Happy Blog-iversary To Me!

I'll keep this short and sweet. 

It was exactly SIX YEARS ago that I launched this picture book blog, feeling very much like I'd be writing-into-the-void, so to speak. Even so, I wanted, needed, to go on record, in a public space, about the importance of picture books in the lives of readers. I wanted to share some of the latest and greatest titles, as well as some older classics and hidden gems. 

In the process I've written many reviews, engaged in some remarkable author and illustrator interviews, and risked sharing some personal reflections with folks out in the vast web-o-sphere. 

That last process, personal reflection in a public space, is the most challenging for me. I'm a very private person. Surprisingly, those have been some of the most often viewed posts. 

Even more surprisingly, over the years this blog has published 275 posts and had nearly 150,000 discreet page views. If asked  how many views I expected when I began six years ago, I would have said, maybe, 150? Period.That's not modesty, simply the truth. There are plenty of blogs that get thousands of views per day, but I was never swimming in that cyber-pool. 
And yet some of you have found this blog, some subscribe to receive the posts as a blog-feed, and some have even shared my posts with friends. Many of you have commented on posts over the years.

Thank you all. 

Here's a virtual slice of cake to each of you!

My next post will be in a day or two, launching the start of another new blogging year. For now, though, I invite you to read my original post, here. You'll notice that I encouraged readers to engage in conversations through the comments, and that door is always open. If you are new to the blog, you may want to scroll through the archives or favorites and read some of the posts along the way. Your comments are welcome there, too. 

Finally, I urge everyone to ask yourselves what it is you want to share with the wider world. Then take a deep breath and give it a go. I was terrified to begin this blog, and knew very little about how to do it. I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I have no regrets.  I'm convinced you'll feel stronger and braver and happier if you follow your inner voice, too. 

And years from now you'll look at the calendar and marvel, marking the date when your adventure began. Good luck, and happy new year!