30 Days of Thanks, Nov 2013: Day 2
Welcome to Day 2 of my 30 Days of Thanks series for November! Yesterday I wrote about my family, which felt like the right place to start. Today I want to talk about something I didn’t expect to be writing about when I started this little blog a few years ago: the book blogging community.
I started Geeky Bloggers Book Blog because I wanted somewhere to dump my opinions about romance novels and nobody in my real life wanted to hear them at the volume I needed to deliver them. I figured I’d post into the void and that would be that. What I did not expect was the void answering back. And then becoming friends. And then becoming, in some real sense, a chunk of how I get through my weeks.
The book blogging community is a strange and wonderful place. We meet through TBR pile photos and review tags. We argue about ratings and tropes and which heroes are unforgivable. We DM each other when a beloved author releases a stinker, or when a debut blows us away, or when life is just hard and a friend two thousand miles away who you’ve never met in person is exactly the right person to commiserate with about a tough week.
Specifically, today, I am thankful for:
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The bloggers who taught me how to do this. The ones who emailed me back when I had no idea what an ARC was, who explained how to format a review, who included me in tours and giveaways before I had any reason to be included.
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The authors who treat us like collaborators rather than disposable marketing. There are a lot of you, and I notice, and I am grateful.
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The publishers and publicists who answer my goofy emails with patience.
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The readers and commenters who show up even when I’m posting unhinged opinions about a paranormal romance series. You’re why I keep going.
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The friends I have made through all of this who feel like real, lasting friends. You know who you are.
I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 3. Drop a comment with someone in this community you’re thankful for and I’ll go visit their blog.