December 5th will mark the one year anniversary of registering Kiss my List as a website. I was still over a month away from going live and announcing it to my friends and family, but my baby was almost born.
A year ago I never imagined I would be where I am now.
A year ago I did not yet have a blog. I also did not have:
1. a Twitter account
2. a Google + account
3. any idea what SEO or HTML was
4. friends in England, Canada, and most of the fifty states
5. an Amazon author page
6. my writing in a book
7. my writing in another book
The first four items on the list are par for the course for bloggers. The last three items are bonuses – unexpected and super exciting.
The first book is The Mother of All Meltdowns; my meltdown involves a famous mouse and a seven year old ingrate. The book is on sale now through Christmas – the print edition is half price if you buy it through our CreateSpace store HERE. Enter password moam123 and use coupon code 75N5ZSBR when you order.
We are also having weekly giveaways until Christmas. Subscribe to our blog and enter to win a free copy of the book or your very own Cocktail Party on Christmas Day. Winners will be chosen at random on Wednesdays from December 4 through 25.
The HerStories Project
The second book officially launches today. I am proud to announce that I am one of the contributors to the new anthology, The HerStories Project: Women Explore the Joy, Pain, and Power of Female Friendship.
This is a completely different book than The Mother of All Meltdowns. While my meltdown story is lighthearted and (hopefully) funny, my essay in HerStories is poignant. It is one of fifty portraits of friendship, and the diverse essays in this collection will evoke tears, laughter, and a deep recognition and appreciation for the friends with whom women everywhere share their lives.
You can learn more about our project and all of the contributors at The HerStories Project website, and the book is now available on Amazon. I’d love for you to check it out; I can’t think of any woman who would not find their own friendship story in HerStories.
A year ago I never imagined that I would be here. With you. You who I have known my whole life, You who has been my friend for years, and You who I’ve met online as we share our stories with one another.
While I often recommend books, a year ago I never imagined that on Cyber Monday, I would be recommending two books that I am in.
If you’d like to purchase either book, I would love it if you would buy it through the following affiliate links. So far I’ve raked in $0.52 from Amazon, and I have my eye on a really cute pair of shoes that would look fabulous on me.
Click HERE for The Mother of All Meltdowns.
Click HERE for The HerStories Project.
Thank you – all of You – for being so supportive and encouraging during this amazing experience!
Look at you lovely lady – 2 amazing books, a HUGE following, and so much success all in 1 year. That is talent and hard work, combined. Will you be my mentor? 😉 I am coming up on 1 year early February. Eek! Anyhow, so honored to be published in HerStories alongside you and congrats on 1 year.
I wouldn’t say a HUGE following, but I am grateful to have some loyal readers. This blogging gig is hard work! I’ll celebrate my official one year next month (probably by taking a nap). So happy to be a part of this project with you too, Allison.
Such an awesome year! Congratulations! Very glad to have connected!
Thanks, Joi – I’m glad we connected too!
Congrats on all you have accomplished! That book on friendship looks great. I’ve experienced some blessings of friendship as well as some heartbreaks this year. I’ll have to check it out.
Please do, Adrienne – it really is a fabulous compilation of stories. I know that every woman can relate to at least one.
I am so. so, so far behind on my commenting this week! I swear I remember reading this post but didn’t comment. *sigh* Blame it on holiday brain? CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Thank you, Angela. So happy to be on this amazing journey with you!
I just ordered The HerStories Project and had already read and reviewed Mother of All Meltdowns. I congratulate you on so much success in such a short time! It’s pretty amazing!
I bet you have a whole lot more in store for you because your writing it fantastic. I want to be you when I grow up 🙂
You are too kind, Sandy. Thank you so much. Funny thing is, half the time I don’t even think of myself as a grown up. I wonder when that will change?
I’m so glad I discovered your blog and that you agreed to contribute to the book! I only wish I had more time to visit all the blogs I love more regularly – including yours.
Congrats to your success this past year and may it continue indefinitely! 🙂
Congrats and Happy Blogiversary! You have accomplished so much in a year! I am so happy that you started on this journey as I have loved getting to know you through your blog and your writing!
The feeling is mutual, Leah – thank you!
I read this the other day I just again and had to go through all the comments to see if I’d already commented cuz I genuinely couldn’t recall! I’m happy to report I already own both books! How could I not? I’m honored to know so many authors in both, I would be an absolute fool not to support them, and to gobble up their every brilliant word!
happy HAPPY 1 year anniversary! That’s so exciting! It gives me so much hope, too! What could happen in just one year?! Wow. I would have thought you’d been blogging for longer than that. You’re awesome! Congrats on all your success, I’m sure there’s TONS more to come!
Thank you Beth! I’m really dragging this anniversary thing out – it’s not my actual “I went online” anniversary until January. I just like to celebrate all the little things. Oh – and you are awesome too – so now I’m celebrating meeting YOU!
Happy 1st blogoversary!!!!
Thanks, Angela – it won’t actually be a year until January. But this time last year I was hard at work trying to make it happen!
Congratulations on all your accomplishments! I have a friend, Nicole, who was also included in The Her Stories Project – I already have the book but I will be sure to check out your essay. There are so many great stories in that publication. Great work!
I will have to read Nicole’s essay – I am slowly making my way through the book. I hope you enjoy it!
Congratulations!! I also never imagined all the things blogging would bring. It’s amazing! Glad to be in your latest project with you!
Same here, Sarah! Congrats to you as well.
dana, you are amazing! i am so proud of you. congratulations on all that you’ve accomplished in so little time!
Catherine – thank you so much. I really appreciate your support – you are one of my biggest cheerleaders, so thank you for that.
Hi Dana,
Here comes an advanced Congrats!!
Great Going!
Just One year and multitude of events!!
Many Many More Years To Go
Wish You and Your Blog A Wonderful Tim Ahead
Keep Inform
Best Regards
Phil
Thanks, Phil!
So many amazing things in one short year Dana. I couldn’t be happier for you and I am so glad to have met you and become friends in this crazy blogging world. I loved the Mother of All Meltdowns and yes your essay was so funny! I’ll have to get HerStories as well. If we all pick up a copy you might be able to get 1/4 of one shoe. I hope you have a backup plan or that you’re not in a hurry. Haha.
Oh, I have a backup plan – just buy them anyway! I’m so glad we’ve met too – your writing always makes my day a little better.
Yay for one year, new friends (even though my name was missing there), and for being in two awesome rocking books!!! I’m glad you started blogging. And that we met! Yay!!!
Me too, Kristi. Your name was missing, but you are the only blogger whose lovely face has graced my page. Does that count for something? It better.
That is really truly awesome! What an amazing year!! And I am so glad to be one of the friends you’ve met online. 🙂 I’m looking forward to getting caught up with you! Congrats again!
I’m glad we met too Kate – I think you were one of the first bloggers I met, when I started doing Listicles. Haven’t done that for awhile, but at least it introduced me to you!
Congrats! Sounds like it was an amazing year! Can’t wait to see what the next year will bring 😀
Me neither, Rhonda. Both books on the bestseller list would be fabulous!
Wow, you’ve only been blogging for a year? You really have accomplished an amazing number of things. Way to go — I know that was a lot of hard work! (I still don’t really know HTML or SEO… and I’ve been blogging off and on since around 2002! I’m just faking it over here.)
Well, you are faking it well, Sarah!
Happy anniversary! My blog is just about a year old too (it was in August). I can’t wait to see what the second year holds for you! You’ve accomplished so much this first year!
Thanks NJ. I’m excited for another year, although I don’t see more books in my future. Then again, these two were total surprises!
I, too, hit the one year mark in September and am all but knocked out by what has happened in that short time. Is this real life? Congratulations!(I’m off to do some reading now…)
It’s crazy, right? I just hope I can sustain it. Blogging is a lot more work than I thought it would be. Good thing I love it!
Wait WHAT? You haven’t even been around a year???? And you are THIS successful? Oh. MY GOSH!!
I am SO impressed with that Dana! And TWO books to boot!
Now THAT’S how it’s done!
BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO!!!
Aww, I’m blushing now, Chris. I doubt I’ll be able to top my first year, but I’m sure going to try!
Dana, your blog is so well done. I remember finding out that you were new to blogging and I was shocked. Congratulations on the book and on the almost one year anniversary.
You’re too kind, Jean – thank you! I guess the month of research and planning before I actually went live paid off. 🙂
Ah – what a year! Congratulations. No worries if you don’t get to my blog. The gist of it: friendships are awesome and so is the book.
Yes, and yes. But I’ll visit you later today, Jessica!
I love those years when you can look back and say, “A year ago I didn’t, or couldn’t or wouldn’t…” Congratulations on being in two books!
Thanks, Rose. A year ago I never dreamed I’d be in one book, much less two!
didn’t know you were in HerStories! Congrats!!! And congrats on the one year, too!
Thanks Lisa – it’s been a busy year!
What a year indeed! I’m excited to be in the HerStories books with you and to be getting to know so many new bloggers/writers.
What a fun launch day!
It has been fun – I’m looking forward to exploring everyone’s blogs. But first I want to read the book – I’ve been a little behind on my reading.
Congratulations on your one year, and on both of your books!!!! What an amazing accomplishment each one is, and to do it all in a year is really something!! So happy for you!!
Thanks Kathy! A bonus has been the chance to meet almost 80 (!) amazing writers through these projects – if only I had more time in the day to read all these blogs!
Look at YOU, you booketty-wooketty WONDER 😀
And WAHEY! I’m in ENGLAND! I mean YOUR England…I mean…..
er.
*ahem*
YAY! You in books 😀
(also, had NO idea your blog was so young. Have we had this conversation before? If we did, I suck because I didn’t remember)
You are my England. Always. Glad you caught that. 🙂 I don’t know if we had the young blog conversation – I’m too old to remember.
Awww THANK YOUuuuuu *HUGS*
😀
Hey if you can’t remember, I hope *I’m* not supposed to! I’ve no idea! Let’s do it anyway –
WOW! Your blog’s so YOUNG! Which is really genuinely a shock to me, because it’s so well done and awesomely written and presented etc that I thought it was one which had been around for AGES. I’m very impressed with how quickly you’ve established it. Way awesome 🙂
Nope – my perfectionist tendencies kicked in when I was developing the blog. I worked hard on the aesthetics of it, and now I’m going to change my theme and mess with it again. Sigh. I just can’t help myself.
Hats off to you though, because you completely NAILED IT. I’m sure you’ll do just as well when you change things 😀
Huge congrats to you! You’ve accomplished a ridiculous amount of stuff in one year. (Good ridiculous. Obviously.) We are beyond thrilled and grateful that you shared your powerful essay with us in HerStories. Thank you for everything you’ve done to help make the book a reality! Hugs and high-fives to you!
Hugs back at you, Stephanie – hope you don’t mind that I put both books in one post. Thank you again for including me!
A cyber hug to you on your first anniversary of blogging, Dana, and an extra hug for not one but two books to your name! Way to go, my dear!
Thank you so much, Alison!
Happy pub day to you! And my goodness, yes! So very much can happen in a year!
I know, right? It blows my mind sometimes!
Congratulations!! How wonderful that you were a part of another book project as well! This is such cool news! And I love the topic! I am part of a group of women that has been together for years and I count on them through thick and thin. Those friendships are a lifesaver. I can’t wait to check out your other book!!
It is wonderful to have a group of friends like that, isn’t it? Female friendships are so vital and this book really celebrates that.
Ugh RATS! I just lost my long winded comment. Now I’m going to sound all grumpy saying congratulations and I bought it this morning.
RATS!
Note to self – fill in name info before leaving a comment and hitting submit.
Lol – you don’t sound grumpy, Kenya. I hate when that happens – sorry my blog ate your comment.
Congrats on 1 year!! Many more to come!
Thanks so much!
Wow! You really knocked it out of the park this year! Congrats on a fabulous writing journey – how will you top it in 2014?! 🙂
I don’t think I can, Kerry! I think it’s beginner’s luck, but I’ll take it.
Is it presumptuous to say WE ROCK? Congrats and happy to be a part of both of these books with you! Can I borrow your pic cause that is awesome! 🙂
Of course you can – feel free to use it. And it may be presumptuous, but yes, we do rock! Glad we are sharing this journey together, Alexa.
Congratulations! What a great year! I cannot wait to read the friendship book, so happy to hear you are in it.
It has some wonderful stories in it, Stephanie- I know you’ll enjoy it!
You have accomplished all of this in UNDER a year? Whoa. This is just so very impressive. Congratulations!!! You must be just pinching yourself. Looking forward to year two and year three and year … fifty.
Year fifty…I’ll have to make my fonts extra large so I can see them! It has been a wild ride, Kelly.
Keep dreaming the dreams, because that is a LOT to accomplish in a year. a LOT. Just imagine what your second year will be like..
I don’t know, Tamara. I don’t think I can keep up! It’s a bit overwhelming.
You have had a phenomenal 1st year of blogging!!! Can’t wait to see the new book – so awesome!!
Thank you – I’m really excited!
Dana! That is so awesome! Congrats on your new feature! It’s amazing how much one can can accomplish in one year! I am glad that you were able to do soch great things! Happy almost bloggerversary! 🙂
Thanks, Britton! I’m so grateful to have had these wonderful opportunities.
So so excited for you Dana! You are one of our favorite blogs to visit and what you have accomplished in under a year is AMAZING!! Congratulations! :)-The Dose Girls
You are both so sweet, and I’m so flattered that you enjoy my blog. The feeling is mutual, ladies!
Congrats on a fabulous first year! I can’t wait to celebrate your go-live blogiversary with you soon. And I’m definitely checking out the Her Stories book. It sounds amazing!
Thanks, Nicole. I’d love to do something creative and fun for my blogiversary, other than the usual giveaways. Gotta start thinking…
Huge congrats on the one year anniversary mark and I totally think it has been one of hell of a ride and a pretty amazing year for you. Totally deserve this and so much more. And you know I will be here for the next year, too now!! 🙂
Thank you Janine – you are one of my first and biggest supporters, and I really appreciate that!
Wow Dana!! So much for you to celebrate this year. I really hope you are taking the time to reflect on all you have achieved in just one year. Truly amazing and absolutely inspiring! I already love your first book…looking forward to checking out the second! Happy Anniversary and congratulations on all you have accomplished.
Thank you so much, Allie. Meeting inspirational women (like you) through blogging has really been such an unexpected blessing – it has been quite a year!
Wow! I didn’t realize you were in another book as well! Look at you, Dana! You are on the move! I will have to check that one out as well. Let me know if you need people to do a review of the other book as well! Congratulations on everything! xo
Thanks Brittnei. HerStories is free on the Kindle today, so pick it up if you can! And if you read and like and want to do a review, I would love that. Thanks for always being so supportive!
Congratulations on a truly fabulous year! Your hard work and talent have paid off with well deserved success. Way to go, girlfriend! I already have Mother of All Meltdowns but now I’m going to go to Amazon to buy HerStories. Check your account, you might be up to $0.53 before you know it! 🙂
Ha – I’ll try not to spend it all in one place, Mo! I’m just so thrilled to be in both books; any spare change that comes my way is icing on the cake.