A Fresh New Look

I just realized that this month marks the 10th anniversary of my professional writing life. In October of 2000, I got the news that a story I had written about the art of quilting in colonial America would be published by Cobblestone, a history magazine for ages 9-14. That first sale led to others, and eventually I built up a list of credits that basically served as a resume.

Since so much of the business of freelance writing takes place online—market research, interviews, submissions, collaboration with editors and other writers—I knew that eventually my resume would need to go online, too. Having a professional site allows you not only to list credits, but to show editors and other potential employers your level of commitment.
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I decided to hire a fledgling designer to create a website for me—my son, David. He actually built the whole thing from scratch, using HTML and a lot of other hocus pocus I know nothing about. The result was a unique site completely customized to my specifications. In February of 2009, CarolAGrund.com was officially launched, just in time for my first public appearance at a women’s expo. 

Not long afterward, I was contacted by an editor about writing a full-length middle grade novel. I was glad I could refer her to my website, where she could see my credits, learn a little about me, and get a sense of my writing style from the blog entries linked to the site. I can’t say that having a website got me the job, but I do know it was an important step in my transition from hobbyist to professional.

After serving me well for a year and a half, I decided that the site needed a facelift. So I went back to my favorite designer, who by this time was attending a digital media & arts school in Chicago. Once again David waved his magic wand, producing a clean, fresh design to showcase my work. Of course, what seems like magic to me actually represents a lot of instruction, hard-won experience, and many, many hours of his time. The finished product showcases his hard work and talent as well.

So without further ado, it’s my pleasure to direct you to the new and improved CarolAGrund.com. (If you already have this site in your cache, you may need to refresh to see the new version.) I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check it out, including some new features like a press page and a dedicated Anna Mei section. All feedback is appreciated, so please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any suggestions. You can also scroll down to the bottom of any page and click on David’s name to see the site for his gaming development company. One of his projects recently won an award from an online design community. Next time I need him to design a website, I will probably have to get in a very long line!