One Year Blogiversary Giveaway

Do you remember that one scene from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast where Cogsworth goes totally bananas at the end of this hugely elaborate musical number and begins to dance like he’s attempting The Git Up Challenge or something? (When you think about it, this should be listed as one of the Top 10 Greatest Feats From The Last Century since he is a clock and all. It’s not easy to move your hips like that when you don’t actually have any hips…but THAT’S WHAT MAGIC IS FOR, AMIRITE?)  In any case, Dancing Queen Cogsworth™ is a pretty apt description of how I’m feeling right now.

Why is that, might you ask? Well – sit down, pull up a chair (not exactly in that order), and let me tell you. It’s because…*pause for maximum dramatic effect which really isn’t that dramatic since the reason is right there in the title of this post* … It’s my ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY!

Looking Back

Time is a funny thing – the days seem long, the weeks are longer, and yet (in a supreme anomaly) the months go by as quickly as The Flash and Superman combined. It’s like time is being zapped away from my memory with a Men in Black Flashy-Thing because I can’t believe that my precious baby is already turning one this week! 

When I was still a baby blogger, I guest posted on the lovely Lara Kareem’s blog, Naija Book Bae. In this interview, Lara asked me a pretty insightful question: What is your long-term goal/plan for your blog? My answer was this:

“To stick with it. I have started a number of blogs, mostly personal but some for my writing, over the years. However, I am the kind of person who loses interest in something easily and quickly once the shininess of it wears off. So those blogs are now who-knows-where, drifting out in the middle of the interweb sea, gaining dust and growing old. But I want to stick with this blog for at least a year, and see where things are then. It will be a really big accomplishment for me if I make it that far.”

Guys, hail the conquering hero because guess what? I MADE IT THAT FAR! Waffles for everyone!

Highlights and Statistics

During my first year of blogging on Novels & Waffles, I…

• interviewed some really amazing illustrators in an attempt to give more recognition to the artists behind our favorite book covers
• participated in five blog tours
• hosted the Blogiful Blog Design Week with Tracy from Truffle’s Literary Wonders
• (kind of unintentionally) created the hashtag, #thenewadultrevolution on Twitter
• opened my own little blog design shop (which has been more successful than I ever imagined it would be)
• joined the Year of the Asian Reading Challenge
• guest posted on Reader Voracious, Drizzle & Hurricane Reads, and Read by Tiffany
• went self-hosted
• was nominated for Best Aesthetic AND Best Personality in the The Third Annual 2019 Book Blogger Awards
• launched The Bibliosmile Project – a feature that aims to spotlight how books (+ the bookish community), has brought smiles, happiness, and positivity into our lives

Thank You A Waffle Lot!

Looking over all the things I’ve accomplished this past year, it really makes me emotional because NONE of it would have been possible without YOU. When I first joined the book blogging community, I had no idea how incredibly supportive everyone was going to be! I had no idea that I would make so many new friends, be given so many amazing opportunities, or receive so much encouragement from people I’ve never even met in real life! As an extremely lonely young mother who was living in the Middle-of-Nowhere Japan at the time, forging these connections and creating these friendships saved me from the dark recesses of my own mind in a very real way.

So, I just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to every single one of you who has taken the time to stop by my blog, to like a tweet, to comment on my Instagram, to commission a design, or to share a kind word. Basically, thank you for being the amazing community that you are! Novels & Waffles wouldn’t exist without you!

The Giveaway

To showcase my eternal gratitude, I’ve decided to host a waffley fantabulous giveaway! Giveaways are kind of like cake; everybody loves cake, and everybody loves giveaways! I mean, who wouldn’t want a chance to win FREE THINGS??? I know I would.

One lucky winner will get the chance to win a Complete Blog Design Makeover from yours truly and two runners-up will receive a 10% off coupon for my design store, Waffley Cute Designs. 

The Complete Blog Design Makeover includes: A blog header, a blog button, customized social media buttons, a post signature, and two different post dividers (a $90 USD value…ALL FOR FREE). 

The Rules:

• Must be 18+ to enter, or have a parent’s consent.
• Must be following my blog, Novels & Waffles.
• Winners must respond within 48 hours, or else I will pick another winner.
• Giveaway ends on 11:59 PM JST on August 30th, 2019.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How long have you been blogging?

What are some highlights from your blogging career?

Have you heard of and/or tried the The Git Up Challenge?