Content Management Systems can be easy to work with. A simple blog is a no-brainer for blogger or wordpress. But the more complex the site, the more complex the issues CMS has to handle, the more quirky the system gets. While it hasn’t had an impact on the functionality of the site (as far as I can tell), the partially-working state of my CMS does impact my ability to add content. So I’m about to make an effort to fix things, which means the site might be only partly functional or may totally disappear from time to time. My hope is that the first few things I try will conain the solution and this will be a short-lived speedbump. But it’s much more likely that I won’t find a reliable solution for days. So this is the heads-up that whatever problems you may experience with the site in the near term are being addressed and should not be permanent.
And now, as Don would say…
Onward,
Pw
When I first discovered Donald Westlake, many decades ago, I thought I had found someone who was writing just for me. Every sentence was composed solely to give me pleasure. It didn't matter what anyone else might think of his efforts, he was corresponding with me and others could look over my shoulder if they chose to. I didn't mind.
I thought I had read everything Westlake wrote that was still available and, once he died, gave up searching for anything new years ago. Somehow I missed one of the Dortmunders. How could I have missed a Dortmunder???? There's no explaining it but you can't imagine my joy at discovering a new one. I've read all the others several times each. But a new one!!! It was Drowned Hopes and the best ever. Perhaps it's just my having found an overlooked treasure that makes me think that. But has there ever been a more perfect comic crime caper ever written? Scratch comic and crime. Has there ever been a more perfect comic novel ever written?
I am deeply saddened by the fact that I never wrote to Mr. Westlake personally to thank him for all the joy he has added to my life. It has been a life filled with joy and Donald Westlake contributed immensely. I hope his widow, Abby, might get to see this little note and hear once more what her husband meant to so many of us.
Chris, I collected all the nice comments on the site from the past few months and forwarded them on to Abby today. I don't know if she'll be inclined to respond but you can rest assured that she'll see your missive. Thank you. I don't think we'll be seeing any more manuscripts unearthed by long lost colleagues or emerging from the file cabinets of old publishers and agents, but there are some interesting boxes in storage. I'll be taking some time to root around the old files and see if anything shakes out. Fingers crossed!
Thanks for the wonderful comment.
All the best,
Pw
Chris,
Abby’s not big on blogging so I’ll have to her intermediary here. But she wanted you to know how much she appreciated your comment. A heartfelt thanks.
All the best,
Pw
Hey there.
I'm pretty experienced with the Drupal CMS, and would be willing to advise or help, based on my love of Westlake's work.
John, thanks so much for the offer. As you can see, I got it all sorted. It was something I needed to figure and get done on my own so I can continue to mange this site without training wheels. I thought about using Drupal for this site but opted for WordPress based on the advice from my brother-in-law, a tech head. BlueHost has been very good so far and there have been no significant problems since the reinstall. Again, thanks very much for the offer but I'm glad you can just enjoy visiting the site without having to wear your tech hat. Hope to see you around. 😉