Friday, October 28, 2011

Happy Blog-Day to Me!

Cake for everyone! Um, where'd it go?
One year ago, on October 28, 2010, I broke down and started a blog. Everybody was doing it, and I was close enough to the end of my very first WIP that I figured it was a good time to establish an online presence.

My awesome sister-in-law, Paula Weeks, took my pictures and made me look better than I thought I could.

My friend Devoney needed a website design project for school, and graced me with her talent.

Then I just had to think of some stuff to say.

Turns out, blogging can be fun--and not just because I get to display my mental vomit for the world to see. It's so much easier to get to know friends when you have a home to invite them to! It helps me feel like a real online person, rather than just a ghost, flitting around, looking at everyone else's stuff. Mostly, it helps me join contests, blogfests, blog chains, and other awesome community activities that just aren't possible for the blog-less.

Also, so much fun to collect followers. Just sayin.

So, as a present to my awesome followers, I'm giving away TWO $10 gift cards to either Barnes & Noble or Amazon by random drawing.

Easy requirements to earn one entry:

  1. Comment on this post (Hi!)
  2. Leave your ee-mail address (you can't win if I can't find you)
  3. Total your points for me (dammit, Jim, I'm a lawyer, not a mathematician)

You can win up to 3 extra entries (total of 4 possible):

  1. 1 entry for following my blog (new followers welcome!)
  2. 1 entry for tweeting/facebooking/G+ing and/or blogging about the contest
  3. 1 entry for answering one or more of the following questions:
    1. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
    2. What is your favorite thing about MY blog?
    3. What would you like to see more of on my blog?
    4. What is the best book you've read this year?
    5. Which book are you looking forward to reading as soon as it comes out?
Contest will run through November 4th at 5:00 PM MDT.

Thanks for a great year, everyone!!

21 comments:

  1. Congrats on blogging for a year! :D :D :D I'll answer a few questions. ;)

    *What is your favorite thing about blogging? I love meeting new friends. That's really the biggest reason. :)
    *What is your favorite thing about MY blog? I love how honest you are, you're hilarious, and you have such good advice.
    *What would you like to see more of on my blog? I don't know? I think you're doing a great job as it is. But I'd love to see you post more! ;)
    *What is the best book you've read this year? Divergent by Veronica Roth. And The Pirate Ruse by Marcia Lynn McClure was awesome because it had a pirate and a love story. ;)
    *Which book are you looking forward to reading as soon as it comes out? Everneath! :D

    3 points!:D

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  2. Congrats!!! Two points for me. Best book I've read this year was A Storm of Swords (George RR Martin) or The Fifth Witness (Michael Connelly -- I recommend it, lawyer-friend) and the book I'm most looking forward to is Everneath. :)

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  3. Happy Blogiversary!

    I love that your blog is easy to read. I don't have to force my eyes at all to get past some weird looking text. :)

    So, I guess that's two points for me. :)

    my email: cassiemcook@hotmail.com

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  4. One year? So fun :)

    I love the advice you give on your blog. You are so smart--but you're a lawyer so I shouldn't be surprised. Best book this year: Far from You by Lisa Schroeder--cried like a baby!

    Longtime follower so 2 points for me :)
    dangelinacothran@gmail.com

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  5. LaoChantele: Thanks! I'm considering blogging 3x/wk.... *is scared*

    Tina: thank-ee! :)

    Ru: you still read law novels? Don'tcha get enough at work? Also, that's 3 for you. Comment + follow + question. Yes, I know you're a lawyer, too. If we were good at math we'd be tax attorneys. And I'll forgive your lack of email, since I already know it. ;)

    Cassie: Totally Devoney's doing. And 3 for you: comment + follow + question. Are you a lawyer, too? :D

    Angela: crying is good in small doses.... ;) 3 for you, too. Comment + follow + question.

    I'm thinking my entry calculation explanation wasn't so clear....

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  6. Happy Blogoversary!

    I shan't enter your giveaway as I'm in the UK, but to answer your questions:

    What is your favorite thing about blogging?

    ~The things I've learned from other people's blogs and knowing I'm not alone on the journey to becoming an author.

    ~What is your favorite thing about MY blog?

    Great layout and informative posts. You're a really helpful blogger!

    ~What would you like to see more of on my blog?

    Unflattering photos? I JEST!

    ~What is the best book you've read this year?

    Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy. Breathtakingly original.

    ~Which book are you looking forward to reading as soon as it comes out?

    Charlie Higson's next book in his zombie series. It's awesome.

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  7. Hi Robin! Happy blog-o-versary.
    The most anticipated book of next year would have to be yours. When are you announcing it?
    4 points,
    :-)

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  8. Miss Cole: glad you enjoyed my nose dot! ;)

    LC: Awww! Best. Comment. Ever. :D Thanks!

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  9. Congrats and Happy Blog Birthday.

    mjlnmorris@gmail.com

    My favorite thing about blogging, is meeting people and hearing all the crazy stuff they do. And I have 4 points.

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  10. So, the last thing on Earth I need is more books, but who can argue with a free gift card, right? Right.

    Best book I've read this year? Hm, I hate choosing just ONE favorite, so I'll give you two: ASHES by Ilsa J. Bick and BRUISER by Neal Shusterman. Then there's 8TH GRADE SUPERZERO by Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich, CIRCLE OF SECRETS by Kimberley Griffiths Little ... and the list goes on.

    I'm going to go Tweet right now, so, let's see, I think that's 3 entries for me. Yay!

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  11. happy blog day to you! yeah!
    1) fave thing is how great everyone is here!
    2) you're fun & informative =)
    3) ???
    4) Hunger Games trilogy
    5) Everneath by Brodi Ashton

    have a great wknd!

    2 pts for me =)

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  12. How fun. My writing blog just kind of took over my personal blog, so I moved all the writing posts and put them into the new, dedicated blog.

    *sniff*

    I'm kind of like an orphan child who doesn't even know when her birthday is.

    Happy B-Birthday, Robin!

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  13. Jenny: Thanks! I also love how blogging is such a convenient way to indulge in voyeurism. :)

    Susan--um, you're following me, too, right? Comment + Follow + Question + Tweet = 4. I know YOU'RE not a lawyer! :) Also, you can never have too many books.

    Tara: I could have sworn you were a follower, and thus deserving of 3 points! EVERNEATH is a great choice!

    Donna: You should choose a birthday! :)

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  14. Um, of course I follow you!

    I'll facebook anything you ask me to.

    Your WIP was easily one of my favorite books I read (The winner of this contest is chosen by random. I have no reason to kiss butt like this unless I MEAN IT!)

    I love to be able to keep up with you, what you're thinking, what you're doing, what you're reading on this blog. So keep blogging.

    So my total is 4 (katrillion) ;)
    shellybrownwriter at gmail..... but you knew that.....

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  15. Shelly: okay, yours is my new favorite comment. :D

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  16. Awww. Happy blog day!!

    You've come a long way, BABEE. Heh

    I'm not here for the contest, just wanted to congratulate you on your blog birthday. BTW, I'm the same way w/numbers. I work in words, yo! :)

    Great contest!

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  17. Other then look at your blog, and a few other peoples blogs, I don't blog myself.

    As far as you blog I keep coming back because I like your discussions about writing and things that you need to do in order to get published.

    To me, my favorite blog of yours was about the em-dash because I did not know what it was, how to use it, and that it was even an option to use. Of course, I never studied English beyond what I had to in school so subjects like that, or on how to write are what interest me.

    Most of the time I am reading books I already own so I am re-reading old material. Probably the best new thing that I have read this year is the Lay's of Berriland. It was written by JRR Tolkien's son Christopher and contained Tolkien's poems about some of the major stories of the First Age of middle earth.

    As far as new material, I am not looking forward to any new book coming out because I haven't been reading new material lately.

    So, that total's 2 points.

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  18. Of course my e-mail address is mortense@yahoo.com

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  19. LOL - I'm also not a math whiz. Obviously.

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  20. Thanks Anita! I appreciate you stopping by! :)

    Eric--that's three points. Comment + Follow + questions. :)

    Susan--No one is good at math, apparently. Must be my blog. :)

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