Favorite Links

For Writers:

http://spannet.org This is a site for any author, whether traditionally published or self-published. The articles are particularly helpful, focussing on promotion and using the Internet for marketing.

http://thestoryplace.com This is a site for self-published authors, specializing in children's book publishing and creative writing. Again, most of the concepts work for traditionally published authors, most of whom do not get much of the promotion budget from their publishers because they tend to concentrate on their stable of stars.

http://celebratelove.com Go to this site for tips on book signings. I followed his suggestions and sold all 60 books ordered for my first book signing.

For Outdoors People:

http://outdoorwomens.com The Women's Hunting Club. This site is a great resource for the outdoors woman. There is a chat room for discussing hunting, a link to the president's personal page has suggested reading, and links to bow hunting resources. Very well done.

For Genealogists:

http://familyseach.org This is the Mormon web site, featuring the International Genealogical Index (IGI) and Ancestral File (AF). Both are good starting points for research, but THERE ARE ERRORS in the data, depending on who submitted the information and what their sources were (or weren't). Still, very good to garner clues on ancestors and their whereabouts. I use the library search and then go to my local family history center and order microfilms of actual PRIMARY SOURCES to firm up my documentation.

http://familytreemaker.com Search the family pages for your ancestors, but the same warning applies here as above. Some pages are meticulously researched and SHOW SOURCES, others use WFT info which is unreliable. Again, good for clues.

http://rootsweb.com This is the best gateway to local genealogy resources on the web. Go to your state, then county, (and sometimes towns are the third level) and post a query, view old queries, etc. Some sites include actual source records online as well.

http://ancestry.com This site has some free databases that are helpful. The family tree database I am leery of, unless the submitter has sources. I am a member and can access the full databases, which for an addict like me, works very well. Extensive resources and they add more all the time. The Images Online new section I CAN'T get to work yet, so beware of that.