Six Year Blogoversary: Kick Off + Giveaway!

Starting today (June 15th), we will be celebrating the blog's 6 year blogoversary with fun posts and giveaways. The party will end June 21st. 

Check back each day for a new post and giveaway. The daily giveaways will each last 24 hours, and all winners will be picked and announced on the 22nd! 

I will also be running a grand prize giveaway (one for US residents and one for INT readers). These giveaways can be found below, and it will run until June 21st, with the winner also being announced the following day. Good luck and have fun!

Why I Blog + The History of TBQ's Book Palace

I've covered this story before, in bits and pieces both on the blog and during a few brief interviews on other websites. But what better time to revisit it then during our SIX YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!

Let's take a moment, shall we? Six. Years. This blog has been going, with only a few brief breaks due to personal issues, for six years. 

As cliché as it may sound, I never pictured the blog going more than a year or two, and I never pictured that it would be thriving like it is. For that, I have to thank you, dear readers, and all the help I've had along the way, from fellow readers and bloggers to authors and publisher, not to mention my amazing group of co-reviewers: Kame, Musing Maddie, and Pat. Thank you!

It all started June 2008. Well, actually it started a few months before that, as I interacted with some great readers on sites like LibraryThing and GoodReads before jumping into blogging.

Like many romance readers, I'm all alone; none of my friends read romance, and while I know there must be women in my area that do (as romance novels are in the local stores and library), I've yet to actually meet or connect with any. My grandmother started my romance obsession, and while she still reads the genre, and we do share and talk about some books, there are some things that are just . . . odd to laugh about with your grandmother. Sorry, still love you, grandma, I swear! :)

So I turned to the computer, and there I found hundreds of fellow readers, many out of the state, but easily reached through Twitter, FB, GR, the blog, or good old email. It's been a blessing, and it has definitely helped to keep me sane!

I started the blog as a place to share my reviews, but I never dreamed that the blog would reach many readers, or that it would grow. My reviews were for books I owned, checked out from the library, or, occasionally, ARCs I won in giveaways. I never thought the day would come that I would be receiving books from publishers or authors.

Six years later, and I still get butterflies and goofy smiles on my face each time I get a review request, or have my review quoted or shared. It never gets old, and I never stop appreciating what I have, what I've worked so hard for.

And blogging truly is hard work. Although I suppose it all depends on how much you put into the job. I put a lot of effort and time into the blog, and I hope it shows. I don't make money off of it; I do it for the fun, for the pleasure of meeting new readers, authors, and books. I do it because this great community I've found online has helped me through some tough shit in my life, even if you don't realize it. It's my release and my passion, all rolled up in one.

Well, the blog has changed a few times over these six years. I've tweaked designs, added new posts and memes, and had two full blog redesigns done.

But at the core, things have remained the same; this is still a place for readers to visit and chat, a place to find new books and return to old favorites. A place to meet new friends or help promote a favorite author as they visit the blog. Our opinions are our own, and we're not ones to bash or start petty fights. If we don't like a book, we tell you. If something didn't work, we explain why. But we never post negative reviews. The design may change yet again in the coming years, but I promise that those things will not.

I welcomed Kame in late 2012, and Musing Maddie and Pat the following year. 

We all provide reviews, for various genres. I read a little bit of everything, from historical to erotica, YA/NA to paranormal, and even a few male/male romances lately. Kame's favorite genres are contemporary and romantic suspense, though she has done a few historicals as well. Pat also reads a little of everything. And MM has provided a ton of NA, as well as some contemporary. Between the four of us, I think we've covered almost every major romance subgenre at least once! :)

Kame has a few author interviews under her belt and Kame, Pat, and I have done more than a few fun discussions and double reviews together. 

Besides the fact that these three ladies are AWESOME, I'm also thankful that they found the blog and decided to join the fun; I've had my fair share of slow review months, and it is during those times that I am very thankful for the reviews they send in! Seriously, without these three, there would be many weeks empty of new content on the blog!

We're not the biggest blog, or the most popular. But we're happy where we are, and that is all that matters in the end.

~TheBookQueen

US ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

OPEN INT

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Remember, these are the GRAND PRIZE Giveaways, and they will end June 21st! Tomorrow will start the daily giveaways that run for only 24 hours each. Good luck!

Enjoy!

Until Next Time,



  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!