Authors are the masters of language, but most are not on the Web. Many authors do not emphasize on having a strong web presence, usually falling back on static sites that lack design and optimized navigation. But times are changing and as more and more modern authors hit the big time, many of them are starting to realize the importance of that having a nicely designed, interactive (and really cool) site.

The Internet space offers great opportunities for bestselling authors to become close to their readers, to tell them more about their life, their aspirations, their books and their plans for the future. It is also a great place to gain feedback and appreciation from their loyal readers. And what better way is there for fans to indulge further into the fantasy world that these writers have created in the pages of their writing.

We take a look at the websites from 10 great authors to illustrate this point. Do click into their pages to check what other surprises they have in store for fans.

Recommended Reading: Showcase of Beautiful WordPress-Powered Websites

1. Dan Brown “The Da Vinci Code”

Dan brown’s website meets you with the Mona Lisa painting, a reflection of the genre of his books. Navigating through the site is an experience by itself as the designer utilized parallax scrolling with well-fitted bits and pieces from the book The Da Vinci Code to make visitors stay and explore.

2. J. K. Rowling “Harry Potter”

Always an agent of change, J.K. Rowling’s own website is very different from most you have come across. Take a journey through the site’s timeline to go back to where it all started, live though all the tiny stepping stones Rowling stepped upon to get to where she is today. The eye-candy clean style design and convenient navigation were a sure bonus.

3. Haruki Murakami “1Q84″

Murakami’s interactive website features a background that moves with your cursor and fits all its pages inside a moon. A simple and effectively designed site that illustrates the author’s fascination with his story elements and atmosphere.

4. EL James “Fifty Shades of Grey”

The landing page of EL James’s site is full of passion words and hidden desires, like those from her books. Just move the mouse like a flashlight in a dark room to illuminate all the secrets. Press the button to enter and peep into the world of Erika Mitchell James.

5. Rachael King “Magpie Hall”

Rachael King’s book touches on tatoos and taxidermy, secrets and relationships, part of which you can clearly see in the site’s design. Navigation is kept simple but if you want more from Rachael King, there is a link to her blog which exudes more of her personality.

6. Amy Krouse Rosenthal, a series of children’s books

Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a children’s author, so her website is funny and cheerful. The umbrella changes form when you pick the ambience of the site: rainy, sunny or windy. And you can even pick a background atmosphere to explore the site in: raindrops, waves or a very relaxing tune. Explore the world of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and the quirkiness behind this ‘ordinary’ author.

7. Carlos Ruiz Zafón “The Shadow of the Wind”

Acclaimed Spanish author of the series that revolve around the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Carlos Ruiz Zafón has a few sites to his name, including this one which is in Spanish. Click here to start exploring or here to have a look at his masterpieces that have been translated in over 40 countries.

8. Lauren Weisberger “The Devil Wears Prada”

Here’s a classy fashion-driven, shoe-stopping landing page of the author to The Devil Wears Prada. Each shoe corresponds and fits the style of each romantic novel by Lauren Weisberger. Mouse over each shoe to reveal their personality.

9. Teri Coyne "The Last Bridge"

The website opens with a sentimental video as an introduction to Teri Coyne’s novel “The Last Bridge”. It seeks to intrigue and asks visitors to read the book. Navigation is based on objects sprawled out all over a dinner table, which sets the stage for the story. Notes and letters throughout the site are yellowed from age and negligence, reminiscent of a time of war.

10. Chris Van Allsburg "The Polar Express"

Chris Van Allsburg’s site is a cool Flash game. Don’t be surprised, but you can follow a dog which is a guide with funny accent to use the site. Click chaotically on different things you see in the window to watch their reactions.

Want More?

Here are 7 more out-of-the-ordinary author sites that exude personality, style and attitude.

Cassandra Clare “City of Bones”

A menu with cursive, handwritten fonts and a bookshelf on the background in a candle-lit library, doesn’t this feel like that special place you want to stay in and just read forever? Aspiring authors can also find a section dedicated to writing advice for beginners. It’s a nice way to connect with readers.

Nicole Krauss “The History of Love”

It’s all in the presentation (I guess). A piano is lifted up beyong the somewhat towering skyscraper, serving as a preloader for the Flash animation that follows and ends quickly. The style reminds you of a Great Gatsby feel and everything is kept simple and unintrusive.

Nicci French “Killing Me Softly”

Nicci French is a world’s leading crime fiction writer, but she’s actually made up of two writers: Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. On French’s site, we get to step into the currently developing world of Frieda Klein, their latest crime-solving character.

Lauren Oliver "Delirium"

Lauren Oliver’s world where love is considered as a disease falls back on the use of a dark and scary forest as a background for her website. Her series of books are chiselled into the bark of the trees and the site header depicts her writing with her typewriter in the same dark forest. So that’s where she meets her muse.

Jonathan Safran Foer "Eating Animals"

New Jonathan Safran Foer’s book “Eating Animals” is represented with minimalist illustrations, hairy cutlery and equally hairy title.

Ian Fleming, the "James Bond" novels

The perfect suit is a main component of James Bond’s style, is it not? So, Ian Fleming appears in an amazing black suit and a bow-tie on his site.

Antoine de Saint Exupery "The Little Prince"

The most straightforward and accurate information about the life of the man who wrote “The Little Prince” can be found on this site. Black-and-white photos and bright pink buttons go perfectly as both the past and present intertwine.

What do you think of when you see sunrays? Sunrays are those mysterious yet beautiful streams of lights that break through heavy clouds or through the canopy layer of a dark forest, showering hope on the ground it lands on.

A wonderful sight like that can easily make you feel relaxed; other times, it seems to bring a glimmer of hope that there will be better days ahead if we could just wait, patiently.

For some of us it’s also about being at the right place, at the right time. If you don’t have that kind of luck, just make do with these wallpapers of sunrays at the break of dawn, near sunset or even underwater. Enjoy!

Read Also: 40+ Absolutely Beautiful Nature Wallpapers For Your Desktop

Trees. Available in 1680×1050.

Forest Dusk. Available in 1920×1080.

Beautiful Forest. Available in 2560×1900.

Nature Wallpaper. Available in 1920×1080.

Lights In The Forest. Available in 1680×1050.

Morning Sunrise. Available in 1920×1200.

Alley Road Green. Available in 2560×1024.

Early Autumn Morning. Available in various sizes.

Sun Rays On Trees Wide. Available in 1920×1200.

Forest Path. Available in 2560×1700.

Lake. Available in 1600×1200.

Through The Clouds. Available in 1920×1200.

Dusk Landscape Fog Forest. Available in 1920×1200.

Trees SHining In The Morning. Available in 1440×900.

Dusk. Available in 1920×1200.

Ocean Rays. Available in various sizes.

Summer Morning. Available in 2716×1810.

Sun Shining Through The Forest. Available in 1920×1200.

Lighted Forest Road. Available in 2560×160.

Forest Sunburst. Available in 1920×1080.

Recently we posted a 10 WhatsApp Alternatives For Your Smartphone post which featured Viber at the top of the list. The great thing about these messaging apps is that they rely on Internet connection instead of your carrier service, so calls can be made for free and across all supported platforms. Viber now has taken it a step further by extending the service to desktop. And it is still free.

Viber Desktop is a new update to the Viber app, which allows you to now make video or voice calls across multiple platforms. We’ve given the new app update a run to see what Viber has in store and you may be surprised with some of the new features introduced. Note that to be able to enjoy the new features Viber Desktop has to offer, users need to update their Viber smartphone app to version 3.0.

Download or update your app via the following links.

• Android
• iOS
• Windows
• Symbian
• Blackberry
• Bada

Sync to Desktop App

To start, first download and install Viber onto your computer. Run Viber. Viber will ask if you have installed the Viber app for smartphone (Android | iOS) on your phone.

If you have, you can sync your contacts and chat history to the desktop version. Click ‘Yes’ when prompted. Punch in your mobile phone number. To change your country code, just click on the ‘Flag’ icon.

After entering your mobile number, Viber will send a 4-digit verification code to your mobile device to verify that you own the number. Enter the code to verfiy this.

Viber will then load, and all your Viber contacts will sync up in the desktop version of Viber.

Making A Video Call on Viber Desktop

On the ‘Contact’ tab, by clicking on a contact you’ll be able to view your chat history with them.You can call them or have a video call by just clicking on ‘Call’ or ‘Video’.

Note that for Video call, it is currently still in beta, and you’ll need a webcam to use it.

When you use it for the first time, the video feed needs to be turned on. To show your video feed to your friend, just click the video icon (second from left) inside your window.

If you are making the call from desktop to a smartphone you will not have a video feed. It will just be a regular call.

Transfer Calls Between Devices

One fun thing you can have with this Viber update is you can seamlessly transfer calls between one device and another. This means if you are entertaining a video call on your desktop, you can transfer it to your smartphone without hanging up and making another call.

To do this, in the middle of the call, tap on the ‘Transfer call’ button to the right of the red ‘hang up’ icon (see below).

The device the call is transferred to will start ringing and you can pick up the call from there.

Send Location

Another handy feature you can use on Viber is the ability to send your location. To do this, just send a ‘Location Message’. The receiver can then open up the link which shows your location in Google Maps.

Limitations

We’ve also found a few limitations.

1. So far, the app does not support multiple conference. When you are in the middle of a call, you cannot receive another call. The caller will see you as ‘Busy’ and you will receive a ’1 Missed Call’ notification from the caller.

2. While you can have video call on the desktop app, you cannot however, add contacts via the desktop app. Contacts can be added via the smartphone app and then synced over to the desktop app, hence this isn’t a big problem.

3. If you fancy using stickers or emoticons in your text messages, then you might want to go back to your regular messaging app rather than try this one one out.