Well that went well, didn’t it? I promised a Blog Spotlight winner by the end of March so that their sidebar ad could run for the month of April and we are now in April and no sign of any progress until now. My apologies – I kind of knew that this would happen (especially as I was in Palm Springs for the last part of March and unavailable for the first week of April!) and I should have really been a bit more generous with my timings.

However, there’s nothing like a bit of pressure to get things done, and I have finally, finally got my “Spotlight Winner” for April. Obviously they’ll get a full month, that goes without saying. When they get their guest post to me and the little sidebar ad, we’ll start the egg-timer, so to speak. (If you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about with this Blog Spotlight then you can get up to speed by reading the post here. It’s basically a monthly sidebar spot and guest post for one blog/website to run on A Model Recommends.)

Can I just say, before announcing the winner, that I cannot quite believe what an incredible selection of blogs and websites there are out there in the web wilderness. Talking about everything from beauty to boobs, cars to car-crash marriages – I could sit and read for hours. It has been quite a difficult process (and yes, I did have to employ help in the end!) but after the longlist and the shortlist and the second and third shortlists, we have a winner.

Ms. Magpie Writes just had me hooting with laughter from the second I began reading. This is a no-holds-barred blog about daily life, health problems and some quite detailed gynaecological disasters. It’s a massive helping of light comic relief with a sharp and witty edge and some moments are so true to life that they bring tears to your eyes. I suppose that’s because it is real life – it’s someone’s actual life. Hard to remember when it’s so well written – you could be reading the latest paperback – but it’s peppered with such candid and funny anecdotes and references that you begin to feel that Ms Magpie the writer is actually your friend next door.

I’ll be looking forward to the guest post, most definitely! Thank you to absolutely everyone who entered links to their blog or website, there are just so many that I want to now spend time trawling through. It has been very inspirational – I’m just sorry that I can’t take a few months off and enjoy them at my leisure. I’ll be looking through last month’s entries as well as new ones when I start deciding on the next winner, so don’t feel that you need to keep on entering each time. I have a little shortlist running! Of course, feel free to enter again if you like, or if you have a new guest post idea.

Here are the “rules and regulations” as per last time – please add your entry before the 30th April so that I have time to pick my way through!

What You Get in the Blog Spotlight:

1) A 300×250 adspace in the far right sidebar linking to your blog or independent website. The ad will be placed below any paid advertising that is running and will appear on every pageview (over 700,000 of them per month.)

2) A guest post of your creation (see below) with a link to your blog or website at the bottom and a short bio and description of what you do.

What you need to do to enter:

1) Leave a comment below with your name and the name of your blog/website, making sure there’s a way for me to contact you. If you sign into the comments (Disqus) with yourTwitter, Facebook or email then I’ll already have these in my system. If you sign in with a made-up name or anonymously, rectify that situation!

2) In your comment, tell me in approximately 50 words what you’d like to guest post about. It doesn’t have to be about beauty or fashion, just whatever takes your fancy that you think would make an interesting, engaging post.

The Rules:

1) Anyone of any age may enter this monthly Blog Spotlight competition, but if you’re under 16 then I’ll need a parent’s permission to feature you on A Model Recommends. You must, however, own the blog or website that you’re entering and the work must be all yours.

2) Your blog does not have to be a beauty or fashion blog! It can be a tiny blog with two followers or a bigger blog with hundreds, though I would say that if you have an enormous following already (you’ll know who you are!) then it would be nice to leave it more open to newer and smaller bloggers.

3) Entries must be in by the 30th of April 2013 to be considered for the May/June spotlight (we’re “straddling” months as I was late, see above.)

4) I always have a huge work backlog, so dates are at my discretion. Sometimes it’ll all run a bit late – that’s just life I’m afraid! (Again, see above.)

5) The winner will be judged upon their blog – the quality and originality of posts, frequency with which they appear, use of social media platforms to build an audience, that kind of thing. It won’t be a precise, scientific kind of judging because it really can’t be – of course it’s going to be somewhat subjective but that can’t be helped! They will also be judged upon the 50 word guest-post idea. I’ve shifted the emphasis from last time, because I don’t think that it’s very exciting to judge it on the guest post idea, really! I had more fun looking at blogs!

6) I reserve the right to employ helper judges if there are lots of entries but my decision will be final. I also reserve the right to withdraw an offer if for some reason the winning blog or website subsequently produces content that is deemed offensive or inappropriate.

7) There is no equivalent monetary value to this monthly prize and it’s non-transferrable.