Pandora’s Wonderland: Pandora’s Books Turns One!

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

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Today, Pandora’s Books turns a year old. I’m in complete shock right now because I can’t believe it’s been a year since I started on this incredible, amazing journey! So many great things have happened and so much has changed. I’m beyond grateful for everything this blog has brought into my life – amazing friends, incredible opportunities to work with authors I love and an internship that led to a job!

So many people have stood by me throughout this journey, so many people have made this experience what it is. Without those people, it wouldn’t have been the same. You guys made every day fun and worthwhile!

Blogger Shout-Outs:

Kayla (A Wonderland of Reading): My blogging BFF, my partner in crime and my co-host in this amazing event. I have NO CLUE where I’d be without you! Do you remember the first time we really started talking? We agreed to be “productivity buddies” so we would both get work done and it escalated from there. Thank you for being awesome-sauce amazing! <3

Stacie (A Wonderland of Reading): The third co-host in this event and the third part of the Kayla-Stacie-Meredith triangle! Ah!! Girlie, seriously, I adore you! I’m so glad we started talking!! I don’t know what I’d do if you had left the blogosphere! You’re always here for me and I’m always here for you! We’ve been friends for so long, I can’t imagine NOT knowing you! <3

Stacee (Adventures of a Book Junkie): My Bookish Fairy Godmother! I’m pretty sure you’re one of my oldest blogging friends. You’ve always been here for me and you never got sick of me, even in the beginning when I bombarded you with twenty million questions about blogging. You’ve always been so good to me and you spoil me rotten! I don’t think I would have survived blogging for a year without you. THANK YOU <3

Jessica (Just a Book Lover): I’ve known you almost as long as I’ve known Stacee. And like Stacee, you were epically awesome when it came to answering all my silly, obnoxious questions. You’re awesome and I <3 you!

Crystal (Crystal in Bookland): Girl, you rock! Especially with everything I’ve had going on lately, you’ve been like my rock. If I didn’t have you to talk to, I think I’d fall apart. Thank you for being awesome and sticking by me. Plus, you made my birthday this year the best birthday I’ve had in a VERY long time. I’ll never forget that! <3

Nikki (Fiction Freak): Lady, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be blogging right now. You are AMAZING and I’ll always be grateful for your help. Thanks for helping me out in the very beginning, when I was clueless and had NO IDEA what I was doing! <3

Christina (Ensconced in Lit): I adore you! You’re so sweet and kind and we’ve been friends for so long now, I can’t even remember what life was like BEFORE. We’ve been through so much together and, though we haven’t spoken as much lately, know that I completely adore you! <3

Celeste (The Reading Nook Reviews): Ahhhhhhh *Tackle hugs* You rock, girly! Seriously, you’ve been so good to me and I’m so, so glad we became friends! Also, you spoil me! <3

Octavia (Read Sleep Repeat): Girl!! You’ve been so awesome, hilarious and fun to chat with! You’re also the GIF Queen.. I don’t know how you do it! The ones I found are nowhere near as awesome as yours! Thanks for helping me with my Binge Read Challenge! I’m going to re-organize and try to do it next year instead :) Thanks for being an awesome friend! <3

Honorable Mentions: Denise, Jessica (Lovin Los Libros) Kaitlin, Maura, Mary, Jessica (Fly to Fiction), Angie, Angela, Lili, Kelly, Jon, Eli, Julia, Julie, Kat & Steph, Taherah…… And anyone else I might have missed!

Extra Special Honorable Mention to Alexia, Alyssa and Kris = So sorry I forgot you amazing ladies earlier! My head must be in the clouds! I hope you lovelies can accept my apologies!

I know I’m missing people.. I’m SO sorry! It’s not intentional! There have been so many amazing people in my life this year, it would take three posts twice this length to get you all, but know that I adore you all, you all rock, and I’m eternally grateful for every single one of you!

Author Shout-Outs:

Amalie Howard: I will NEVER stop being grateful to you for everything you’ve done for me. You’re amazing, kind, sweet and – did I say amazing? Basically, I ADORE YOU. I will bow down to your awesome! <3

Kristi Cook: When I first met you at the Voracious Reader and you recognized me from Twitter and from reviewing an eARC of Eternal, I nearly cried. It was so surreal – I had been reading your books for so long, I just couldn’t get over it! Thanks for being such an amazing, amazing friend over the last year! <3

Heather Lyons: I ADORE YOU AND YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR SWOONY GUYS AND YOU! No, seriously, your books were the first ones I ever reviewed for a publicist and I fell in love with them, right from the start. You’re amazing and I’m so honored to be a part of your street team and #TeamKellan. Thanks for being amazing! <3

Rachel Harris: Back before I was a blogger, I won Taste the Heat. It was epic and I did an informal review of it for your agent and Goodreads. I seriously feel like getting that taste of reviewing and seeing how excited you were about it, it really fueled my desire to blog. I love books and I love spreading the word about books and I really realized that thanks to you and TtH! So THANK YOU! <3

Dahlia Adler: You’re amazing. No, seriously, you’re epically amazing. Very early on, you helped me connect with the next three authors I’m about to mention. Robin, Vivi and Jamie were my first ever author interviews on my blog. I was SO nervous to approach authors, so your help and guidance made all the difference. It encouraged me to approach more authors. It also opened me up to three books I might not have known about or read otherwise. You’re constantly tweeting advice to bloggers, authors and readers – valuable advice that truly makes a difference. And in between all that, you found time to write an amazing book (That I’m cuddling/dying to read as we speak!). I don’t know how you do it all, but you’re amazing and I adore you. Thank you for everything you’ve done! <3

Robin Constantine: Your book was one of the first ones that made me excited to read contemporary again. You’re the sweetest and I’m still so sad I missed your signing! Hopefully you’ll come back to NY soon!! <3

Vivi Barnes: I adore you so much! I’m so sad we missed getting to meet at RT14, but it WILL happen! <3

Jamie Grey: You rock and your books rock and what would I do without you?!?! Thank you for being so awesome and so epic! <3

A.G. (Anita) Howard: I didn’t know what a Book Boyfriend was until Morpheus. I didn’t realize how amazing Alice in Wonderland retellings were until Splintered. You’re amazing, I adored meeting you at BEA and thank you for being awesome and amazing! <3

Basically, I adore all of you, I’ve loved every minute of speaking with all of you and getting to know all of you. For me, authors are rockstars and you guys are the BEST. You’ve each changed my life in some way or another and for that I’ll be forever grateful!

And, of course, thank you to my amazing Spencer Hill Press family! You guys are amazing and I love you all!! These last few months have been surreal! I adore working with all of you! Shout-outs to Cindy, Damaris, Brooke, Jenn AP, Vikki, Dahlia, Patrice, Kelly, Megan, Kate, Jessica, Trisha, Patricia, Danielle, Kelsey, Rhonda, Kim, Erica and Sarah (And SO SORRY if I missed anyone!) <3

Accomplishments:

-> 21,523 total page views
-> 1,456 Twitter followers
-> 349 Bloglovin followers
-> 249 Goodreads friends
-> 163 Facebook likes
-> 93 email subscribers
-> Moved to WordPress
-> Became a conributing writer for YA Interrobang
-> Got invited to two Harlequin Teen Previews
-> Got auto-approved for HarperCollins on Edelweiss
-> Got an internship that turned into a job(!!!)
-> Went to BEA (And met many of you fabulous people!)
-> Got auto-approved for Harlequin on NetGalley

I can’t believe all the things that have happened in just ONE year.

More than anything, I’ve found a place to call home. I was always the outsider in school, the weird girl who liked to read about aliens and vampires. The freak who – GASP – liked to WRITE about aliens and vampires. Man, I’ll never forget that day in eighth grade English when my study group laughed at me for telling them that.. It’s been SO INCREDIBLE becoming a part of the blogosphere, finding friends who GET IT when I need to flail about a book, swoon over a book boyfriend, or even cry about a book. YOU GUYS GET ME!

And, even more incredible, you’ve stuck by me in this first, rocky year. I had no clue what I was doing half the time. I made mistakes. I stumbled a lot. But you guys just stood by me, encouraged me to keep going, to not give up. I can’t tell you all how much that means to me. I’ve had a LOT going on in my personal life recently – something I don’t share with anyone on Twitter. But I want you guys to know that with everything that’s going on, you’ve been like my rock. You’ve kept me afloat. You’ve been there for me to lean on and I’ve kept going because of how awesome all of you have been. Okay, I’ll stop with the cheesy metaphors and cliche sayings.

I just want to give ALL of YOU ALL the HUGS!

But those of you who went to BEA know that I’m an awkward hugger…

So I’m just going to stick with saying THANK YOU FOR BEING AMAZING!!! And thank you for making this first year epic! Here’s to another year of success for Pandora’s Books and another year of adoring all you lovely people! Cheers!

21 thoughts on “Pandora’s Wonderland: Pandora’s Books Turns One!

  1. CONGRATULATIONS!!! *throws confetti*

    Thank you for the shout out, but really, you can stop thanking me. You spoil me, let me rant, etc.. just as much as I do for you. One of these days you’re going to regret giving me your phone number. :D

    Here’s to countless years of blogging awesomeness to come!!

    *hugs*

  2. Happy blogoversary Meredith! I am so glad we got to meet briefly at BEA! You are so sweet to mention me and I love chatting with you on Twitter! This community is such an amazing one and I am so glad we are both a part of it! Here’s to many more years of doing what you love!

  3. Happy blogoversary!!! Congratulations on making it through a whole year, and all of the accomplishments you have made! I didn’t realize our blogoversaries were so close together! And yes, what a difference just one year can make! LOL Seriously though, I have to 100% agree with Jessica. This community is an AMAZING one! Books we love to read (and for some, write) help to bring all the authors, bloggers, readers, etc. together in a way that nothing else can. Thank you for helping to make MY first year as a blogger a special one!

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