Nancy Drew #2.

Wow. I realized that three years ago this week, I officially started blogging.

Yes, that’s right. On 21 February 2015, Hidden Staircase was born.

I’ve had people ask me, “Why did you start a book blog?” I usually tell them that it’s because I love to read and I wanted to have the opportunity to get Advance Review Copies (ARCs). And both of those statements are true — I do love to read, and I enjoy opportunities to read ARCs when they come my way. But that’s not really why I started Hidden Staircase.

My dad passed away on 25 December 2014. And by the end of January 2015, I found myself feeling pretty lost.

I remembered how a few years earlier I had read Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading by Nina Sankovitch. Ms. Sankovitch ended up reading a book and blogging a review every day for a year to help her work through the grief of losing her sister. I knew I couldn’t juggle work, family, AND read a book a day, but I thought starting a blog and dedicating some time to reading might be what I needed. And it was.

When I started Hidden Staircase, I honestly didn’t think anyone would stop by. But that was okay because I knew I was blogging for me. But then it turned out people DID stop by. And I found an amazing blogging community. And I realized that I was PART of this amazing blogging community. My blog became more than just getting through a rough period of time. I found I really do love to blog. Sometimes it’s a review. Sometimes it’s more of an essay. Sometimes it’s just something silly (probably involving Benedict Cumberbatch). Whatever it is, I always look forward to it.

Hidden Staircase helped me find my way through my loss, and it’s because of all of you. Thank you. Thanks to my family who supported me when I started this, and who continue to support me as I move forward. (My son had to write a “review” for class the other day and I asked him to clarify what the assignment was. He said, “You know, like you do Mom. I need to review this book.”) Thanks to all of my readers who stop by my little corner of the internet and read what I have to say. And a special thanks to those of you who reach out to connect by leaving a comment on a post. Thanks to the wonderful blogging community who make books and blogging fun. Thanks to the book loving groups I’ve found on Facebook, and my fellow tweeters on Twitter.

And an extra special thanks to all of you authors who write such wonderful stories and share them with the world. Don’t ever stop.

Thank you all. You helped me work through a tough period of my life. My blog may have started for one reason, but it continues on because of a love in my heart for reading, blogging, and this community. Here’s to the next three years.