Sunday, June 15, 2014

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,

Photobucket

  *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!

53 comments :

Latochia Bell said...

Awesome giveaway!

Anita H. said...

Happy Blogversary!! Love all your interviews and reviews! Thanks for the chance to win!

KAMEBookReview said...

Awww - thanks Hon!
This has been so much fun - thank you for taking a chance on me!
Congratulations!

Pat Egan Fordyce said...

Congratulations TBQ!! I'm so happy you included me in your reviewing family here. Somehow we usually manage to read different books! LOL. Thanks again, and I love being in the company of you, Kame and Musing Maddie.

Melody May said...

Happy Blogoversary!

The_Book_Queen said...

I'm so glad to hear that! :) Here's to many more years of great books and new authors to love!


Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

Ah, thank you! :) Good luck, Anita!


Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

:D You are very welcome. Here's to many, many years of fun posts to come, right?

The_Book_Queen said...

Variety is the spice of life, right? We're just covering all the bases here! Glad to have you on the team, Pat!

The_Book_Queen said...

Thanks, my dear!: )

Irma said...

I would like to see more INT giveaways... Please.

celeste said...

Happy blogoversary!!!
I like about de blog: the reviews and de design :)

elaing8 said...

Happy blogiversary. I like all the reviews,interviews and guest posts.

Janie said...

Happy Blogoversary to TBQ. I love the reviews and discovering new authors.

Sharlene Wegner said...

Congratulations! I love the reviews for my favorite genres - historical & contemporary romance.

Erin F said...

Happy Blogoversary!!! Here's wishing you many, many more ;) Ummm... I really enjoy the author spotlights and reviews. I've found some new great authors due to your fun blog!!

Glenda said...

HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY!!!! I love all the reviews! The dual reviews are really interesting - I like getting 2 opinions on a book at the same place - from people I 'know' and trust. :-) The author interviews are great too, but the reviews are my favorite!

The_Book_Queen said...

Ah, thank you so much, we're happy to be considered trust worthy about books! More dual reviews to come, I'm sure!

The_Book_Queen said...

I'm glad; nothing beats finding a good author to enjoy!

The_Book_Queen said...

:D And we offer sooo many contemp reviews lately! We hope to hit on more historicals again soon.

The_Book_Queen said...

Thank you -- here's to discovering new authors for years to come!

The_Book_Queen said...

I love them, too. Some times they're the hardest thing to plan, but it pays off in the end!

The_Book_Queen said...

I'm planning on adding more INT giveaways, so please keep an eye out! :)

The_Book_Queen said...

Ah, thanks! I love the new design so, so much!

marypreston said...

Congratulations!!! The reviews are always great.

fangswandsfairy said...

Hi congratulations on your anniversary. I am at four years and have just a few friends who read romance. I had not hung out here before -- blogging takes up so much time I don't visit others like I should but the design and layout are very nice.

Anita Yancey said...

Congrats on your anniversary! What I like best is the fantastic reviews and the great giveaways.

MissyMonster said...

Congrats on 6 years. Here's to another 6 at least :D

The_Book_Queen said...

Thanks, hun! :) I always look forward to your comments!

The_Book_Queen said...

Thanks, Mary! :) We try are best!

The_Book_Queen said...

Four years -- woohoo! :) Trust me, I know just what you mean; some weeks I barely manage to comment on one or two blogs, other weeks, when I am caught up on my own posts (ha! that's rare . . . ) I may be able to hit a few dozen blogs.


But no matter how often, we're happy to have you here!

The_Book_Queen said...

Ah, thank you! :) We do try our best, and I have plans for more giveaways in the future!

The_Book_Queen said...

Oh, at least that! :) I figure if I've managed to stay on top of things (mostly) for six years without completely losing it, the next six should be easy, right? LOL Thanks!

Pat Egan Fordyce said...

Happy Blogversary! I'm so happy and proud to be a guest review here! Six years is a long time to talk about books! Looks like from your statistics we need a little more historical....will have to look into that...LOL. Love you TBQ, here's to more years of loving books!

Arely Z. said...

Hmm I honestly can't think of anything that you're lacking in!

The_Book_Queen said...

*blushes* Ah, your too kind! But thank you, from all of us!

The_Book_Queen said...

I know! Poor HRs, they need some more love from us. :) Thanks, hun!

alyn said...

Congratulations! I love seeing new books and meeting new and old authors.

Ada H said...

Congrats on your blogversary! This is a new blog to me but my sister recommended I check you out and so far, I haven't been disappointed by the posts I've seen! Cheers and here's to more celebrations for you! :)

Anna@herding cats&burning soup said...

Same here Danielle! There's gotta be more romance readers local but man they're hard to find. I have found a few this past year which is great but I still love all my e-romance friends. Thank goodness for the internet, right?

That's too funny about your grams starting you out. Mine I think is rather horrified with my romance book collection. lol

The_Book_Queen said...

Thank you! Love that, too!

The_Book_Queen said...

Ah, thank you -- and thanks to your sister for steering you this way! I hope you enjoy the blog and good luck!

The_Book_Queen said...

I wish there was a search engine for local romance readers! LOL. Oh, I agree, without e-romance friends, I'd go CRAZY!


Lol. She's definitely a great grandma, I admit I'm very lucky! :)

Anj Gacia said...

Happy Blogoversary! Wishing you more blogging years to come :D I love your book reviews!!

karin said...

I would love to see more book reviews

The_Book_Queen said...

Thank you so much! :)

The_Book_Queen said...

Yes, we have fallen a little short on reviews lately, but we are all working on putting more up, stay tuned!

Nicole Laverdure said...

I like your review! Nice interviews! Congrats on your blogversary! Many years to come! nlaverdure88@videotron.ca

The_Book_Queen said...

Thank you and good luck! :)

Daenielle said...

I'd to see your opinion about books that made into movies. :D
Happy many returns on your blogversary!!

Chelsea B. said...

You have great reviews, interviews, giveaways, a nice blog theme... What else can be asked for???? :-) Happy 6 year Blogoversary!

The_Book_Queen said...

Ooh, yes that is an area we are lacking in! Sadly I think many movies are a disappointment after such great books, but there are exceptions. Perhaps we'll start doing a few mini movie reviews in the future, thanks for the idea!

The_Book_Queen said...

Ah, thank you for the kind words! :) I'm happy you like it all!