Blogger Recognition Award

I am so blessed to have been nominated for this award from one of my new blogger friends Rev Rebecca Writes. I have recently started to get to know her through our weekly His Encouragement posts on Thursdays, and I’ve enjoyed reading her other posts as well. The thought and detail she adds to her posts make them both interesting and thought-provoking to read. It’s always great to make new blogger friends!

Rules of The Award

The rules of the award are as follows:

1.Thank The Blogger that nominated you.

Thanks Beckie! I’m so blessed that we’ve been able to connect recently through blogging! It’s always great to experience encouragement! 🙂

2. Write a post to show your award

3. Give a brief story of how your blog started

4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers

5. Select 15 bloggers to whom you want to give this award

6. Let each Blogger know that you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How My Blog Started 

My decision to blog was a process that slowly decided to make sense over time. A few years ago a friend from work told me about the site Goodreads. I told her I loved her and hated her all at once for starting a new addiction haha. Once I joined the site I first started to just rate books that I read, but once I started entering the giveaways I started to write reviews as well. Fast forward to the beginning of this year (2018), another friend of mine introduced me to the Avid Readers of Christian Fiction page on Facebook. Almost immediately I felt it on my heart to start a blog.

My initial intent was to have a page that would not only share reviews, but share if the books could be recommended for younger readers (tweens and teens). It can be very difficult to find books that are both age appropriate and reading level appropriate for kids who love to read. I noticed that it’s difficult to find places online that critique books based on their age appropriateness for readers. Thankfully the Christian fiction genre is much safer than that of secular fiction, but that doesn’t mean that everything is appropriate either. While I still have a section on my reviews designated to sharing about adult and triggering content, my page has definitely grown in many unexpected ways.

Shortly after I started blogging I was starting to feel convicted that I was sharing plenty about books, but I wasn’t sharing enough about the Lord. Yes, I was reviewing Christian literature, but I felt like I needed to be doing more. Then my blogger friend Nicole at The Christian Fiction Girl invited me to join His Encouragement weekly posts. It definitely made me feel at peace that I was giving more attention to my Heavenly Father, who I owe all to.

I’m not sure where my blog will continue to grow to, but I’m trusting that God will direct my heart and I hope that it can be an encouragement to others. I’ve only been blogging since February of this year, but already I’ve made several blogging friends that I feel like I’ve known forever. I can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store!

Two Pieces of Advice for New Bloggers

I am still very new to blogging myself. I started in early February of 2018. Nevertheless, here are two helpful tips I’ve learned:

1. Go Social: At the time I started my blog I automatically started a Twitter and Facebook page to go along with it. When I publish my posts they automatically are shared on my social pages. It helps drive traffic to your blog as well as provide another platform for being social and getting to know people. I recommend starting them from the beginning because if you start to do blog tours and such, they like to know how many followers you have. I waited a few weeks before doing this myself, but I also highly recommend creating a special email dedicated to your blog. It’s MUCH easier to keep track of everything. My blog email is more organized than any other email I’ve ever had because I have designated folders for everything. It’s HUGELY helped me in managing everything. (On that note I also HIGHLY recommend investing in a planner to keep track of everything… especially if you’re signing up for blog tours!)
2. Be Social: Don’t expect the traffic to all come to you, go out there and follow and comment on other blogs as well! You’d be amazed how quickly you develop friendships and how that can grow your following. Overtime I’ve joined a few different weekly posts with some taking longer than others to create, but they have definitely helped my social presence. While I read quickly (I’m JUST shy of 150 so far this year), I also can’t post a review every day of the week. Finding other things to post about helps keep my blog active. #FirstLineFridays has been a big help because it has introduced me to new people to follow, helped get my TBR even further out of control, and driven new comments and followers to my page. I try to make sure each week to click on each of the participating blogs and comment on their posts as they do mine. I’ve quickly learned that the more social I am, the more social my blog is able to be.

 

Nominate 15 Bloggers

First of all, I too would like to nominate the other ladies who participate in His Encouragement Thursdays with me:

 

I would also like to nominate the following bloggers. There are so many blogs that I enjoy, it’s always hard to choose!

7. Katie @ Fiction Aficionado

8. Ellie @ Sprinkles and Pink

9. Michelle @ The Mimosa Blossom

10. Carla Loves to Read

11. JenGalaxy4

12. Becky @ It’s Story Time With Van Daniker

13. Anneliese Dalaba

14. Yvette @ Bookworlder

15. Audra’s Book Blabbing