Blogger's Blog Interview

Blogger Interview
Intended for Jan 13th, but posted today: Jan 16 2013

Hello Anna,  I loved all the questions you sent me for my interview and I hope I can do justice to you with mine... and if you don't mind, I'd like to know some of the same things you asked me.  Your blog is amazing!  Thank you for the compliment I work hard to maintain my blog.
 
With such an amazing and in depth blog, how do you keep up with it?  Tell us about your blogging secrets... the little things you wished someone had told you when you started.

Keeping up with it wow that is a loaded question LOL .  Keeping up with it and running my blog tour services as well is a full time hobby….err job. I have multiple planners and note books to keep me going, but soon I will have it all in one place. An author friend created me a planner specifically for my needs it is fantastic and I am patiently waiting for it to get here. 

As for secrets I just try to simplify everything and make it all look clean. I recently wrote an ad for an emag on how to have a good spotlight.  Here is my article “How to make a good spotlight post?
When Nikki asked me if I would like to write something up on “How to Do a Good Spotlight” I was at a loss for words. I am not a writer. I am an avid reader and have a book blog where I like to spread the word about awesome books I read and the authors who write them.

In my opinion I am not a writer. I do write reviews and to me this is not writing just my personal opinion. But I will take this opportunity to show the steps I take when posting to my blog. Most people tend to treat a spotlight like a copy and paste post which by all means it is I copy and paste as well. I just take it one step further, adding something extra by using images and text I create in Photoshop. I want the post to stand out and catch someone’s eye, drawing attention to the post, making the reader want to continue reading.

I follow a lot of blogs who do spotlights. Their process is to spotlight the book using the cover only. This is fine, but at times this is just not enough. The blogger usually copy and pastes into the post making it really noticeable. A tinted or colored background shows white patches or whatever color it is copied from and does not provide a smooth transition when using the copy and paste technique so if using this technique please make sure to paste in plain text and not just paste. A good post should flow and not stand out in contrast to the rest of the post.

 For example if viewing something on my blog I have a purple background you want the text to appear on the purple background as if I typed it and not just pasted it there. It would look funny if I just pasted something there and it takes on the background of what I copied it from. This is really not appeasing to look at all the time. So just make sure you paste in plain text or remove the formatting.

When using quotes on my blog, the background color is teal. This still blends with my background and does not jump out at you as being different, but it does get your attention. When using images to enhance the post, use a PNG image which is an image with a transparent background this allows the colors of the blog to show through. Copying and pasting an image produces a contrast, again this technique does not proved a smooth transition and looks as if it does not belong, like it is in its own little world.

Me as a blogger I want all of my post to stand out and not look like everyone else. I want the author that I spotlight or their books to shine. I want to give them the best post I can even if it means taking that small extra step. The information provided in the post should be a part of the post, not appear to be an intruder. This is what I do in order to do a spotlight. But what I do may not work for someone else. 

I know that blogging has influenced your reading habits.  With as many people submitting books for reviews and blog tours, how do you prioritize?  Do you read books that you normally would not have read now that you have your own blog? 

How has blogging affected the rest of your life? Or is it so time consuming that you don't have time for another life... LOL? “ 
What I would say is I would not wish my start at blogging on any one. I had some really negative remarks about my blog and I still get them from time to time. Now I just grin and bear it lol. I cannot make everyone happy but I do my best to try and make at least some happy. As for me I try and help anyone I possibly can.  I think bloggers should stick together and not make things into competition. After all I believe we have the same goal in mind at least I hope so. My goal is to share with the world one awesome book and/or author at a time. Bring awesome authors to the attention of everyone whether they are Indie or Traditionally Published it does not matter. Reading broadens the mind and someone who does not read is truly missing out.


What is your most memorable blogging moment so far, good or bad? 
My most memorable was being selected to attend BEA (Book Expo America) the biggest book convention there is only a little over a month after I first started blogging. That was an experience I will never forget and one I hope to experience again.

You know this question is more than a little unfair because you asked it first. If you could choose only one book to own, which one would, you choose? 
Okay this one will come as a shock considering what my favorite genre is now. Are you ready for it ……………..here comes my answer………………….brace yourself……………… Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I absolutely love that book.

Here is another question that I can't help returning to you because it is so awesome and difficult!!  :)
Name 3 books and 3 Authors that you Highly Recommend? That is 3 Indie/Self Published and 3 Traditional? So that is a Total of 6 Authors and Books.
Indie
Katie Salidas
MaryLynn Bast
Susan Griscom

Traditional
Adrian Phoenix
Yasmine Galenorn
Caitlin Kittredge



How did you get started in blogging? 
One day I was on twitter tweeting with the awesome Jennifer L. Armentrout and she gave me a copy of Daimon to read and to let her know what I thought. Well like everyone else I loved it and told her I could put a review up on Goodreads if she liked, because I did not have a blog. This was October of 2011. She said I should get a blog and I told her I did not even know where to start and that is when she told me I needed to get one because she knew I could run a good blog. So, I started looking into setting up a blog. I first tried Wordpress and was not at all impressed so I gave Blogger a try and found that I liked it. Maybe a week after starting my blog—still no post at all on it—I received an email from Stacey from Entangled Publishing saying she heard about me through Jennifer Armentrout and was wondering if I wanted to participate in a blog tour for Jus Accardo with her book Touch. I said sure what do I need to do? I am new at this. The rest is history. I have been blogging for a little over a year now.

What are your goals for your blog short term and long term?  What do you want your followers to gain from it?
I really only have one goal and that is to bring awareness to amazing authors one book at a time. I have also started blog tour services at reasonable prices to a help authors out that way as well.  What I would love for my followers to gain is a never ending TBR Pile LOL. I want my followers to join me on my journey of traveling from place to place.

Just for Fun  (your "just for fun" was so fun that I thought I'd like to hear your answers too!!!)

Favorite New Release?
Not Yet Released But My Answer is On Midnight Wings by Adrian Phoenix

Favorite Male Hero?
Dante Baptiste

Favorite Female Heroine?
D’Artigo Sisters from Yasmine Galenorn Series The Other World Series AKA Sisters of the Moon

Favorite Genre?
Paranormal and Erotica and if they are combined that is almost perfect.

Favorite Place to Read?
Anywhere my family will leave me be lol

Hardcopy or Ebook?
I love my kindle but I will always choice print over digital nothing like the smell and feel of holding a real book in my hands.

Kindle or Nook? 
I own a kindle now and have a nook on the way so I cannot yet say which one I would prefer out of the 2

Male POV or Female POV? 
It does not matter to me as long as the story is good. I do prefer 1st person over 3rd unless the author is good at 3rd person and can make for a smooth transition between characters.

THANK YOU!!!! It is great to learn more about you!  I plan to frequent your blog often!!!