I like how it is easy to read and navigate.
Just a quick tip, you might want to set those external links to open in a new window. Adding - ||blank - after the URLs should do it. It's a great way to keep your site active in their browser while they check out the other pages.

Congrats! Always a good feeling to have a first draft done whether you jump into edits right away or put it in a drawer for later in the year.

The Silk and Steel Saga, The Chronicles of the Two Shoguns, The Kami-Born Cycle, The Five Vows

Congrats! Have you tried a tool where your manuscript is spoken out loud for you like Speechify or something similar?

I feel like more authors should take a page from the Taylor Swift playbook and take back their work's rights after establishing themselves in the industry. As storytellers we put so much creativity and work into our books only to give away ownership for a predatory 10-15%

Not to nerd out, but scientific research has established that writing by hand taps into deeper cognitive areas as well as the language part of the brain, whereas typing is more passive and muscle memory. So you are on to something!

Congrats on the second book! Good luck with the launch today! 🚀

That color palette is spot on for Little Italy without being too on the nose! Congrats and good luck with the May release!

Such a great line: "The kind that pulled me out of logic and into my instincts."

Still disheartening to see a quality book discounted 90% after years of work

Still pushing toward publication! I'm already planning a 'Director's Cut' special edition with a different Prologue and Epilogue. It's a challenge for a true story, but my research makes it doable. I got a gala-inspired playlist on my site as an extra for readers

Great idea to make the cover design of your two books complimentary to each other

Quick question: is it common for authors to pitch to smaller imprints directly, or do most still prefer working through agents?

Submitting queries is much like planting a seed. You have no idea what it's doing underground, but it's active. Then one day, you see green shoots. I tackle my anxiety in waiting for a response by creating a marketing plan: list bookstores to visit, prep social media posts in Canva, etc. Good luck!

If you enjoyed these five, I would recommend "The Art Forger" by B.A. Shapiro. It has a little bit of each of your choices in it

Navigating the language of the 1960s was my ethical dilemma. Because I was working with original interview transcripts, I felt a responsibility to stay true but couldn't bring myself to use one word. Rather I chose to portray their intent thru narration and physical cues.

I also write in meals. I feel like it gives some of my most powerful dialogue scenes when they are sharing a meal, not to mention describing regional cuisine can be some beautiful wording

Isaacson's take on Leonardo is a bit of a marathon read, but its's so worth it for its brilliance at capturing Leonardo's creativity. I believe Ken Burns actually used it as a key resource for his documentary