Our Amazing Year

To a fabulous year and many more!

This year has flown by in a blur of reading, writing, fangirling, and inappropriateness. When we went live on the First of September last year, we had no idea what the year would bring, but we were determined to share our thoughts about what we were reading, and to have fun doing it. If people actually liked and followed us, that was icing on the cake.

Now, a year later, we have the best followers in cyberspace, we’ve met authors and each other, we’ve read and discussed books we loved, books we didn’t love, and a book that broke our collective hearts. We’ve been retweeted by authors whose work we admire and respect, been mentioned on Facebook pages and web pages, met fellow bloggers who are like soul sisters, and championed our favorite alphas. All the while managing our personal lives, dealing with triumphs and tragedies.

That’s how we’d describe our year! Thank you!

Besides the amazing blog success, the Wenches have started new jobs, seen their children through new milestones, celebrated successful treatment of sick loved ones, and found lost loved ones, and are preparing to welcome our Baby Wolverine! Click through to find out how the past year has touched each of the Wenches personally.

One of Angela’s favorite author Tweets!

Angela: One thing I’ve loved over the course of the past year is that giddy feeling I have received every time an author has retweeted my Quote of the Day. It’s made me happy to realise that the blog is getting “out there”, and that more and more people are being attracted to the site. The other thing I have loved is that our blog is so diverse and, therefore, has allowed us to choose from among so many different genres to explore, whether it’s paranormal, mystery, fantasy, or m/m. This has introduced me to many different books, which I keep adding to my ever-increasing TBR list. It has also shown me that, while we don’t all love the same things, our diversity is one of our strengths.

Veronica: A lot of great things have happened for me over the past year. I’ve gotten to know my fellow Wenches better, talked with and met a few authors, done some crazy crazy things for this little scavenger hunt called GISHWHES that have changed me forever, and planned a trip to Vancouver to meet a few TV idols.

Daisy and her bestie, Guido

But the best thing that happened over the past year came out of the worst thing that happened. Daisy is my 8’ish-year-old Italian Greyhound (the little bitty kind); she adopted me from a rescue and has only lived with me for a few years. In January, she was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery. The results from that biopsy were very bad and very confusing, and I had to make a very difficult decision. Not difficult as in a decision I didn’t want to make, but difficult as in I had 3 or 4 options and not enough information to feel good about choosing any of them. We decided on Hail Mary—a second surgery, where Daisy had her upper-left jaw removed along with a few other tumors. The great news? It was only through the second surgery that we found out Daisy’s cancer wasn’t as bad as we thought and the surgery was completely curative. We couldn’t have had this information in advance, but it turns out none of the other options would have given Daisy a chance at a normal and full life. So the best thing that happened to me over the past year? My Daisy got a second third fourth chance to give hundreds more kisses on our noses and to get lots and lots of love.

We can’t wait to meet Wolverine!

Anne: I’m sure you are all wondering what a baby Wolverine is. Well, my news for the last year is that I’m pregnant!! I’m due January 6th. So, after three years of friendship, the Wenches will have our very first baby member. Where did the name come from? It was actually Head Wench Barb’s idea. My husband and I were trying to come up with a nickname to call the baby that wasn’t something overly cutesy like peanut or tootsie, because that doesn’t really fit us. So, like I always do when I need advice or suggestions, I presented it to the Wenches. Barb suggested that we choose a badass name, since, obviously, I want a badass child. We debated Bones, Vlad, Rhage, Barrons, Ryodan... all the usual UF suspects. But, ultimately, after Barb brought it up, I decided to go with Wolverine. Mostly so I wouldn’t have to explain it to everyone who asked (my husband included). Besides, Wolverine is one of the ultimate badass characters out there. That pretty much sums up my news for the year!

Zee & Barb on the Mall!

Zee: I haven’t really had a great past few years. The highlights definitely include getting to know the Wenches and realizing that I have friends in every corner of this world. This past year, hands down, the best thing that happened was getting to meet and hang out with Barb (yes, Head Wench Barb). I never imagined I would ever get to MEET her, let alone spend three weekends with her. Three AMAZING weekends. The universe just made it happen, I was on the other side of the world, and never though it would happen. But it did, and it was epic.

The other highlights, meeting Wench Amanda and Guest Wench Jen!!! It was AWESOME!!! And my special birthday call to a very dear friend in Iceland. Sometimes, it’s the small things in life that make the bad days worth getting through. Let me just say, I have good memories to last me through a lot of bad days, thanks to the awesome friends I’ve made online.

Kathi: Hanging out with the Wenches has broadened my horizons considerably in all sorts of ways. Not the least of which are having a great group of women to talk to and new readers to join us. I got to meet one of my favorite authors face-to-face, and she actually knew who the Saucy Wenches were when I said I was one!!! I’ve been embroiled in the greatest fictional love affair of my life (with Jamie Fraser, aye) thanks to the Wenches, and I’ve gotten to know a lot of these wonderful ladies a lot better. Having friends all over the world is fun, and a great way to stay reminded it’s a great big world...and a small one, at the same time.

The most exciting Wench thing for me this year was when Wench Merit flew halfway around the world to visit me! She emailed me that she would soon be flying into New York City and could drop by for a visit. After making sure she realized I lived another 2500 miles further west, ha ha, I wasn’t sure whether to fangirl or panic!! (My daughter’s reaction didn’t help: “That seems like a looooooong trip just to see you, mom.”) But when I saw her walking toward me at the airport, I felt like I’d known her forever!

Merit & Kathi—they even pose alike!

We live in completely opposite climates, so we explored some of the beautiful waterfalls, rain forests, and rugged beaches that I live near. And all along the way we talked! It was so much fun to spend time with someone who loves books and LOTS of other things as much as I do, and also can teach me a lot about a part of the world I’m unfamiliar with. And bonus!!! We got to meet our dear book friend Jane and spend a couple of evenings with her!! And Jane has actually visited faraway Beta, so we loved hearing all about that, and especially how to pronounce Beta’s name. ;-) This was such a remarkable experience, and I look forward to more Wench visits, whenever we can arrange them. I have no idea whether I’ll be lucky enough to visit Wench Merit in her own country, but it’s definitely on my wish list now!

Zee, Amanda, and Barb—too cute!

Amanda: This past year has been full of highs and lows. I am very happy to be part of this blog with this amazing group of women. The best part is that I got to meet two of them, Barbara and Zee, TWICE!! When you meet someone online, and then in person, you realize all the things that your online friendship is missing out on. I love them, and I hope we can get together many more times to come! My biggest news from the past year is that my husband got a new job! It’s the dream job he’s been looking for, and we are so very blessed. My four children will all be in school soon, and with three of them in transition years (6th grade, 4th grade, 1st grade, and preK), the year ahead should be challenging, but hopefully fun!

Shau: An exciting thing for me was that I was able to write two blog posts and they ended up ON a blog. That's a big achievement for a non-writer type person!!

Donna: This last year has been very enlightening for me. I cringe slightly when I read over my first posts, because my writing style was—well, let’s just say my nervousness came through in spades. Successful writers will frequently give advice to new writers by telling them to write, write, write. It’s true—the more you write, the better you become. I know, for me personally, I’m more comfortable writing my posts now than when I first began.

I’d like to say “thank you” to all the past and present Saucy Wenches. You are funny, inspirational, supportive, helpful, and beautiful. Barb, you have been our rock, our general, and our biggest cheerleader. Thank you for all your hard work and keeping us all on task.

It’s a special joy when you check the blog and see the number of people who have taken the time to read your post. If they have taken the time to comment, it’s such a compliment. I have to say, having an author of the book/subject you’ve been discussing respond in some way—well, that’s just a jump-up-and-down fangirl moment! Literally. The amazing Jeaniene Frost commented on my Fangirl Fridays post, and I was just beside myself! Some of the Wenches have met each other, but I haven’t had the privilege...yet. I feel I know these ladies very well, and hope the future brings us together somehow. They’ve made such a difference to my life, and I hope they know how much I love and admire them.

Beta: Wow, has it been a year already? The old saying, “time flies when you’re having fun”, fits very well. It’s been so great and so much fun working with the Wenches on the blog, and having the chance to get to know them even better than before, and it is pretty amazing to be able to say I have friends from all over the world.

One of the things that has made my day so many times is seeing how more and more authors and readers are noticing our blog, seeing them giving us a shout-out here and there and making time to comment and chat with us—y’all rock!

I love to travel, so one of the highlights for me was when I traveled with my sister to London and Brighton last October for a long weekend—and had a great time. And even though I don’t travel that often, I will be going to one of my favorite cities, Edinburgh, next October, and I just wish that some of the Wenches lived there!

Also, earlier this year, I was at the right time and the right place when my bff got a special phone call on her birthday from Wench Zee, so I was lucky enough to have a chat with her, too!!! That was so cool... oh the little things that make one happy.

Beta & Jane

One of THE biggest highlights of this past year for me was an EPIC visit from my dear, dear friend Jane who lives in the USA, whom I got to know through our love of books. Had someone told me a few years ago that this would happen, I wouldn’t have believed it. But it did, and more than once, and I just hope it happens a lot more in the future. And I can only hope that, one day, I will have the chance to travel to visit her, and hopefully get so lucky as to meet my fellow Wenches. That would be a dream come true. One day that WILL happen.

Natalie: I have had a very up-and-down year. So my Wench highlight is as simple as a guest post here in January led to becoming a full-time Wench in June. Which greased the way to life moving forward again with jobs, family, friends, and maybe even love.

Barbara: My year has been one of the most remarkable of my life. And that is not an exaggeration. I visited New Orleans and Chicago, two cities I had never been to, for Wenchy, geeky, fangirly fun. I met three of my

Natalie, Barb, Anne, & Care at the recent CN signing

four favorite authors, Jeaniene Frost, Karen Marie Moning, and Chloe Neill. (Stacia Kane, meeting you is on my bucket list, Madam!) My posts have been retweeted, shared, and commented on by some of the best authors in urban fantasy. I received the best autograph a girl could ask for, courtesy of Wench Kathi and Chloe Neill. I’ve hung out with Amanda, Anne, Natalie, Care, guest Wench Jennifer, and my dearest friend, Zee. I’ve had dinner with Chloe Neill and her lovely assistant, Krista, as well as their husbands. I can’t believe I managed to type that sentence without shouty capitals! I was united with a long-lost family member, with whom I am developing an amazing bond. Whew! What.a.year! There are a couple of things that would have made my year perfect, but I am awed by how spectacular it has been. And I can.not.WAIT to see what the next year will bring!


From Wenches getting together despite oceans between our homes, to being noticed by authors, to dining with a favorite author, to life-changing events such as Baby Wolverine and finding long-lost family... this year has been remarkable. And we’re just getting started. We thank you for joining us, and hope you’ll stick around for our further adventures!