I’m one year old

Hard to believe, but it was a year ago today I started this little blog.  Who knew I had a year’s worth of stuff to say?

This isn’t going to be a long one, but I have a few people to thank for this blog still being here a year later.

First, Monica Kuebler.  She published Vanishing Hope and she was the first one to urge me to develop some sort of web presence.  She also told me not to worry about posting about “writing stuff” all the time.  So if you want to blame someone for the shit stories and the vasectomy stories, etc…blame Monica.  She started it.

Next, a collective thank you to Ann Douglas, Mary McIntyre and Allyson Latta.  During last year’s Ontario Writers’ Conference, Ann gave a talk on Shameless Self-Promotion and it made me realize I could likely consider this blogging thing.  She also pushed me to Twitter and Facebook.  Mary then, on the same day, introduced me to WordPress and correctly read my wild-eyed look of fear and calmed me down and explained in simple language that even moron like me could learn it.  She used much nicer language than that.  Finally Allyson, in meeting me for the first time, was an enthusiastic supporter and nodded her head in all the right places.  They all encouraged me to write that first blog a year ago.

Next, I want to thank everyone that stopped by to read my musings over the past year.  If someone had told me a year ago that I’d have had almost 38K hits to this blog, I would have laughed.  I likely would have been delighted if, a year later, I had a couple thousand hits.

I’d also like to thank all those that have supported me in my “writerly” ambitions over the last year, including Gavy Swan, Dan Mansfield, Elizabeth Young, Deepam Wadds and Noelle Bickle from the Writers’ Community of Simcoe County, all the folks from the WCDR, including James Dewar, Sue Reynolds, M-E Girard, Dale Long, and a list of others too long to name, as well as Colum McKnight and Jason Darrick from Dreadful Tales, two of my first fans and good friends, and Ian Rogers, my fellow BE peer, as well as Ed Kurtz of Redrum and Abattoir fame who was crazy enough to give me a writing gig.

To Cara Michaels, who came up with a crazy idea to write 500 words a day and it’s taken over my mornings, as well as a page on this blog.

To all the students in my Creative Writing classes, many of which I consider friends now. Especially Pat Flewwelling, my constant supporter.

Finally, I want to thank my long suffering family, the Boy, the Girl and the Wife so frequently mentioned and lampooned on this site.  Hunter, Madison and Karen, thank you for your patience, your encouragement and for not killing me for some of the stuff I’ve written.

And an extra-special thank you to Karen.  I always know when she’s reading one of my so-called “funny” blogs because I’ll hear an occasional whoop of laughter and a whack as she pounds the desk.  Kind of makes it all worth it.

I know I’ve forgotten a lot of people along the way, and forgive me and remind me if I’ve missed you. No slight intended.