Since it's obviously your first site, go ahead and use a free host that will accept Wordpress (pick the simplest theme you can find), and use the site as your training platform for learning how to build a site and its traffic. For the next two months, set up your schedule, review the best tutorials (such as the stickies on BHW, or from 'case-study SEO' sites like Matthew Woodward's) on successful blog and link development.
Slowly add 100 quality links over the weeks, then see how well it works as far as ranking is concerned. You'll then have enough experience to proceed with more sites, and with using good paid hosting plans.