I'm author ELLE STRAUSS and welcome to my website!

I write fun, lower Young Adult (teen) fiction to do with whimsical things like time-travel, fairies and merfolk.

When my serious side peeks out, she's called LEE STRAUSS. She likes to write upper YA about real things that have happened in the past, or made up things that could quite possibly happen in the future.

This blog is about books, mine and other fab authors', but occasionally I'll share about other topics.

Thanks for dropping by!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

It’s My First Blogiversary Today!

Wednesday How To Write will resume next week.

My blog is one year old! I can’t believe how much it has grown in one year—walking, talking, eating solids. I’m proud as punch; do you want to see a picture of it when it was born? Click HERE. (Actually, it looked much different, I kind of photo shopped it—new template—but the babble is authentic.)

Spiff has been with me all the way. He's changed a bit too!



So much has happened in a year. After I took that shaky first step and started blogging, I ventured out in Twitter and Facebook. I’ve made so many great on-line friends; I really don’t know how I managed to navigate the rapid waters aspiring writers need to conquer all alone.

I signed with an agent, sent out a couple ms’s into the wilds of the submission world, wrote another book, sent it out (okay, they seem to be taking the scenic route, but my babies are still out there somewhere), started writing How To posts (which is scarier than one might think) and I left my part-time day job to write full-time.

I wish I could add that I sealed a book deal as well, but I suppose I have to leave some fun for year two.

All this to say, we must celebrate!!! And what better way to celebrate my new friends than by sharing books. I’ve won a few along the way and purchased some too. You could win your choice of 4 of these books just by commenting. (I’d love to give them all away, but can’t cough up the postage, ahem, see point where I left my job.)




PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS by Michelle Zink
GUARDIAN OF THE GATE by Michelle Zink
BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver
INGO by Helen Dunmore
CINDY ELLA by Robin Palmer
WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED by Judy Bundell
KEEPING THE MOON by Sarah Dessen
SPELLS by Aprilynne Pike

And four books on writing:

WHAT A WRITER NEEDS by Ralph Fletcher
PLOT & STRUCTURE by James Scott Bell
CHAPTER AFTER CHAPTER by Heather Sellers
THE SELL YOUR NOVEL TOOL KIT by Elizabeth Lyon

You get +1 entry if you’re a follower (old or new), +1 if you FB, +1 if you Twitter, and +5 if you post the contest somewhere on your blog. Just let me know how many entries you qualify for in the comments.

Contest ends Friday, November 5th.

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Posted by Elle Strauss at 12:01 AM
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40 comments:

  1. Just one for me right now but if I don't forget - yes, it's been known to happen - I'll blog about you and come back to tell you about it.
    Congrats!

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  2. Congrats on the Blogiversary! May there be many more!

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  3. Great contest Elle, and congrats on 1 year - woot!!! +1 for me, old follower :)

    Rach

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  4. congrats that is awesome

    oh yea +1

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  5. Don't you love milestones? Happy Blogiversary!

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  6. Congratulations! We pretty much started blogging around the same time although you are way cooler than I am. You have an agent. lol.

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  7. Congrats! That's so cool. You're an amazing blogger and should be so proud. I think your kitty thinks so.

    CD

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  8. Congratulations on your one year anniversary. October must be the magical month. Wishing you much success and happiness in the coming year.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  9. Hey, tomorrow is MY blogverysary! We're *almost* twins. Almost.

    Congratulations! It's safe to say that you've been more successful in your first year of blogging than I have. But I'm hoping to make up for it in the next few months ;)

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  10. Congrats on one year,and for how far you've come! I am a follower, so +1. :)

    BTW, I don't know how to change my profile to be a reply-to thingymajigger you were talking about on your last comment. Maybe email me? Sorry I'm such a noob. ;)

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  11. Congrats on your blogoversary! I think I was one of your very first followers, thanks to Sara Zarr linking you.

    I'm adding a link on my blog. I think that gives me +7

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  12. Again Congrats on the blogiversary!

    I have marked check on all your points. Have a wonderful Wednesday! :)

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  13. Huge congrats on a whole year of blogging, and for all the writing successes along the way! So glad to have met you our here in cyberland :))

    I'm off to tweet your contest and add a link to my blog sidebar. Since I'm an old follower (and by that, I mean I'm YOUNG and have not just begun following, LOL!!), so that gives me 7 additional entries.

    Thanks!!!!
    ((hugs)) Nicole

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  15. Congratulations on your blogiversary! I just have 1 point for now, but I'll be spreading the news and coming back with more!

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  16. Thanks, everyone! It's been a blast.

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  18. Congratulations, Elle, and may you have many more!

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  19. Congrats! My blogaversary is in a couple days, LOL!

    Great giveaway--I'm a follower and I Twittered and Facebooked about your contest (3 points).

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  20. Congrats! That's great!!! I started blogging in (gasp) 2006...that's scary, when I think about it. My books are taking the scenic route too, by the way. That's the best way to get there!

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  21. YAYAYAY! Congrats on your first blogoversary!!!

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  22. Congrats on one year! I am a follower here and on twitter. +2

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  23. I'm a GFC follower (+1). Thanks so much!

    texas_gal45(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  24. Congrats on your lovely blog and a wonderful year! Hope you bag your book deal very soon!

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  25. Congrats, Elle! I have no doubt year 2 will bring a sale!!! :)

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  26. Piedmont- You're still pretty cool, too!

    Clarissa - Thanks! Yes, and kitty thinks it's all about him. He's so vain.

    Nicole - Thanks, and I'm really glad to have met you, too!

    Stephanie - We'll do the scenic route together!

    MC - Thanks, MC! And I hope to bag that dang book deal too!

    Kristin - I hope so!

    Thanks to the rest of you, too, especially you no-reply people!

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  27. Congrats on the anniversary!! I hit my one year in August and I was so amazed by how far I've come, although, I haven't ticked the agent box just yet.

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  28. Thanks, Jade! It is amazing what can happen in one year. I hope you tick the agent box in year two!

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  29. Missed you at SiWC this year, but it looks like you don't need any motivation. Congrats! You're doing fab!

    Leanne

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  30. Congrats on your blogiversary!! I hope to see a book deal added to your list soon. :)

    Please enter me in this great contest (+2 follower and tweeted). Thx!

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  31. I hope to see you get a contract this year. thanks for the great blog. 2 points for mr follower and FB.

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  32. +1 follower
    +1 tweet: http://twitter.com/FionaChan/statuses/29118324218
    +1 sidebar on my blog: http://bookish-escape.blogspot.com/

    total 3 points
    thank you! :D feeyonachan at gmail dot com

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  33. Congrats. I'll give it a shot.

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  34. Almost forgot. +1 follower. Thanks.

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  35. I am going to post you on my blog, but don't place me in the contest. I think I have read a lot of those, so give someone else a chance. And I believe year two will be a great one and you will be amazed at what is going to occur.

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  36. Great contest! Just one for me for now.

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  37. I thought I'd entered, but i guesss I didn't! Anyway, +1 for an old follwer. And congrats on a great year!

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  38. This is awesome.
    Congrats on your one year anniversary. You've done SO much :))

    And thanks so much for the giveaway. Love the books up for grabs.

    +1 I follow you
    +1 I tweeted (http://twitter.com/#!/bee_muses/status/469868189065216)
    +5 I linked this to my blog sidebar (www.talkmusebanter.blogspot.com)

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  39. What a year! Congrats on everything!

    +1 for me!

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  40. I follow on twitter. Happy Bloggyversary. +1 for moi.

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