Recently I updated my ‘author photo’ and, dear readers, it must be said that it took quite a bit of my time and thought. After reading a lot of articles about author photos and reviewing photos of many of my favorite authors, I decided to hire a pro which was a big step and a decision that I felt most comfortable with.

After that though, there were still many decisions to make – mostly focused on what I wanted the image to convey. The biggest issue that I spent the most time on was determining whether or not to smile in the photo or not.

Was I less of an artist if I smiled? Did it mean that I wasn’t serious about writing? Would my fashion choices last a few years or age the photo too quickly? I’ll spare you the many other running questions and concerns that I considered, but you get the idea.

In the end, after quite a lot of research and various polls of my very patient friends, I opted for the smiling photo. What tipped me over to that decision? In the end, I decided that writing is something that I enjoy, which made me happy, and the old quote of ‘smile and the world smiles with you’ probably was worth going along with. 🙂

That I’ve also spent a lot of time in the orthodontist’s chair also helped tip the balance…

I hope this is helpful for other fellow authors and artists, perhaps even starting a new trend where we see more smiles in bios than serious looks. Either way, I hope you all celebrate your own true beauty, and, many thanks to both my photographer and my orthodontist. All the best to you and yours, and please, don’t forget to smile!