new birdHappy Blogiversary to Joyfully Jay! Today marks two years since I started the blog. I can’t believe how much has changed in such a short time.  What started as just me and a handful of readers has turned into five reviewers, tons of readers, and lots of crazy fun. I am always so excited and amazed by all the enthusiasm and support for the blog.  Although it is lots of work to manage, I am having such a good time and you all are to thank for it!

Big Thanks

Before I go too far, I need to give a few shout outs to some folks.  First, I couldn’t even do half of the stuff we do here without my amazing reviewers.  Crissy, Amy, Melanie, and Sammy give so much of their time and energy to help me review all these wonderful books.  Nothing I can do could ever compensate for all they do working so hard for this blog and they are just fabulous.  I also want to thank all the authors and publishers who have been so supportive.  From the time I was a tiny baby blog, I have been overwhelmed by how supportive folks have been.  Whether it is sending review copies of books, stopping by for guest posts, or donating prizes, everyone has been incredibly generous and encouraging.  And of course, the best reason to do this is all you amazing readers. I am thankful every day that so many of you take the time to stop by and read what I write.  I truly appreciate and read each and every comment you guys leave and love to chat with you all about books.

So big thanks and lots of love to everyone! I definitely couldn’t do it without you.

New Look

sidebar_badgeIn celebration of my blogiversary, I am so excited to roll out a bit of a new look. It it not a big change because I just did a full redesign a little over a year ago. But the amazing Rhys Ford helped me punch up some of the graphics and I think they look amazing. The colors are brighter and everything is bolder and more graphic.  The new banner is already in place at the top of the blog, as is the new Joyfully Jay badge in the sidebar and the new signature images. And over the next few weeks you should see some of the other post icons that are new and improved.

Joyfully Jay Gear (and Giveaway)

A month or two ago I was sharing a new blog t-shirt I was making on Facebook.  I had lots of folks express interest in getting one of their very own, so I decided in honor of the new artwork and our blogiversary, I’d start up a little store in Cafe Press – Joyfully Jay Gear.  I have 8 different images on a variety of cool gear, including t-shirts, mugs, bags, and water bottles.  This includes the book logo, our leaf signature image, as well as variety of banners in pink and green.  So stop on by there if you want to order some Joyfully Jay goodies.  They are great for GRL!

joyfully jay mugAlso, just to keep things simple I only added a limited number of items for each graphic.  But I can very easily add new things if you have other products you would like (different shirt styles for example). So just send me an email with what you want and I will add it to the shop for you (thongs? Snuggies?) 😉

And to make things even more fun, in honor of the blogiversary,  I will be giving away any item from the Joyfully Jay Gear store to one lucky reader. You can choose any product currently in the store.  Just leave a comment below to enter. The contest will close on Sunday, September 15th at 11:59 pm EST.

BTW, you are welcome to just leave an entry, but if you have any thoughts about the blog (good or bad – I can take it!), I’d love to here them!

So thank you all again for a great two years.  You all are incredibly amazing and the best readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers a girl could ask for!


  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.

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