The blog and I have been on a four month sabbatical but we’ll be back very soon.

The break has given me pause for thought about how I want to proceed. My reasons for blogging have changed since I began almost four years ago.

At the beginning of 2010 I had just published my first novel. The word on Author Street was that a blog was essential for publicising myself and my writing. So I followed a self-compiled ‘Blogging for Dummies’ course, took a look at how some other folks did it, researched various blog hosting sites and plumped for WordPress – it’s simply the best.

It’s been not so much a steep learning curve as a vertical learning cliff.

I’ve posted almost every week until this break. I’ve blogged not just about writing but on lots of topics. I’ve done book reviews, interviews and had several guest bloggers. I’ve gathered followers and some have been kind enough to leave comments.

Recently I’ve been reading WordPress’s excellent tutorial posts on everything from how to attract readers to your blog, how to optimise your profile on search engines and how to customise your site – to name but a few.

And now I’m ready for a fresh approach. Out with the old…

So there’s a new look, a new name and a different format for the blog.

I’m going over to a magazine look and feel. I intend to publish monthly on the first Sunday of each month. Each ‘issue’ will contain posts on different topics. There will be both short and essay length items. Subjects will range through the personal, the political, the natural world, reviews, writing tips, and updates on my own writing projects. And I still plan to have guest items and interviews.

All my previous posts will still be there and I’ll probably reblog some of the most popular ones from time to time.

I hope all my loyal readers will approve and will continue to visit and I look forward to welcoming some new visitors. Thanks to everyone who has ever dropped in and I hope you like what I’ve done with the place…

Inaugural post will be Sunday 3rd November.

Come along, dress informal and BYOB.