7th Year Blogoversary!

I seriously cannot believe it's been 7 years since I first started this blog. It really doesn't feel like it, and that's due to how much fun I have with the members of this community and how much I love doing this.

I've talked about all the fun I've had over the years in previous posts. So I'm just going to focus on stuff that happened in the past year.

I missed BEA last year but to make up for it, I went to YALLFest for the first time and absolutely loved it. I got to meet so many people and see some friends again, and had a great weekend in Charleston. I cannot wait to go again this year.

During that time, I had gone through about a month of chemotherapy treatment by the time I went to YALLFest. I was diagnosed last September with Hodgkin's lymphoma and it amazed me so much how much love, support and generosity I got from the YA blogosphere. I feel so grateful for how many people prayed for me, kept me in their thoughts, and asked me how I was doing whenever I was at a book event (and lots of hugs too, which I loved!). While I obviously had so much love and support from my friends and family, having a whole online community looking out for me too made me feel so loved and cared for, and I cannot thank you all enough.

I also had another great milestone earlier this year with the publication of my first short story in the Best Gay Romance 2014 anthology. I was extremely excited to be included, especially among so many authors I admired, and it felt like fate. I randomly came across a retweet one morning in February of last year for a call for submissions and submitted. The other funny thing is that I rarely buy gay anthologies and adult novels, but back in 2009, I actually bought the first anthology Timothy and Becky did called Fool or Love and now they were my editors for this new anthology! I've continued working on some other short stories and submitted some others, and have made some great new writing friends- Gavin Atlas, N.S. Beranek, and Bryson McCrone who have been helping me with some feedback on my stories, which I really appreciate.

Again, thank you all for following and supporting me all these years and continuing to be such wonderful friends and peers. I am constantly astonished at the amazing authors, bloggers, and publishers I get to know and be friends with.

Also, I've started doing videos again on my Youtube channel, so please check them out and subscribe!!