Cinema Sips 10-Year Anniversary

To quote Barry Manilow, “Looks like we made it!”

This week marks the 10-year anniversary of Cinema Sips, and what a decade it’s been. I’m proud that the blog still feels every bit as fresh as it did back in September 2013 with my very first post, A League of Their Own (paired with a Rockford Peach Fizz), while the pictures and recipes have only gotten better with each passing year. I will probably always struggle to use WordPress, but working on my writing and mixology skills has always taken priority over working on my web design skills. I may not know what SEO is, but I have a decent grasp on commas and Campari.

When I decided to start blogging, I knew I had to pick a topic that excited me; one that didn’t feel like work each week. Enter: movies and cocktails. Writing Cinema Sips has never been a chore because I love watching movies, I love experimenting with new cocktails, and I love sharing my thoughts about the things that excite me. To create a low-pressure, fun community, I’ve purposely never tried to monetize the blog in a major way, or create a paywall, or try to get sponsors. That would make it feel like work. My Amazon Affiliate links are mostly just a helpful way to guide readers toward the movies I’m talking about. Maybe I’m doing blogging wrong in terms of the greater influencer sphere out there, but I’m doing it right for me. Hopefully, it’s right for you too.

When I was doing author events and interviews this summer in support of my debut novel Follow the Sun, I got a couple of questions over and over. Maybe you’ve wondered about them too, so I’ll address them here:

1. Will you continue the blog now that you’re a published author?
2. Will there ever be a Cinema Sips book?

To answer the first question, there would be no Follow the Sun without Cinema Sips. Exercising my writing and editing muscle each week on this blog has made me a better novelist, and the community I built helped in a million different ways when it came to getting published. I still love coming here this week, so I’m going to keep it up as long as I still feel that way. That being said, there might be a skipped week or two if I’m particularly busy with other things or need a break.

As for a Cinema Sips book, well… it’s complicated. I spent the last ten years trying to sell a fiction manuscript. Non-fiction book proposals are a whole different beast. Right now, I’m more interested in putting my energy toward the next fiction manuscript and maintaining this blog for all to enjoy. That’s not to say that if a book editor approached me about doing something I’d dismiss it automatically; it just means I’m not actively seeking that opportunity out. In short, I’m open, but my phone is not ringing off the hook like Julie Powell’s in Julie & Julia. And I’m okay with that. Que sera, sera, as Doris Day would say.

Instead of a new movie/cocktail post this week, I thought it would be more fun to share some of my previous favorites. These are posts where I felt like the pairing was spot-on, and they’re recipes I’ve made again and again. Maybe you want to mix one and join the celebration! Be sure and let me know in the comments if you have a favorite Cinema Sips pairing, or thoughts on where you’d like to see the blog go from here. I’m excited about what the next ten years will bring, and as always, from the bottom of my heart, cheers.