I have been blogging for one year now. Today is my blogs birthday! Last year, the night before my birthday was the winter solstice and it felt like a night to make changes. I was frustrated with my writing career and had just been moved by my publisher from an 18 month contract to a 3 year contract meaning that they may not publish my book until 2014. Part of me wanted to give up and another part of me just wanted to write about something I loved and enjoy it and not worry about publishing houses or agents or anything else. So I picked something I loved, ghost stories, and began writing everyday, well, almost everyday. I fell in love with writing all over again and fell even more in love with ghosts and hauntings and old buildings that creep and moan and speak of forgotten histories rich with tragedy. Blogging was wonderful!
I was helped along the way by other bloggers who found my blog and encouraged me to keep writing. Courtney Mroch from Haunt Jaunts was and is amazing. Her blog inspires me every day. Autumn Forest of Ghost Hunting Theories was also there with ideas and inspiration from the very beginning. And what have I gained from my year in blogging?
* I have posted 299 posts of ghosts, hauntings, and all things dark and beautiful
* I have met numerous other bloggers, artists, and ghost hunters and found a world of wonder that I have enjoyed exploring
* I got to travel all over the country and go to some amazing places looking for wonderful stories.
* I was invited by a publisher to write a book based on my blog and it was published this year
* I am working on my second book that will come out next year
* I have a column in the Valley Planet and I can write even more ghost stories there!
* I have learned that sometimes if you just do what you love everything else will follow.
If you had told me a year ago that I would gain all these things just by sitting down almost every day and writing I wouldn't have believed you. It has been a wonderful year filled with travel, hauntings, and fun and I accomplished all this in one year of blogging and I owe it to all of my readers and those other bloggers who have helped me on the way. So, in order to give back to my blogging friends, I will be giving away 2 Barnes and Noble Gift Cards for $25 dollars on my birthday, tomorrow. Spread the word. All you have to do is comment below and twitter or facebook about this post to enter to win! Thank you all for a wonderful year of blogging, it has been an amazing year.
I also made a promise to the Mobile Rape Crisis Center 6 months ago that when by book came out I would give them five cents for every follower I gained on twitter. Well, I am now on a three year contract with my publisher, but since I've had a wonderful year with blogging I'm celebrating by doing that now. I have 2,800 followers on twitter today and I'm writing a check. I learned from Courtney Mroch from Haunt Jaunts who gave to the Leukemia Society on her 1 year anniversary that the best way to celebrate is to give back. So I'm giving back to victims and I'm giving back to my readers.
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