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It's Blog’s 5th Birthday


This month my blog is 5 years old.




It seems like only yesterday my toddler was a squalling babe in arms. The exact moment of conception can be pinpointed to when I stepped into the upstairs room of a former chandelier shop on Tower Bridge Road. I believe the insemination date can be pinned down precisely to the first Saturday of April 2013. What pray tell was I doing in the upstairs room of a former chandelier shop? I was there to do an Emily Benet blogging course naturally.


You can stop looking so pleased
with yourself Emily, you devious
woman you.
 My marvellous friend Sydney Blake was meant to be there you see. Unfortunately a family crisis prevented her from attending. So I went in her place, just to take notes and eventually feedback on the ins and outs of what it takes to put a blog together.  But silver tongued Emily Benet made this blogging business all so very enticing. How could I possibly resist the allure of it?  Before I knew where I was, a seed had been planted in what turned out to be very fertile mind muck and much was now germinating. 



The blog’s first year and a bit was a ramble through the jungle of my erratic mind.  Together, the blog and I cantered through my fantasy landscape of Faetaera where one of my favourite creations, Sprax, resides.  We celebrated our first Christmas, interviewed writers and tried to understand Avoiditis Scriptoris (writer’s block to the average human being).


Sarah Pennock


As my blog-baby turned 2, I embarked on an incredible project with my artist friend Sarah Pennock and was so enthralled by how her drawings brought my words to life that the blog and I felt compelled to share them with the world in general. So we did.




By our second Christmas we had interviewed several people - including poets, shared tons of Sarah’s artwork with our readers, tried to make people understand the complex process of gift giving and had reminded our adoring public that we were not the Scrooges people made us out to be. Unlike the Queen, we were experiencing that almost extinct and rarely seen beast, Annus Fantasticus.


Shortly after toddler-blog’s 3rd birthday she began to display the tantrums so common in this age group. There was a soap box rant and grumbles about things not favoured. On my part attempts at discipline were made. A naughty step procedure was implemented and thoughts of calling Super Nanny in for extra assistance but suddenly social media was waving a red flag in our direction. A diversionary tactic was successfully employed.



By the time toddler-blog turned 4 she was becoming vocal about local.  She helped me tell the world why I love living in Herne Hill. Then she joined my cause in highlighting the shockingly short-sighted view Lambeth Council has towards Carnegie Library and libraries in Lambeth in general. It was shame on Lambeth all round and still is.



Our audience, which was initially based mainly in the UK with a few friends and family in Canada and Australia, has now moved into the US and beyond. We now average 1000 Pageviews a month. This is small potatoes in the world of blogging but I am nonetheless enormously proud of how far we’ve come since we started out at a modest 300 views a month.

To celebrate blog's 5th birthday I'm giving away FREE e-copies of Book 1 in my YA Science Fiction series. This offer is limited to 5 days from 10 - 14 April. So don't miss out.



My, toddler-blog has certainly grown. Together we’re looking forward to birthday number 6 and all the other birthdays after that. Together we’re maturing and finding out where we sit in the world.
Thank you Sydney, thank you Emily, thank you all my guest bloggers. And finally, thank you toddler-blog for letting me find my voice.




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Comments

  1. Lindsay12 April 2017 at 07:36

    Happy Blog Birthday. (That Emily has lots to answer for!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rae Stoltenkamp12 April 2017 at 08:44

      The Blog thanks you. (That Emily certainly has!)

      Delete

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