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Kim, a blog book reviewer over at www.cadburypom.wordpress.com has awesomely agreed to share her thoughts and answer some questions with you, the writer, in mind. I'm so excited to have her on my site! Please help me welcome her!
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So, before I give you some questions, I'd like to introduce you, Kim. Can you start with some of your interests? Your background? Things like how long you've been reviewing books and what got you started?
I was a children's librarian for twenty-six years before poor health forced me to retire early. One of the things I really missed was discussing books. I was still writing reviews for my library's blog, but there was still something missing. Then last summer, I stumbled across Wordpress and knew this online community was for me.
Why do you review books and what genres are your favorite?
I review books because they're a passion/obsession of mine. What I love about being part of Wordpress is that not only do I get to post reviews about books I've loved (or in rare cases, hated), but I've met such wonderful people around the world who also share my interests. I read books in just about every genre, but my favorites are: High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal Romance, Mystery, Suspense, and Historical Fiction. I also read a lot of YA fiction which I think my blog reflects. This goes back to my days of giving book talks and hosting book clubs for kids at the library where I worked.
Id' like to hear about the books you review. I see they are "e-Arcs" from NetGalley, Can you tell us more about this site? Do you review only self-published books, or are they're traditionally published books in this mix?
The majority of books I review are e-Arcs from Netgalley which I blame on my utter lack of self-control in requesting books! For anyone who isn't familiar with NetGalley or it's counterpart Edelweiss, these are places where bloggers, booksellers, and librarians can request e-Arcs from participating publishers in return for reviewing them on those sites as well as their blogs, Goodreads, Amazon, etc. This is a great opportunity to preview books, and they offer a wide variety from indie publishers as well as major ones like Disney, St. Martins, Simon & Schuster, and Doubleday.
What makes you enjoy a book, and what makes it fall flat? Details! We writers want to know!
What makes a book a success for me is if it has characters that I like and become emotionally invested in. If there isn't at least one character who I become attached to, then I usually find myself struggling to finish the book. There also has to be a "hook", something or someone that immediately grabs you and leaves you wanting more.
If you could choose between a book with a strong protagonist or one with a detailed, intricate plot, which would you choose? Why?
If I had to choose between a book with a strong protagonist or one with a detailed, intricate plot, I'd definitely choose the strong protagonist. In my experience, if you don't like any of the characters, then how can you care what happens to them no matter how good the world-building is?
Got a favorite book? (no, you can't use Harry Potter. Sorry! Too easy!) One from the books you've reviewed. I'm curious to know why it lingered. What made it special?
Oh gosh. A favorite book? And Sue has said I can't use Harry Potter! In that case I'm actually going to list two; a classic, as well as a new book I read this year. One of my fondest childhood memories is of my father and I reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was ten-years-old. I was instantly captivated by Lucy Pevensie and her brothers and sister. We went on to read the entire series over the course of one summer, and it's something I'll always treasure. I think it's what started my love of fantasy in all its forms. This year has ushered in some pretty impressive debuts and although it's difficult to choose there's one in particular that keeps popping up in my mind: Simon vs the Homo Sapien's Agenda, by Becky Albertalli. It's an adorable, YA novel about a teenager coming to terms with his own sexuality and how it will affect his family and friends. Simon is a sweet, funny character who you immediately are drawn to, and the story is incredibly well-written and includes touching emails between Simon and the mysterious "Blue" who is having difficulty accepting his own sexuality and because of this is fearful of meeting in person. It's one of those books that adults will love as much as teens. With all the recent success of YA books being turned into movies like John Green's The Fault in My Stars, I'm hoping Simon also gets picked up by Hollywood. I already have my dream cast in mind!
In your opinion, do you feel e-books keep your attention as well as a printed copy? Do you feel e-books (assuming they're self-published) in general are as well crafted as a book that's gone through a traditional publishing process?
I've had mixed results regarding e-books vs print books. I have a Kindle which I love, but I still buy and borrow "regular books". At any given time I'm reading one ebook and one traditional book. While I don't know what I'd do without my Kindle, there's just something about reading a print book that in my opinion no e-reader can possibly capture. The smell, the sound and feel of the pages beneath your fingers... It's all part of what makes reading such a wonderful experience. One of the things I do love about ebooks are some of the self-published books, or books made available by smaller, independent publishing houses. I just finished one by Tamara Lowery called Blood Curse, which sets vampirates and other paranormal and mythological creatures in 1700s Caribbean, and was instantly hooked! Tamara was kind enough to send me the three others she's written so far in the Waves of Darkness series and I'm hoping to take a break soon from my NetGalley obligations so I can dive back into them. There's another book/ author I've fallen in love with which began on Wattpad and was only recently picked up by Skyscape. It's called The Casquette Girls, by Alys Arden, and it's a beautifully detailed and compelling read. One more example I'd like to mention is Jonathan Ferrara whose books are published by Dragonwell Publishing. He's written two amazing paranormal novels for middle-school and YA readers - Elijah Dart: Angel of Death, and The Blackwell Family Secrets: The Guardians of Sin. They're both going to be series so I'm looking forward to seeing where Jonathan takes his characters next. These books are prime examples of the benefits of having an e-reader. Without one I never would have "met" these amazing authors and read their work.
We all have them, pet peeves. What are yours?
As an avid reader I definitely have a few pet peeves. These include: unlikable protagonists, cases of the dreaded "insta-love", and unsatisfying endings. I don't mind cliffhangers per se as long as they're well written, and they don't make me feel as though I were being manipulated.
Any sage words of advice to share with writers?
Hmm. Sage advice for fellow writers. Given that I've been suffering from writer's block since March, I'm not sure if I'm in a good position to offer any words of wisdom. I will say write about what you know and love what you write. If you enjoy it and it's something you would pick out to read for yourself, then I believe others will like it as well. If you do suffer a bout of writers block, don't force it. One thing I've been trying is free writing, where you sit down and write everything you can about your topic for ten minutes. If other things pop into your head, write those down as well. Since I started doing this recently I've found it helps untangle my muddled thoughts, and I've been able to actually start on the second draft of my book. Writing should never be work, rather it should be something that you can't wait to return to. Try not to get bogged down with thoughts of sending your creation off to publishers and the long road ahead. Just find your ideal writing space wherever that is and let your creative juices flow.
Thank you to Sue for inviting me to guest post on her wonderful blog!
And thank you, Kim, for sharing such wonderful insights!
Happy writing!
Sue
*********
So, before I give you some questions, I'd like to introduce you, Kim. Can you start with some of your interests? Your background? Things like how long you've been reviewing books and what got you started?
I was a children's librarian for twenty-six years before poor health forced me to retire early. One of the things I really missed was discussing books. I was still writing reviews for my library's blog, but there was still something missing. Then last summer, I stumbled across Wordpress and knew this online community was for me.
Why do you review books and what genres are your favorite?
I review books because they're a passion/obsession of mine. What I love about being part of Wordpress is that not only do I get to post reviews about books I've loved (or in rare cases, hated), but I've met such wonderful people around the world who also share my interests. I read books in just about every genre, but my favorites are: High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal Romance, Mystery, Suspense, and Historical Fiction. I also read a lot of YA fiction which I think my blog reflects. This goes back to my days of giving book talks and hosting book clubs for kids at the library where I worked.
Id' like to hear about the books you review. I see they are "e-Arcs" from NetGalley, Can you tell us more about this site? Do you review only self-published books, or are they're traditionally published books in this mix?
The majority of books I review are e-Arcs from Netgalley which I blame on my utter lack of self-control in requesting books! For anyone who isn't familiar with NetGalley or it's counterpart Edelweiss, these are places where bloggers, booksellers, and librarians can request e-Arcs from participating publishers in return for reviewing them on those sites as well as their blogs, Goodreads, Amazon, etc. This is a great opportunity to preview books, and they offer a wide variety from indie publishers as well as major ones like Disney, St. Martins, Simon & Schuster, and Doubleday.
What makes you enjoy a book, and what makes it fall flat? Details! We writers want to know!
What makes a book a success for me is if it has characters that I like and become emotionally invested in. If there isn't at least one character who I become attached to, then I usually find myself struggling to finish the book. There also has to be a "hook", something or someone that immediately grabs you and leaves you wanting more.
If you could choose between a book with a strong protagonist or one with a detailed, intricate plot, which would you choose? Why?
If I had to choose between a book with a strong protagonist or one with a detailed, intricate plot, I'd definitely choose the strong protagonist. In my experience, if you don't like any of the characters, then how can you care what happens to them no matter how good the world-building is?
Got a favorite book? (no, you can't use Harry Potter. Sorry! Too easy!) One from the books you've reviewed. I'm curious to know why it lingered. What made it special?
Oh gosh. A favorite book? And Sue has said I can't use Harry Potter! In that case I'm actually going to list two; a classic, as well as a new book I read this year. One of my fondest childhood memories is of my father and I reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was ten-years-old. I was instantly captivated by Lucy Pevensie and her brothers and sister. We went on to read the entire series over the course of one summer, and it's something I'll always treasure. I think it's what started my love of fantasy in all its forms. This year has ushered in some pretty impressive debuts and although it's difficult to choose there's one in particular that keeps popping up in my mind: Simon vs the Homo Sapien's Agenda, by Becky Albertalli. It's an adorable, YA novel about a teenager coming to terms with his own sexuality and how it will affect his family and friends. Simon is a sweet, funny character who you immediately are drawn to, and the story is incredibly well-written and includes touching emails between Simon and the mysterious "Blue" who is having difficulty accepting his own sexuality and because of this is fearful of meeting in person. It's one of those books that adults will love as much as teens. With all the recent success of YA books being turned into movies like John Green's The Fault in My Stars, I'm hoping Simon also gets picked up by Hollywood. I already have my dream cast in mind!
In your opinion, do you feel e-books keep your attention as well as a printed copy? Do you feel e-books (assuming they're self-published) in general are as well crafted as a book that's gone through a traditional publishing process?
I've had mixed results regarding e-books vs print books. I have a Kindle which I love, but I still buy and borrow "regular books". At any given time I'm reading one ebook and one traditional book. While I don't know what I'd do without my Kindle, there's just something about reading a print book that in my opinion no e-reader can possibly capture. The smell, the sound and feel of the pages beneath your fingers... It's all part of what makes reading such a wonderful experience. One of the things I do love about ebooks are some of the self-published books, or books made available by smaller, independent publishing houses. I just finished one by Tamara Lowery called Blood Curse, which sets vampirates and other paranormal and mythological creatures in 1700s Caribbean, and was instantly hooked! Tamara was kind enough to send me the three others she's written so far in the Waves of Darkness series and I'm hoping to take a break soon from my NetGalley obligations so I can dive back into them. There's another book/ author I've fallen in love with which began on Wattpad and was only recently picked up by Skyscape. It's called The Casquette Girls, by Alys Arden, and it's a beautifully detailed and compelling read. One more example I'd like to mention is Jonathan Ferrara whose books are published by Dragonwell Publishing. He's written two amazing paranormal novels for middle-school and YA readers - Elijah Dart: Angel of Death, and The Blackwell Family Secrets: The Guardians of Sin. They're both going to be series so I'm looking forward to seeing where Jonathan takes his characters next. These books are prime examples of the benefits of having an e-reader. Without one I never would have "met" these amazing authors and read their work.
We all have them, pet peeves. What are yours?
As an avid reader I definitely have a few pet peeves. These include: unlikable protagonists, cases of the dreaded "insta-love", and unsatisfying endings. I don't mind cliffhangers per se as long as they're well written, and they don't make me feel as though I were being manipulated.
Any sage words of advice to share with writers?
Hmm. Sage advice for fellow writers. Given that I've been suffering from writer's block since March, I'm not sure if I'm in a good position to offer any words of wisdom. I will say write about what you know and love what you write. If you enjoy it and it's something you would pick out to read for yourself, then I believe others will like it as well. If you do suffer a bout of writers block, don't force it. One thing I've been trying is free writing, where you sit down and write everything you can about your topic for ten minutes. If other things pop into your head, write those down as well. Since I started doing this recently I've found it helps untangle my muddled thoughts, and I've been able to actually start on the second draft of my book. Writing should never be work, rather it should be something that you can't wait to return to. Try not to get bogged down with thoughts of sending your creation off to publishers and the long road ahead. Just find your ideal writing space wherever that is and let your creative juices flow.
Thank you to Sue for inviting me to guest post on her wonderful blog!
And thank you, Kim, for sharing such wonderful insights!
Happy writing!
Sue
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