BBAW: Blogger Interview

On a whim, I decided to sign up for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. 

It is being hosted by The Estella Society.

I missed the prompt for the first day, so I'm not off to a good start, but I have been having a great time getting to know Tif!

She came up with this great idea to do an interview on the run. We asked each other a couple of questions, wrote answers, and asked more questions. It was really fun to exchange emails this way, and it made the interview more of a conversation.

Interview on the Run

For your convenience I'll color code who is who.

Me

Tif

Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging almost 9 years ago because it was the new thing among my IRL friends. They were blogging about their families, but I decided to go with books instead because I didn't feel comfortable sharing so many details about my babes on the internet.  I had no idea that the book blogging community existed, but I eventually stumbled upon it and the rest is history!  

What are your favorite kinds of blog posts to read?

All about books, of course!  I love to hear other's thoughts on books that I have read, but I these days I tend to gravitate more to book discussion posts in general, whether it may be book lists or thoughts on the literary community.

Now, your turn . . .

Tell me about your blog.  How long have you been blogging?  What are your favorite things to write about?  

What do you do in your spare time, when you are not reading or blogging?

I have been blogging for 4 years now.

My favorite things to write about are going to author events with my friends, and I enjoy doing my Fan Art Fridays.

I love video games, I play the clarinet, and I cross stitch, but since we recently bought a house, I've been spending a lot of time on home projects. We are remodeling my daughter's room, and I need to get a nursery put together before my baby is born. I also like to watch movies.

How about you? What do you do when you aren't reading, blogging, or writing?

Tell me a little bit about your family. Siblings? Kids? Spouse? Pets?

We have a bit in common!!  We just bought a house in September, and let me tell you ... It is a fixer-upper!  We have been working every chance we get to paint, remodel, clean, unpack, etc.  I won't even tell you how many boxes we still have laying around unopened or partially unpacked.  I can't even unpack many boxes because the rooms are simply not ready yet! Someday . . .

Besides the house, I also love to spend time with my family, especially playing outdoors and in the mountains.  I usually take my camera along and snap a few (okay, a LOT) of pictures along the way as well.

And, speaking of my family ... I have been married to my amazing husband for almost 16 years and we have two kids, a boy and a girl.  We also have a dog named Lily Harper, and yes, she is named after literary characters!  

You're turn again!  

Who are some of your favorite authors and/or books that you think everyone else should be reading?  

And, since you mentioned that you love to attend author events, can you share a favorite or two of the ones you have attended?

To see my answers and the rest of our Interview on the Run, head on over to Tif's blog.

p.s. Don't you love her heading? So colorful and fun!

p.p.s. Thanks for this awesome idea Tif! It was SO much fun chatting with you!

Blogger Interview

 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa from Bookmark Dragon. I've recently discovred Melissa's blog, and I really like her Weekly Words posts. Melissa and I haven't met yet, but I'm hoping we'll get to see each other this weekend at the Utah Book Month Bash.

1.    If you could have a story written about you, what author would you pick to write it and why?

If I could choose anyone it would probably be Jane Austen, for obvious reasons. She's the bomb. Plus, she would probably turn my life into a romantic comedy, which wouldn't make me complain one bit.

2.    What is the best and worst thing about blogging?

I think the best thing is the book recommendations I get from others! Reading a book review where the reviewer is gushing their eyeballs out is just the greatest thing. Several of my favorite books were found that way, and it's one of my favorite things when someone else tells me they loved a book they read on my recommendation!

The worst thing is probably the constraints that blogging puts on my reading time! It's ironic that I sometimes resent the hours I have to spend blogging about books when I would rather be reading books instead, but there you go.

3.    If you could meet any author (dead or alive) who would it be and why?

Definitely J.K. Rowling. I'm a die hard Potter fan, so that one's a given.

4.    What is your favorite thing about Utah?

My favorite thing about Utah is Zupas. I know that's kind of a lame answer, but I lived in Indiana for three years before moving to Utah, and I really missed it! I could eat their cranberry turkey sandwiches and cauliflower soup FOREVER.

5.    What do you like to see on other blogs?

I'm open to a lot of different kinds of content, but I get really excited when I see posts that analyze book covers. Book covers are incredibly influential on readers' perceptions and expectations, and as a result, on their experience with the book, and I feel like it's rare that a cover just NAILS the feel and content of a book. So I like reading people's thoughts on covers: what works, what doesn't, what differences are made on the cover art from country to country and from decade to decade. The topic just fascinates me, and I love reading what others think!

6.    A lot of people feel like the blogging world is dying. What your thoughts on that?

i sure hope not, because I just got here!! There are still hundreds of active book blogs out there, and so long as people are reading them, I think we can safely say that book blogging is alive and well!

7.    What are the top 5 books that influenced your life?

Each of these books changed me in a real and profound way at one point in my life.

- The Giver by Lois Lowry

- Life of Pi by Yann Martel

- Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn

- Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

- The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

8.    What is your bookish pet peeve?

I really hate it when people disrespect other people's reading choices. Whether you're a sci-fi fan, or a romance fan, or a Dickens fan, or whatever else . . . I wish we would all just live and let live. I recently wrote a whole blog post on the subject, actually!

9.    Do you have a bookish quirk?

I always flip to the back and read the author bio before starting a book. I just like knowing a little about who's head the story came from!

10.    Who is your literature crush?

Your question assumes that I have just one crush . . . just kidding. :)

My literature crush is probably Jamie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Phew that's one smoking Scot!

Thanks so much for letting me interview you Melissa!!

Keep in touch with Melissa

Blog - Twitter - Google+

Meet Stephanie

Blogger Spotlight

Stephanie and I have not have the pleasure of meeting face to face, but from what I gather from our brief emails and her blog she is a lovely and ambitious person! We are both gamers and love animals! I thought that was pretty cool! I'm excited to share my interview with her and introduce you to her blog!

Without further delay, I'd like to introduce you to Stephanie from:

What Utah author would you choose to write your biography and why?

Jessica Day George. I like her writing style. She's one of the few authors in the world who've managed to land on my "buy without question" list. Meaning, for me it doesn't matter what she writes (within reason), I'll be buying it. I think she could make even my boring life history funny with her humor and witty style.

What do you love about blogging?

I love that blogging made me several good friends over the years. Friends who've become a listening ear when I need to vent or when I'm ready to throw in the towel on writing. Even friends who've become listeners for the non-writing part of my life.

What do you hate about blogging?

The pressure to reinvent myself with each blog post yet stay the same so I maintain an audience. After four years of blogging that pressure has grown exponentially.

What book would you love to have turned into a video game?

I would love to see Tamora Pierce's books turned into video games. Either her Song of the Lioness series or her Immortals series. Especially if Lego got involved and made it into one of their awesome games. If they did that, I'd be scrimping and saving to buy whatever console they released it on in addition to the game.

Who is your literature crush?

My literature crush is probably a tie between Belgarath (I know he's wicked old but he's hilarious and totally awesome so my crush is absolutely platonic. I just adore him.), Silk (also from David Eddings' series of the Belgariad and the Mallorean), and George Cooper, from Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series.

For you, what does the perfect story have in it?

The perfect story has characters I want to root for and action beyond "get character A and character B to kiss and be a couple." Sorry, romance writers, but I need more than just will-they-won't-they action.

What is your favorite thing about Utah?

My favorite thing about Utah is that I always know which direction I'm going and how to get to most places in the valley. I studied abroad one term in college and lived in Colorado for just over a year. Both times I was completely disoriented every time I had to go somewhere. I never knew which direction was which. Also, I adore the grid system.

What is the book and/or series that made you love reading?

For this one, I probably have to go with either Nancy Drew or the Saddle Club series. I loved both as a kid and had dozens of the latter. I was notorious for staying up until 2 in the morning in elementary school to finish another book.

Did your parents read to you as a kid? If so, then what was your favorite bedtime story?

My parents did read to me. The first books I ever remember reading on my own were ones my dad helped me learn to read with. And those books still hold a dear place in my heart. If I'm ever asked for my favorite books of all time they're top on that list. I also distinctly remember a phase where I made my mom read "Horton Hears a Who" every night before bed. It's a long Dr. Seuss book so it was probably a delaying tactic when I didn't want to go to bed. But never deny books to someone.

What is your favorite fairy tale and why?

My favorite fairy tale is probably "Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle" collected by the Brothers Grimm. I like the message it sends a lot. Sure she ends up with the prince, but only after she's already made a modest success of her life and she is active in getting the prince. And the prince is awesome because he's looking for a girl who's happy with the barest of basics, not some spoiled rich girl/princess.

Thank you so much Stephanie for this fun interview! I'm glad I got to spotlight you!

To get in contact with Stephanie you can find her here:

http://www.stephanie-mcgee.com/
stephanie@stephanie-mcgee.com
@StephanieLMcgee

Blogger Interview

Utah Book Month Blogger Interview

I received the pleasure of interviewing Kathy From Read This Instead.  Kathy and I have not had the opportunity to meet face to face, but I'm sure we'll run into each other soon at some library event.  From what I've gathered via Twitter and Email, she is a very kind and awesome lady!  

Here are My Questions and Her Answers:

1.    If you could have a story written about you, what author would you pick to write it and why?

For my "adult" life (being married/having kids) I'd pick Shannon Hale because I think she could manage to find a plot in all the diaper changing/dinner making/play grouping that goes on.  But if it were my teen years, definitely E. Lockhart.  She could capture all the over thinking and angst and annoying-ness of that time and still make me a likeable character.

2.    What is the best and worst thing about blogging?

The best for me is getting to know other bloggers and making bookish friends.
The worst is when I don't have time to blog, or I can't come up with anything interesting to post about.

3.    What are the top 5 books that have changed your life?

Harry Potter, because it's the first thing I read as an adult and really liked.
The Hunger Games, because it proved there were other books besides Harry Potter that I could enjoy.
Pride and Prejudice, because it showed me I could enjoy a book later in life that I didn't like in high school.
Fanny's Dream, because it's just a cute children'd book.

4.    What are some of the perks of being a Utah Blogger?

We have such a great community of bloggers!  I love that there are so many events and that everyone is really friendly.  I started out not knowing any other Utah Bloggers and was worried I'd feel stupid going to stuff.  But everyone has been incredibly nice.

5.     If you could meet any author (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

I don't think I'd want to actually meet anyone - just because I manage to say or do really silly and embarrassing things at author meets and greets.  Like, seriously embarrassing.  I won't even go into details.  But I love to listen to the different lectures authors give at the library.  I just get nervous and silly talking to them afterward.

6.    How do you find the time to read and keep up with your blog while running a home with 2 cute little boys?

Thanks :) Sometimes I just don't.  I've been blogging since March of last year and I've already gone on a hiatus twice because I had too many other things going on.  But I really like blogging and all the friends I've made from it, so I try to post here and there when I get a chance or my kiddos are asleep.  lately I've been focusing more on visiting other blogs than writing my own posts.

7.    What is one book you think everyone should read in their lifetime?

I don't think there's one particular book that would work for everyone.  So my cop out answer is whatever book will make them realize it's fun to read.  For me, that was the Harry Potter series.

8.    What are your ultimate blogging goals?

To create good relationships with other bloggers, and to have my blog content be as interesting as I can make it.

9.    What do you like to see on other people's blogs?

I love book reviews, especially if they're in a more unconventional format.  And I really like the occasional personal post.  Blogging is such a social thing for me, so I really like feeling like I get to know other bloggers.

10.   What advice would you like to give other bloggers?

Have fun!  Comment on other people's blogs.  And don't worry too much about followers/page views/stats.  I worried about that way too much in the beginning.

Great answers!  Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions, and thanks for contributing to the great literature crowd we have here in Utah! 

Keep in touch with Kathy:

Read This Instead

@kathyreadthis

kathyreadthis@gmail.com

p.s.  Leaving a comment will get you another entry in my Utah Book Month Giveaway!