has been the story of my life lately.
Yahoo decided to update its email with lots of gimmicky features that I'll never use, but that meant it was incompatible with my server. My server wouldn't let me update it unless I switched to a newer iMac system, so I had to load all my work onto another back-up in case something went awry with the switch. The switch itself was fiddly, and required listening to muzak on hold to the help bods at Apple for so long the battery went in the phone. Everything appears to have gone okay, except that I keep finding little irritating changes to Pages such as having to duplicate files in order to save them in Word instead of simply clicking on Save As. It's all distractions and delays I could do without, so I've been breathing deeply and counting to ten a lot lately.
Rant over, on to more pleasant things! This blog was meant to be about making amends for the long absence and not really having much to show for it. I wanted to have Discord's Shadow ready for pre-order by now, but sadly, I've still some way to go. In my defense, my story, 'No Man's Land' is in the first issue of The Blend now available at https://theblendinternational.com.au and 'The Enchantress's Pets' has been shortlisted for Remastered Words, with final judging currently taking place.
As a thank you for everyone's patience, I decided to enrol my books in the Smashwords Summer-Winter Sale again. Throughout July, Artists and Liars and Discord's Child will be FREE and Discord's Apprentice will be half price. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ksdearsley (but don't use Google Chrome!)