When George invited me for a return visit to his blog, I asked him if he had a topic he’d like me to discuss. He suggested how I got into blogging.
I started blogging back in 2010 after selling my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series because my publisher had insisted that I have a social media presence beyond my website. What they really wanted was for me to have a Facebook presence. My editor pretty much insisted. She was one of those people who posts her entire life on Facebook, something that boggles my privacy-conscious mind.
I loathe Facebook—with a passion. I’d heard and read too many horror stories about Facebook, and that was way back then. Over the years, it’s gotten far worse. Talk about a “bully” pulpit (and not the kind Teddy Roosevelt had in mind)! I wanted no part of it. I’d been bullied enough in my life prior to the creation of the “social” platform that gave free rein to the extremely unsocial and antisocial elements of society. I had sworn I’d be the last person on the planet not “Zucked” in.
But my editor insisted. So I caved and set up a Facebook page. Within minutes, I was inundated with friend requests from creepy looking guys from Third World nations. I should have trusted my gut. It then took me several hours to figure out how to delete my account. Zuckerberg doesn’t make it easy to leave once he’s snared you.
When I did finally navigate the labyrinth to the Delete Account key, I emailed my agent. We brainstormed other social media, and I came up with the idea of Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers, a blog that would be the online version of the magazine where my sleuth worked. Amazingly, my editor loved the idea—even if she wasn’t thrilled that I had deleted my Facebook account the same day I’d set it up. I appeased her further by also agreeing to set up a Twitter account for my sleuth and Pinterest pages to promote my books and the blog.
The blog has evolved over the past twelve years. I used to post five days a week but cut back to three a few years ago. I also used to have guests only on Fridays. Now I have as many guests as would like to come for a visit. This not only saves me time, but it’s a way of highlighting and networking with other authors, some of whom have become good friends over the years.
To be honest, I rarely post anything on Twitter. When I do, it’s book or writing-related, never personal or political. I usually forget to update my Pinterest pages. However, I’ve discovered that I do enjoy blogging. Along with Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers, I belong to two group blogs—The Stiletto Gang, where I blog on the fourth Wednesday of each month and Booklover’s Bench, where I blog every seventh Thursday. I also do guest posts at other authors’ blogs, such as this one I’m doing for George.
Social media has since grown to include Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and more. I won’t be joining any of them. Some people have said not being on all these sites adversely impacts the sales of my books. Maybe they’re right. Maybe I’d sell a few dozen more books a month if I spent hours each day on social media. But then, when would I have time to write my books?
Life is a series of choices, and we each must choose what we feel is right for us. I’d rather write my books than scroll down the rabbit hole of social media. What about you? How do you feel about social media? Post a comment for a chance to win an audiobook of Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun (US or UK only), the first book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series.
Guilty as Framed – An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 11
When an elderly man shows up at the home of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack, she’s drawn into the unsolved mystery of the greatest art heist in history.
Boston mob boss Cormac Murphy has recently been released from prison. He doesn’t believe Anastasia’s assertion that the man he’s looking for doesn’t live at her address and attempts to muscle his way into her home. His efforts are thwarted by Anastasia’s fiancé Zack Barnes.
A week later, a stolen SUV containing a dead body appears in Anastasia’s driveway. Anastasia believes Murphy is sending her a message. It’s only the first in a series of alarming incidents, including a mugging, a break-in, another murder, and the discovery of a cache of jewelry and an etching from the largest museum burglary in history.
But will Anastasia solve the mystery behind these shocking events before she falls victim to a couple of desperate thugs who will stop at nothing to get what they want?
Buy Links
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Kindle: https://amzn.to/3tLnT3d
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/guilty-as-framed
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/guilty-as-framed/id6442846272
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/guilty-as-framed-lois-winston/1141500980?ean=2940185728703
George, thanks again for inviting me to visit today.
Thanks for dropping by. I am flabbergasted that you use to post five a week. I do two, and it’s all I can do to keep up. Your posts inspire me to keep trying.
Thanks for helping me in the early stages when I used some of your copyrighted content. You were gracious and forgiving. I continue to learn from you.
I, too, dumped Facebook after a short time. At the time, MWA recommended everyone be on Facebook. After a few weeks of seeing nothing worthwhile, I was done. The whole thing struck me as stupid. My wife still has an account. She communicates with our relatives and her Barbara Pym group.
Jim, I hope your wife doesn’t post anything personal on FB. It’s amazing how many people do so and wind up regretting it. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Lois, I share your loathing of Facebook and most social media. Much of it is not really social, it’s isolating and creepy. And what is with people thinking that everyone wants to follow everything that they do? Gee, check out this photo of the croissant that I enjoyed this morning. Now check out the giant margarita that I had with dinner.
I do enjoy some blogs, including yours and George’s. Keep up the great work.
Thanks, Melinda. So glad you like my blog. I completely agree with you regarding people who think everyone in the world wants to see what they’re eating for each meal. You can’t go to a restaurant these days without half the diners constantly taking photos of every course brought to the table!
Excellent advice about the perils of social media, Lois. I’m glad you settled into the blog and that it suits your purposes. Best of luck with your new one. It sounds fascinating.
Thanks, Michael!
I found a link to your blog via Sisters in Crime. I was curious what got you started blogging. (I’m an ex-blogger myself and I wrote about topics that didn’t genuinely interest me. So, I was glad to see the last of my blog a few years ago.) But when I read your blog’s origin story, I thought, “BRILLIANT!” What an exciting idea and what a great way to engage with your readers. Thank you for sharing! (BTW, I read the opening to your latest book – love that scene!)
Thanks so much, Judith! Glad you enjoyed the scene. I hope enough to read the rest of the book! ;-D
Lois, I used to blog about family memoirs with a hint of humor. After I switched to writing fiction, I corraled my straying characters into being my guests. They now provide a peek into my yet-to-be-published crime fiction novel with their humorous twists.
Great idea, Violet! Some of my characters have done many guest posts for other authors, and I occasionally guest on my own (or should I say Anastasia’s?) blog.
Such a wonderful post! I regret getting on social media but I do love keeping up with old classmates. Still…those “men in uniform” are plentiful and seem to multiply daily. You were smart, Lois!
Jessica, we all have to decide where we want to spend our time. For me, there are other ways to keep up with people.
Such an enlightening discussion. I blog once a month, and it’s stuff I find interesting such as odd facts about living in Mexico. But no one else finds it interesting, it seems. I also post about writer’s block which I seem to have permanently. I’ll keep searching for something that works. Thanks again for the story.
Thanks for stopping by, Candy. I hope you find a blogging topic that works for you, but one thing you might consider is blogging more often. Once a week instead of once a month might make readers remember to stop by to check out your blog more often, especially if you consistently blog on the same day of the week. Of course, that’s a lot more work and time invested. So you have to decide if it’s worth it to you. Good luck!
The winner of the free audiobook of Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun is Melinda Abraham. Melinda, I’ve sent you a private email. Please contact me if you didn’t receive it.