Monday 5 January 2009

Speculative Horizons' first birthday :)

I can hardly believe it was a year to the day when I sat down and wrote my first blog entry. Still, time flies when you're having fun...and I guess that's why the year went so damned fast!

I think it's been a pretty successful debut year for Speculative Horizons. The main aim was really to just create an entertaining blog that allowed me to transmit my passion and enthusiasm for the genre onto the interwebs. This I feel I've managed to do. I was also keen to write in-depth book reviews that were both honest and articulate, so hopefully this has been the case (I'll leave you guys to be the judges of that!).

While writing the blog has been a lot of fun, and getting free books an experience that never grows old, the best thing has been getting to know so many terrific people. Speculative fiction fans tend to be both passionate and intelligent, so it's been a real pleasure and I hope to get to know more cool people in 2009.

This is going to be a massive year for fantasy and probably for most genre blogs too. I'm not planning any changes to the blog other than the odd minor cosmetic alteration, though this year I am hoping to do more author interviews (always good fun) and also perhaps explore the possibility of having more guest posts from authors and other industry folk. So, if any authors/editors/agents reading this would like to do a guest post, feel free to drop me a line!

Ultimately, it's the readers that make a blog, so I thank all of you for stopping by and sharing your opinions. Whether you read the blog regularly or just pop back every once in a while, thanks so much for bothering to read what I write here. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

In terms of upcoming content in the next week or so, look out for a review of Brandon Sanderson's Elantris and reviews of 30 Days of Night and Ironman.

Onward!

12 comments:

sbp said...

Congratulations James!

ediFanoB said...

Kudos! John
Please continue your good work.

Iain said...

Congratulations on your your first year James. I have enjoyed visiting your site enormously over the last few months. Good luck for the future.

By the way you really should read The Painted Man by Peter V Brett. I enjoyed it immensely. A real whiff of Gemmell to it. Great characterisation and plain old good story-telling.

Swainson said...

Happy bidet.

In my first year of reading blogs, this year, I have found yours to be honest.

If that sounds like a back handed compliment it's not. People appreciate honesty.

More crap covers please, maybe with a caption competition.

I'll continue to read.

Martijn said...

Congratulations! Or, as we say in Dutch: gefeliciteerd. :-) I hope you keep them coming.

Mihai A. said...

Congrats James! Keep it up :)

Graeme Flory said...

Happy Birthday James! :o)

Todd Newton said...

Very exciting. It actually surprises me that this blog has only been around a year because it certainly feels like I've been reading it for longer. Oh well, anyway, we're all looking forward to what you're bringing us in 2009. Happy Blog Birthday.

James said...

Thanks all, for your blog birthday wishes! ;)

Iain - thanks, that's great to hear. And I will be checking out The Painted Man this year, thanks for the rec.

Swainson - I like the idea of a caption comp, thanks for the suggestion!

Aidan Moher said...

Congrats James!

~Aidan
A Dribble of Ink

Tia Nevitt said...

Congratulations! Time sure flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?

Francisco Norega said...

Oh, I'm a bit late but...

Congratulations! I discovered your blog a few days ago, but I already visit it daily :)

I love Fantasy and Science Fiction and I think this blog is just... amazing *.*


Keep writing, I'll keep reading ;)