Hey There! Guess what? Berlin’s first snow of the Christmas season is currently falling and it’s fabulous! Well, it’s fabulous now that I’m back at home, wet shoes, socks, and pants traded in for warm and dry articles of clothing. Wet snow / heavy rain was in the forecast tomorrow and for the next several days, but I didn’t quite expect it to pour, gust wind, and actually snow today! Ill-prepared, it’s no wonder my Rocket Dogs are soaked through and just now, an hour later, my toes are finally thawed out. (Thanks to the super thick eskimo socks my Nana sent my way!)
A white Christmas is something I always dream of and, in all honesty, expect. I’m not a big snow-goer but when it’s Christmas time, whether in St. Petersburg or Costa Rica, I expect snow on Christmas Eve and day. Period. It’s just a no-brainer. It’s like honey with peanut butter when making a sandwich. They just belong together. And now that I’m living in Berlin I think it’s a safe bet to say that Christmas time could mean snow. I just hope it doesn’t get too heavy to where the train tracks get iced over and we find ourselves on a creeping train when it’s time to visit my in-laws.
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So what am I going to blog about today? It occurred to me that this new “author Blog” and website might appear a bit repetitive to some. For those who have followed my personal blog (www.savannahspage.wordpress.com) about life in Berlin for the past two years (crazy it’s been nearly two years!), you’re probably scratching your head, going, “Okay…so now she’s making another blog? Calling it the author Blog? Author Savannah Page? What’s that all about?”
I figured I’ll explain a bit. Especially since my personal Wordpress Blog hasn’t been touched in nearly two months (I know, shame on me).
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I’ve always wanted to be an author. Well, I’ve always wanted to write. And write I do! And I love it. When I moved to Berlin in 2010 with my husband, Christian, I found myself taking notice of how many odd things happen in day-to-day life in Berlin. And by odd I don’t only mean strange, but just slightly different from what I was used to back in the States. I quickly found myself taking notes on “Germanesque” things, anticipating that I’d compile a book of sorts some day about expat life in Berlin or something. This little notebook of observations began to grow quite quickly.
Expatriate books and travelogues are among my favorite book genres, and after putting down the fifth one or so of the year, a light suddenly went off and I though, “I could do this.” I had the packed notebook with my thoughts and ideas and observations, why not do what I love and just write a book?
So in the spring of 2011 I took my giant compilation of notes and, while still madly taking notes, started to order them into as much sense as I could muster. By the summer I was feverishly writing away. Writing a novel!
All the while I was writing like a mad author, I maintained my personal Blog (the WordPress one). In fact, that Blog is owed a lot of credit as it’s a huge inspiration and help to the creation of my novel, Bumped to Berlin. (Where do you think I got the title? That’s right— my ‘ol trusty personal expat Blog!)
When I wasn’t working part time blogging for wedding pros (what I do to pay the bills) this past year, I was “secretly” writing my novel (what I hope will pay all of the bills in the future). The days pretty much went: part-time work blogging wedding-ish stuff, part-time work writing a novel. And occasionally keeping up with friends, family and blog readers via my personal Blog. Basically all I do is write and blog. Haha
Then just last week I broke out my baby—my novel—and self-published an electronic version of it. It’s title: Bumped to Berlin. My dream had finally come true. I had written and finished a book that I was willing to share with the world, self-publish, and hope that it wouldn’t just fall into a written abyss. I am so very, very excited! And guess what? It'll be IN PRINT in a couple months! That makes it even more official, doesn't it?
Now where does this Blog come in? The one you’re currently reading? This “author Blog.” Currently I still have my original Blog— my personal WordPress Blog where “crazy stories from a crazy girl” are shared. That Blog hasn’t been touched since October, sadly, as it’s undergoing a makeover.
Eventually that Blog will be turned into a completely private Blog since it’s got, well, private photos and info in there. It was fine for it to originally be public to the world, but if my novel and writing career will take off as I plan (because dreams do come true!), then I don’t necessarily want millions of beloved readers of my books to know how long I spend brushing my teeth or what meal Christian and I ate on Wednesday night. And I certainly don’t want to broadcast my pitiful attempts at balcony gardening or dorky sightseeing activities via photos. In time that personal Blog will be turned into an invite- / request-invite-only kind of Blog. It’ll still be updated, at least as “often” as it has been in the past, and it’s still open to everyone who’s been reading it for the past two years. When it goes private and if you want to read it, just let me know. I’ll be happy to send an e-vite and share more personal tidbits of life for those who care to know. That Blog's been a great way to keep in touch with fam and friends; can't let that sucker go!
But now I’ve got this Blog. This “author Blog.” What’s that all about?
**Please Note: This Blog is not my book. It's its own thing. And my book is not what is on this Blog. It’s something else. It’s, well, a book. 93,500 words for you to enjoy.**
This is the book:
I worry there’s some confusion out there. Since all I do is write, and apparently blog, non-stop, I can see how this new “author Blog” and “I wrote a book!” can be a little confusing. Especially when you throw in the old WordPress Blog. Ahhh, going crazy, right?
This Blog, the “Author Blog,” or Blog at SavannahPage.com is my very public Blog for the entire world, all 5 of you out there <wink, wink> to read as you like. Since I have self-published a book and am one among many (and I mean many) indie authors out there, it’s a wise idea to have a specific go-to place online for readers of Bumped to Berlin to keep in touch with the author. To kind of share with the world, “Hey, I write. You took a chance and spent $2.99 on a no-name author’s book. You read it. You’re curious as to who on earth this indie author is and what is coming next…or maybe even wonder if I have ever written anything before. You find the Blog and you can find out when the next book is coming out. Or even catch a “From the Desk Of” creative writing piece I’ll throw up now and then. Or even more Bumped to Berlin-type short stories and anecdotes.”
The e-book world is just that—electronic—and that means keeping a Blog, even Facebook Page (HERE), and general contact email (info[at]savannahpage.com) is the world in which us indie authors live. It’s all part of the indie world. We don’t have big publishing houses and agents working for us to help get our name and books out there, so we’re the boss and manage it ourselves. Social media’s an integral part to the biz.
So this is the author Blog. The official Blog for Savannah Page, indie author. And yes, I’ve written a book, too. And no, this isn’t the book. And yes, the book is more interesting than probably anything you’ve read insofar on this Blog (yikes—guess I better spice things up a bit, right?). Now the Blog posts may seem long enough to qualify for a book (anyone who knows me well enough to receive at least an email from me knows I can write a lot). But this isn’t the book. This is the Blog. The free words. The very random words. Crazy confusion, oi oi.
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Now that that’s cleared up, (hopefully) here’s a little picture, just for fun, of where the supposed magic happens. This is my writing center—in my home office and I love it. When the weather’s nice sometimes I’ll write on the balcony, but seeing how I live in a hop, skip and a jump away from Santa’s hometown, there’s not much of that going on.
THANK YOU for reading, and thanks for following. Eventually comments will be enabled on the Blog, but for now if you want to comment or give a shout out, I’ll have to direct you to Facebook or email. Or, for those who are still following my personal Blog (thank you; you are my dear, dear original readers), feel free to drop a “hey” there. I always love hearing from everyone! And I wish all of you a snowy Christmas--at least a little bit of snow. It's just a must!
Happy Reading!
