UKYA

YALC – The Maddest Weekend Ever – A Reflection

Posted on 13 July, 2014

So I’ve just got back from a mad weekend in London for London Film and Comic Con because the first ever Young Adult Literature Convention was hosted there. This is going to be my round up, but instead of boring you with the details about the long queues (seriously, I queued three times on Saturday!) and the nonexistent air-conditioning, I’m instead going to reflect on all the amazing things I’ve learned this weekend.

I admit that I was incredibly nervous about going. I was even contemplating not going at one point, but I’m glad I did in the end. The biggest thing I’ve learned this weekend is that I have the most amazing friends in the world. From meeting people I’ve known since I first started blogging (Rebecca, that’s you!), and people I’ve only just met, it was so, so amazing to meet every single one of you.

I think I finally understand what the word ‘community’ means because we – the YA community – are so, so strong and tight. I used to worry about my age and how young I am compared to everyone else but this weekend I realised that it really doesn’t matter. You can be any gender, any age, any ANYTHING, and you will be welcomed.

I feel incredibly blessed that I know all of you. I’ve been feeling so out of touch with the blogging world lately, so much so that sometimes I even feel like quitting, but I realised that I blog because I love it and I love the people and I would not be the same person without my blog.

Two years ago, I would never have had the confidence to go to something like YALC and actually talk to people. I feel as if I spoke to so many people this weekend and I am so, so proud of myself.

This weekend has also taught me the importance of supporting each and every person in our community. Whether sharing a blog post on Twitter or writing a comment on a blog post, we need to stay together to stay alive and stay true to the community we are.

I really have made friends for life in each and every one of you. I love you all – we’re all one big family!

_{Because I met so many of you this weekend, I didn’t want to exclude any of you so I hope you don’t feel offended if I haven’t mentioned you – I tried to include everyone as a whole rather than mention specific people and leave hordes out.}

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Bloggers who inspire me…

Posted on 29 November, 2013

I’ve met so many bloggers since starting my blog in April 2012 and I’ve come to think of many of them as some of my best friends. I love nothing better than to log on to Twitter and have a good old natter because everyone is so nice and so kind, and they’ve welcomed me to their community even though they have never had to.

DISCLAIMER: I’m writing this post because I want to share some of my favourite blogs with you. Not all these people are close friends, and I don’t want people to get offended if I haven’t written about them. I love you all and I’ve probably forgotten loads of people. You’re all awesome!

1. Jamie from The Perpetual Pageturner

There’s something about Jamie’s blog that I simply adore. I love nothing more than to read through her posts and, even if I don’t comment on every single one, they all get me thinking and she has some of the best ideas for blog posts. Blog envy over here!

2. Ruby from Feed Me Books Now!!!

Have you seen the design of this blog?! It’s one of the best I’ve ever seen on any website and I really wish my blog was half as pretty. Ruby is also such a lovely, lovely person, and I may have to steal her blog design one day. Have I mentioned how much I love it?

3. Ashley from Nose Graze

This is the one blog I check without fail and I read every single post. Not only is Ashley brilliant at writing blog posts, she’s also the person behind the Ultimate Book Blogger Plugin, which is a lifesaver. I don’t know how I survived before I bought the plugin! She’s an awesome web designer and I have serious blog envy again!

4. Rebecca from Rebecca-Books

I’ve always loved Rebecca’s blog and I can remember sitting at my computer one day reading all of her posts at once. I would consider Rebecca one of my closest blogging friends and I’ve loved getting to know her. Her blog is wonderful and every post is so special. She’s one of the bloggers I look up to and I think you should all go check out her blog if you haven’t already.

5. Stacey from prettybooks

I am so jealous of Stacey’s pictures. I’ve loved reading every single one of her A Tour of London Bookshops posts and it’s encouraging me to check out more of the bookshops local to me. Her WordPress blog and her Tumblr are so gorgeous and I’d want to marry her blogs if it was possible. It should be, shouldn’t it?

Do you have any favourite blogs?

rebecca-books