Some authors have good websites, some do not. Dan Simmons has a great website. He has lots of excellent content for readers of his work (and for those who have never read him as well). His Writing Well section provides more quality info for aspiring writers than many writing books probably do (don't quote me on this, I am not a writer - but Dan can write, and has some long and in depth articles in that section which seem very useful).
Every month or two he puts up a nice long "message from Dan" which can cover almost anything, is occasionally controversial (see The Time Traveler), and is always worth looking at. His message for February/March is a good introduction to him if you do not know his work, are only aware of his work within one specific genre, or just want to read some of his thoughts on what he’s written... I have previously written about my desire to have more writers write an “On Writing” type book (something that is more “my experiences in the publishing” than “how to write”) and I want Dan Simmons to write one of those books!
The best part of his most recent February/March message is the fourth and final section down the page, "The Secret Society of Readers"... a fascinating little segment that is worth it for every "reader" to read and ponder briefly. Don't spend too much time on it or you might over think the situation (or maybe that is just me - I have never read, or even heard of, Sven Birkerts before, and now wonder if his ideas on reading are pretentious or enlightening - nonetheless, I am now bound to read The Gutenberg Elegies, probably sometime soon)... I see it as a nice little thought provoking "thank you" for readers of his work, and for reading the message, which was quite enjoyable... check it out, it is worth your time.
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