I like the idea you are going with here - the site has kind of a dark feel to it, so for the urban fantasy it could work very well once all the details are fleshed out. I also read a few of your writings briefly, and like your writing style. Hannah's Fate I actually read all the way through, and that was nicely done! I'd recommend removing the Archives widget. Study after study has suggested that no one really goes back into your archives on a website. Websites are for current content readers these days.
Ok, now on to the hard part - things I'd change. Please take these thoughts with a grain of salt as this is just one person's opinion.
It's definitely a Wordpress site, and looks to be a modified version of the Frontier theme. I have used Wordpress extensively since it first came out as a CMS for website design, and the theme selections have become almost too many to choose from. I'm not personally a fan of the block look and like things a bit more expansive. Blocked off areas are harder on the eyes of the average viewer and things feel very cramped for me with this theme. That said, if your readers
like the look then run with it. When it comes to website design in general though, it's an interesting beast - it really depends on what kind of look you're going for, and what you hope to accomplish with the site. When you think about it, normally a website serves a couple purposes:
1. A place to promote and market your own content, whether that be books, photographs, videos, or widgets.
I don't see any sort of call to action that makes me want to
do anything. Is there a download or a free preview that I can get of some of your writing (other than the text link)? Given your theme selection, not really sure you have the ability to make a "call to action" widget immediately visible and easily changeable as you publish or create new material for your readers to get/read/review.
2. A place where people can go to find out more about you and your product
You have an About Page, but no content there yet, and it looks like your Welcome landing page is what will ultimately be the About page.
Your landing page for the website should immediately capture the audience and I am looking more at the header graphic than I am the text or your cartoon picture. I'd suggest this be a short sample of one of your most popular works.
I'd definitely make sure you not only have a bio, but also I'd suggest a
real pic here - cartoon pics are nice for the social media scene, but on your website you really want a professionally taken portfolio style head shot as it's not just readers, but agents, publishers, and others that may visit here. While I am new to the writing world, from what I've read thus far both on this site and elsewhere, you essentially have to market yourself to several audiences:
a. Your readers that follow you directly
b. Agents that are interested in getting you signed
c. Editors (more on that in a minute)
While the readers may enjoy the funky artistic stuff, agents and publishers probably would be reviewing your website not just for the creative word elements, but also to get an idea of how you "run your business". Let's face it, while we all love to write, when you set up a website, essentially we are saying "I want to get paid!". So, the primary goal is to attract readership and sell your work. Does this design accomplish that? Think about it from the reader, agent, and editor perspective. Would a potential reader buy from this new layout? Where would they go to do that? I'm not getting the sense there.
Yes, you have the Contact link in your Nav bar, but it blends in with everything else, making it less visible to agents. I'd make the Contact page a widget on your sidebar rather than your Nav bar.
If I were your editor, it'd be kinda cool if I could get the latest version from you here and upload edits back to you here. Email is such a p.i.t.a. anymore. FTP or cloud file management is where it's at, and you can easily accomplish this with Wordpress!
3. A portal for your various social media outlets (are you on FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.?)
I hate being on social media, but when I was actively shooting as a wedding photographer, I spent more time on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest than I ever spent shooting or editing photos. Social media sucks, but it's through social media that you draw in new readers. I know you have SoMe accounts because I followed links to your old page and saw the links there. Don't forget to add those in on the redesign.
Okay, now getting back to the website design and layout itself, as a reader, if I were to go to your website because I liked your writing, I would like to see that right there on the landing page. I see the link to it easier on your old/present site (again, Wordpress - Suffusion theme?) I also like the other site because the header graphic and the background graphic blend well so they flow seamlessly. It's a cleaner look here, the text jumps out more for me, though on the published fiction page that sidebar goes way too long imho.
Themes that I like for writing are:
From Wordpress.org (aka free)
Clean Journal
Magazine Basic (I actually ran this theme for quite a while)
Manage Issue Based Magazine
Matata
From Woo Commerce: (Themes under $100)
Hub
Forefront
Peddlar
From ThemeForest (Themes under $50)
Payper
Literatum
ReadWrite
*****
Hope this helps, and sorry it was so long....website design, specifically Wordpress, is kind of a niche thing for me!
ETA: On Wordpress, Jetpack has a Mobile site option that basically converts your Nav menu to a pancake, or you can add a plugin for mobile platforms. This is why it's actually better to go with a responsive theme though because they will adjust the layout based on the device type in use (phone, tablet, desktop)
