Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

Self-published authors are shit and not worth reading.

Says some ass holes on Twitter.

In response to some stupid comments some people made over on Twitter, Jodie (over on W&SBOOKCLUB) pitched the idea of creating some content around why we love self published authors. Of course, a bunch of us loved the idea and jumped at the chance of being able to offer some support to self-published authors.

While I’d be the first to admit that I don’t really know what authors I read are self-published or not. That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate them and give them support. Over the next couple of days I’m going to be sharing some stuff with you, all focused on authors who’ve published their books themselves.

Today, I’m going to give my take on why I think the people saying self-published authors are idiots.

  1. Publishing houses are a dying breed. With more and more content being created that aren’t books, and with more and more books now sold in digital form than paperbacks, you don’t need the powerhouse support of a publisher to be able to reach readers.
  2. Part of a books revenue is given to the publisher to cover the costs of advertising, cover art etc etc etc. Some publishers even take a humongous cut leaving the authors with almost nothing being made from their books even if we’re paying upwards of AUD$20.
  3. The amount of work self-published authors put in to get their works out into the world is ridiculous. Part of my work is to write, edit and release learning materials for learners. I can tell you, the amount of time, concentration and attention to detail required to make sure those flow, don’t contradict each other etc is pain staking. And authors need to do this with a variety of characters, worlds and so many other little details. Hats off to them!

If you think it’s easy, then I challenge you to:

  • Come up with an idea people will want to read
  • Write the story out
  • Edit it (like 5 times, because that’s just what is needed)
  • Proof read it
  • Get cover art made
  • Get it up on GoodReads and/or other platforms
  • Get it out into the world (including ISBN, licensing, formatted, released)
  • Get people to read it (it’s harder than you’d think).

If you manage all that and think it’s easy, or think anyone who goes through all that effort release shit books, then I don’t think you should have an opinion on books.

If you can’t recognise the effort every single author puts into every single book, then I honestly don’t think you should be sharing any opinions about them. Every author puts in a huge effort and they should ALL be recognised and celebrated for that.

Self-published authors have an even harder time because they need to do everything. Often, they’re also working full or part time jobs to help fund their dreams of being an author. They don’t deserve hate for doing the best they can do.

I also find that usually (not always of course, but in my personal experience) they’re more friendly, open to feedback and I often end up with a great working relationship with them. To me, this is one of the best things about working with self-published authors.

Mid-Year Freak Out Tag – the 2020 edition

I discovered this tag last year and the lovely ladies over at The Book Duchesses reminded me it’s time to do this one again. If I’ve reviewed the book the cover will link to the review while you’ll also find links to the series pages for quite a few of them as well. Just in case you’d like to check out my reviews for the rest of the series!

Best book you’ve read so far

This book was so great. So many great characters and such a great story. Camilla did do well with this one that I decided I needed to go back and buy the first few books I haven’t read yet. Reviews for those will be coming once I’ve read them!

Best sequel you’ve read so far

It was a long two year wait for this one but man it was worth it! Sean definitely knows how to write suspense and thriller! The Circle-A Killings title didn’t make sense to me until I read it. But it fits perfectly and such a great follow up!

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

I totally forgot this one was coming out until I saw someone’s review of it! It’s one both my partner and I want to read. Maybe we’ll read it this yr. Maybe not?

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Definitely Our Time! I haven’t even read the second or third book but I’m already looking forward to this one!

Biggest disappointment

I was really disappointed with this one. I loved Kristin’s books last yr, but Rise of Gaia just didn’t do it for me.

Biggest surprise

I’m not really a fan of YA but Devri Walls totally surprised me with Venators! To me it read more like a NA rather than YA which explains why I liked it.

I’ve already read the sequel and the third book is coming out shortly so hopefully I’ll get to read that one this yr too.

Favourite new author (debut or new to you)

I had quite a few new authors this year, but DL Orton tops the cake. So much so I’m planning to read the next 3 books in the series this year!

But I also wanted to give Darryl A. Woods and Devri Walls shout out’s coz I really enjoyed their books!

Newest fictional crush

Jamie Carter from If I Never Met You. He’s what my partner would say is a guy that has “just the right amount of ass hole”. That guy that is nice, friendly, caring etc but at the same time not 100% PC in a way that makes him amazing.

Newest favourite character

This one was so hard!!! I like characters for different reasons. I decided to go with When Adam Met Evie because it’s set in Australia, reminded me so much of our beautiful country and at the same time stayed down to earth.

With everything Adam has going on in his life, he still managed to make his own decisions and do what was best for him. To me, that says a lot about his strength of character.

Book that made you cry

The whole Lisa Miller and AJ Williams series made me cry. Although I read Lisa’s trilogy last year and AJ’s this year so I guess his is the one I’m putting here.

Favourite book to film adaptation you’ve seen this year

I’m not sure I can count Lord of the Rings so I’m going with this. But we also re-watched LOTR a few weeks ago and I do love those movies.

Favourite review you’ve written this year

I loved Of Night and Dark Obscurity and I’m really happy with how I was able to write about it without ruining the story. Because that would’ve been too easy to do!

I might also be super proud of the banner I made for it! I mean, look at how pretty this is! This book’s cover is just amazing and made it so easy to make a pretty banner!

Most beautiful book you’ve bought or received this year

I don’t really buy many physical books so I don’t see many pretty covers. But I did buy this so I could read and review it (eventually) and it is pretty nice.

What book(s) do you need to read by the end of this year

OMG! So many! I’ve committed to the Aussie Author Challenges and I still need to read:

  • The Alchemist’s Key
  • Stray
  • Thief’s Magic
  • Ballarat Character Vol 1
  • The Landing
  • The Time Traveller’s Wife
  • Altered Carbon (need to finish it, I’m about halfway through)
  • Thirty-Eight Reasons
  • And an unknown book that has a main character who’s name starts with “U” (I need help with this one, any suggestions please give them to me!!!)

So I might have totally forgotten how difficult this is! For some of them I felt like I had too many choices, while for others I didn’t have enough!

I hope you had fun playing along with me!

2020 – The Year to Come

Happy New Year! By the time this goes live I’ll be in sunny Perth!

I’m a big believer in celebrating your successes (even if you’re your own cheer squad), looking forward and giving yourself the best opportunity possible to succeed. I did my reflection on Wednesday, so now it’s time to look towards the future.

What are my bookish goals for 2020?

This is my little reading nook with my snuggle that rotates 360 degrees.
  • Finish reviewing Tamora Pierce’s books
  • Complete series reviews for 3 other series I began in 2019
  • Kick start my book vs TV show comparisons
  • Not overwhelm myself because I apparently have no self control when it come’s to Rachel’s tours!
  • Finish my book database (this will help the next two goals)
  • Read more sci-fi
  • Read more books I already own and haven’t read yet Finish creating the new, simpler, cleaner look (all URLs for reviews will change)
  • Read a book a week (or more)

I’m a massive planner and with Rachel releasing quite a few good tours over January and February I inevitably found myself signed up for more than I intended.

Luckily a friend helped me figure out how I could create a whiteboard style yearly calendar that I can reuse every year. So I can now keep track of when I have reviews and posts planned so I don’t get overwhelmed.

My normal schedule is a review for a new read on Monday, I’ve now added in the book to film comparisons on Wednesday’s and I’m doing my series review on Friday’s still. That leaves a few days for Wrap Up posts, tags and other random little things.

Not sure if you can see how limited my review places are until April

What book challenges am I doing in 2020?

Goodreads Reading Challenge

I’ve decided to set myself a goal of 80 books for the Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge. Since I read 102 in 2019 I thought this would be a good challenge.

I didn’t want to put it any higher since I’ll be working from home now with my business.

To try and support more Aussie author’s and to connect with more local Aussie readers and bloggers I joined the Aussie Readers group on Goodreads. They do several challenges throughout the yr so I’ve signed up for two of them. If anyone would like to join any of these, you don’t need to be an Aussie to join so feel free to follow the links and join!

Aussie Author Bingo

The Rules:
#1. Aussie Authors ONLY
#2
. Read a minimum of two (2) rows – either across or down but not diagonal
#3. Where the squares overlap (if they do) you must read that square twice.
#4. Choose your rows and your LEVEL; then list (and link) your books in this challenge thread.

Make sure you check out the challenge guidelines here

There are four (4) levels of achievement:

Shelf (10 books – 2 rows)
Bookcase (15 books – 3 rows)
Library (20 books – 4 rows)
To Infinity and beyond (25 books – 5 rows)

The books I’ve chosen for this are:

Down:
a) Published 2020: The Lawson Sisters (requested on NetGalley)
b) Bright vibrant cover: The Boundary Fence (requested on NetGalley)
c) Rated 4+ by a friend: The Alchemist’s Key by Traci Harding
d) One work title: Lovestruck (requested on NetGalley)
e) Young adult: Stray

Across:
a) Rated 4+ by a friend: Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan
b) New author to you: Ballarat Charter, Volume 1
c) On TBR 2 years+: Thirty-Eight Reasons
d) Crime/Mystery: The Daughter of Victory Lights (requested on NetGalley)
e) Male author: The Landing

A-Z Characters

This one sounded like fun and a great way to expand my reading. I haven’t found characters for all the letters yet, I’m hoping as the yr goes by I’ll find some for the last couple of letters so I can finish the challenge.

So far I’ve selected 7 Aussie authors for my characters.

Rules:

For something different, we will have an A-Z CHARACTER challenge for 2020. To complete this challenge, read a book in which a main character‘s first or last name begins with the corresponding letter. For the hard letters Q, X, Y and Z, you may use a name in which the letter appears somewhere in the main character’s first or last name – it does not have to be the first letter. One book per letter – 26 books in total

There’s to be a minimum of 6 Aussie Authors for this challenge 🙂
And don’t forget our challenge guidelines here

A – AJ in Fateful Coincidence by Lasairiona E. McMaster
B – Evelyn Bell in The Daughter of Victory Lights by Kerri Turner AA (requested on NetGalley)
C – Coco Lauren in Getting Dirty by Rachael Stewart
D – Cassandra Devlin in Stray by Andrea K. Höst AA
E – Eskil in The Landing by Colin Taber AA
F – Lillian Fairclough in Lilian and the Irresistible Duke by Virginia Heath
G – Gavin Thompson in Dance of the Heart by Lisa Kessler
H – Henry in The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I – Isobel in A Crown of Time by Jennifer Macaire
J – Carter Jackson in Crazy for Your Love by Lexi Ryan
K – Winter Knowles in From Thailand with Love: A Fun, Adventurous Romantic Comedy by Camilla Isley
L – Amy Lowery in Lovestruck by Bronwyn Sell AA (requested from NetGalley)
M – Mikolas Leandros in Song of the Soul by Lisa Kessler
N – Nolan Parker in Thirty-Eight Reasons by Len Webster AA
O – Olly in When Polly Met Olly by Zoe May
P – Sir Pelleas in A Shape on the Air by Julia Ibbotson
Q – Ella Quinliven in The Boundary Fence by Alissa Callen AA (requested from NetGalley)
R – Rune Jenkins in Magic Unleashed by Devri Walls
S – Shayleigh Jackson in If It’s Only Love by Lexi Ryan
T – Terran in Rise of Gaia by Kristin Ward
U – TBC
V – Valentine Pierce in Of Night and Dark Obscurity by Nicola Italia
W – Beth Williams in New Beginnings At Glendale Hall: A gorgeously uplifting, romantic read – guaranteed to bring you sunshine! by Victoria Walters
X – TBC
Y – Gwyn Drake in The Bachelor by Sabrina Jeffries
Z – Zara Edginway in Ballarat Charter, Volume 1 by Lila Rose AA

Stats tracking

I’m wanting to get a bit nerdier when it comes to my reading now that I’m in the swing of blogging, the various challenges and things that I can do. Since I wanted to track a few different things, I’ve decided to merge Kal from Reader Voracious’ template with someone that I stupidly didn’t save the link for.

The graphs that have stuff filled in isn’t actually accurate since I’ve yet to fill anything in but you can get an idea of the types of stats I’m going to be tracking. Over the yr I may add more graphs and stuff if I feel like I want to know more about my reading habits. The main thing is I’ve entered as much info into the data collection tabs as I think is relevant so I can then draw that data to see more info.

That’s me done for my bookish stuff. If you’re interested in knowing about some of my personal goals keep reading!

What are my personal goals for 2020?

Maybe not quite as exciting for you, but I might as well tell someone so I have a chance of doing them. There are studies that show by telling someone, or writing them down you’re much more (can’t remember the specific number) likely to achieve those goals. I’ve also decided weight isn’t a good measurement of fitness so I’ve made a change to that one.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
  • Fit comfortably into a size 6 (US size 2) which is my body’s natural size
  • Bench press 30kg for minimum 10 times in one minute
  • Run 5km in 30 mins
  • Get my first client for my business
  • Go to the Maldives for a week for my 30th (been keeping my eye out for a good deal!)
  • Give a rescue dog a new home with me (this has been 20 years in the making!)
  • Make Vlogs using Premier Pro

In anticipation of people being all like “a size 6 is too small!” I’d like to point out that I’m not even 5 foot 2. So a size 8 on me, although not huge, does mean I’m carrying around some extra fat all over my body. If I can get rid of the excess fat then I’ll easily fit into a size 6, on a skinny day I’d even fit into a size 4.

So please, no mean comments about eating disorders. I love my food and alcohol so need to work to not blow out to a size 12!

I hope you’re looking forward to what’s coming up this year! I’m super excited to keep myself organised with my new calendar. Since I’ll be working from home this yr I won’t have an excuse to know what’s going on!

In my January wrap up I’ll hopefully be able to show picks of my Perth trip and *fingers crossed I find the right dog* a new addition to my family!

Reindeer Readathon – Week 3 Update

Today’s update is really short because I haven’t finished a single book this week!

This is abnormal for me since I’ve been finishing close to 2 books a week all year. But it was also my last week at the job I’ve had all year so I was driving in rather than getting the bus so lost 2 hours a day of reading time just from driving instead. And because it was my last week everyone wanted to do farewell lunches and things which meant I lost that 30 mins too!

I tried to pump out as much of the book I’ve been reading yesterday but I had too much energy to sit and read all day. Plus my partner wanted to watch I, Tonya and another episode of The Witcher so I spent some time in front of the TV.

Although I DID finish a puzzle I started like 18 months ago! With my study I had no time to work on it like all yr but I was able to get back into it about a month ago and I’ve now finished it!

Let’s just say I thought I was missing a few pieces for ages coz I couldn’t find the pesky little things. Slowly but surely I managed to work my way through the gaps. And then horrified my partner by packing it all away once I took this pic. Apparently he doesn’t understand that once you finish a puzzle you take it apart so you can do a different one. Or redo this one in the future.

POINTS ACHIEVED FOR TEAM NUTCRACKER: 0

5 things I’ve learnt from 12 months in the Book Blogging community

Hi everyone,

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past 12 months since discovering some little sub-groups within the book blogging community.

I had no idea exactly how many book bloggers there were, or that blogging was such a big thing (I feel so old and out of touch saying this!) but I was pleasantly surprised at how many of us there are world-wide. There are two groups in particular that I’ve been a part of quite actively over the past year (although not as active as other members), both of which have Discord chats where we can chat, share posts/reviews, ask each other for help etc and just generally interact.

My first feeling when I discovered these groups was “O wow! I’m finally going to make some friends that really get my love of books and I’ll we’ll end up lifelong friends!” Naïve of me, yes, I know.

Not only do I suck at social interactions normally, but when I’m not faced with talking to people face to face, I often forget to reach out and chat. Meeting people in these online groups obviously was never going to be easy for me.

In that time, I’ve learnt a few things and I wanted to share 5 of these with you, in no particular order of importance, just what came to my head first.

  1. I’m against bullying, discrimination etc like I think the vast majority of the world is. However, I’ve noticed some differences between my laid back Aussie view and those of some people in other countries. In some cases I even felt attacked for asking for the other sides point of view or suggesting that maybe someone was taking something a little bit too seriously. I mean, what has the world come to if you can’t even crack a joke?
  2. There’s a vast range of experience with blogging from those who are yet to start and those who have been doing it for years. Naturally everyone is going to have different levels of knowledge, experience etc and we all have different paces of learning. I’ve found that although some people are incredibly patient, others aren’t so much.
  3. There are so many tour organisers out there that work with authors to find bloggers, distribute books and create artwork etc. I’ve been working with Rach Random Resources the longest, then Dave at The Write Reads and I recently tried out Goddess Fish. They each do things a little bit differently so depending on how you like to work will depend on which organiser is best for you as a blogger.
  4. It’s possible to ask authors and publishers for ARCs (advanced reading copies) of books. This can be done in a lot of ways, from approaching authors or publishers directly, and from other sources like NetGalley. At this stage I’ve only used NetGalley as I’m kept pretty busy with my TBR pile, Rach Random Resources tours and the requests I get from authors. At the moment I haven’t really had time or the desire to approach authors or publishers directly with everything else I’ve had going on in my life this yr.
  5. Like every part of society, there’s nice bloggers and some not so nice bloggers. I get that we’re never going to like everyone we come across. I’m adult and mature enough to understand this and not expect to like everyone I come across. Yet some of the bloggers that I’ve come across are older than me, and act like teenagers that haven’t learnt how to be polite yet. In those situations, I try and do the mature thing by calmly and logically explaining my point of view and then walk away. Or I just don’t engage and stay out of it. I don’t have the time or mental capacity to deal with that kind of behaviour. I avoid it in my real life, so there’s no way I’d want to be a part of it in my digital life.

I’d love to hear what others have found from being involved in various book blogging communities, so please comment and tell me what you think!

The Bookish Naughty or Nice Tag

This tag originates with Jenn over at A Page of Jenniely’s and I was tagged by Laurie over at Laurie’s Bookshelf. So let’s find out if I’ve been naughty or nice! Hehehehe

Rules

  1. Tag and link the person who tagged you (done!)
  2. Tag and link Jenn in this post so she can read it (done!)
  3. Tick/cross the ones you have done
  4. Tag another 10 people!

1. Received an ARC and not reviewed it

Nope. I feel bad when I get an ARC and don’t review it!

2. Have less than 60% feedback rating on NetGalley

Nope. I worked hard and got it up to 90% 🙂

3. Rated a book on Goodreads and promised a full review was to come on your blog (and never did)

Don’t think so? Like with the ARCs I feel bad if I promise a review and don’t deliver.

4. Folded down the page of a book

Not this yr, but only because I’ve read hardly any physical books. I did last yr 😐

5. Accidentally spilled on a book

On my Kindle yes, not on a physical book.

6. DNF a book this yr

Not this yr!

7. Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it

Nope. That’s a waste of money to me, I’ll always read them. Might take me a while to get to it. But I will read it!

8. Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else (like homework)

HAHAHAHAHA! Yeas! So many times in my winter!

9. Skim read a book

Not unless I was skimming it for info to add to my review

10. Completely missed your Goodreads goal

Nope. Nailed it! Even increased it 🙂

11. Borrowed a book and not returned it to the library

Nope. I haven’t borrowed a library book in forever!

12. Broke a book buying ban

Ahhhh….I didn’t have an official buying ban but kinda….

13. Started a review, left it for ages then forgot what the book was about

Once. I had to skim that book to remind myself what I wanted to say about it.

14. Wrote in a book you were reading

No. I hate people that do this (in anything other than textbooks, I write in them all the time).

15. Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads

Nope. I only started using Goodreads like this last yr but since then no.

16. Borrowed a book and not returned it to a friend

No. But I have had a friend not return my signed book! I want it back!

17. Dodged someone asking if they can borrow a book

No. People have learnt I don’t lend my books out and this friend is in for big trouble if she can’t find this book!

18. Broke the spine of someone else’s book

Nope.

19. Took the jacket off a book to protect it and ended up making it more damaged

Nope. I hardly ever take physical books out of the house so they don’t get the opportunity.

20. Sat on a book accidentally

HAHAHAHAHA yea….. This happens all the time.

So that’s 4 out of 20 meaning….I’m 20% naughty and 80% nice! Go me! Hahaha

Tag time!

Reindeer Readathon – Week 2 Update

We’re now halfway through the Reindeer Readathon!

I’ve finished two more books this week. It’s one less than last week but assuming I keep reading two a week then I’ll finish 9 books before the end of the month. But I’m driving to work this week rather than getting the bus so I’m not sure how I’ll go…

Faced with terrible options both Ianthe and Robert do what the must. Their journey from a “convenient” marriage to one of love is long and arduous. And to be honest, I got a little bit over Ianthe’s theatrics and lack of self esteem by about 3/4 of the way through.

I understand how debilitating this can be, but Robert needed to step up and help her and he didn’t which just really frustrated me.

As a debut novel I was pleasantly surprised by this read. I was right in thinking it’d have a big impact on me.

The concept of fear, living for the future etc were thoroughly explored and I loved how Kelly was able to touch on so many topics in one book without it being huge, overwhelming, confusing or not quite right.

I have a full review coming in early Jan for this one.

POINTS ACHIEVED FOR TEAM NUTCRACKER: 45 POINTS

Reindeer Readathon – Week 1 Update

We’re one week into the Reindeer Readathon. YAY!!!

In the past week I’ve been able to finish 3 of the prompts which I thought was pretty good. But if I compare that with some of the other’s in my team it’s nothing! I thought I’d share some initial thoughts of each book as I finish them even though full reviews will be coming in the new year for most of them.

I’ve read the full books before and even though I was surprised at how much the images of the graphic novel was able to convey. I felt like it was missing something compared to the full novel. So I didn’t really enjoy it.

Maybe graphic novels are best if they’ve been designed specifically to be a graphic novel?

I actually ended up changing my book for this coz it turned out book 3 of the series was about the Muse of Lyrics. Which is music.

Erica’s career is as a song writer and there was a fair bit about their theatre in this one so it felt like it ticked the Dancer prompt quite nicely!

One of the things I liked about this book was that it wasn’t a carbon copy of the style of the previous two. When you’re following a series it’s great to have that variety.

I’ve liked every Jenni Fletcher book I’ve read and this was no exception. It touched on mental health, self worth and a few other issues. Yet did it in a way that felt accurate for the times.

POINTS ACHIEVED FOR TEAM NUTCRACKER: 40 POINTS

The Ultimate Blog Tag!

I saw this tag over on Hina’s blog and it sounded so cool I wanted to do it! She initially found it over at Book Craic, so please check out both of them!


1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?

Definitely not! So glad about this coz I think I’d have died of boredom growing up if I got car sick.

2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?

I think I’m going to go with Nelson DeMille, I know I’ve read a few other authors that have elements of his style. But none in the same combination as Nelson.

3. Harry Potter or the Twilight Series Saga? Give three points to defend your answers

Ah, Harry Potter of course. Is this even a question? I started this with the first movie when it first came out when I was 11 years old. That Christmas my mum bought the first four books for me on Christmas eve and for the next couple of days we both read all four books. Since then I’ve read every book as it’s been released, seen every movie and we were lucky enough to see the Cursed Child play earlier this year. Does that count as 3 points?

4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what’s in it (besides books)?

Nope. I just always make sure I have my Kindle or a book or two on me.

5. Do you smell your books?

Hahahah yea… Somehow, I don’t think many book readers will say no to this!

6. Books with or without little illustrations?

Without, unless they are maps. Like Matthew Reilly’s books with all the little maps of where they are brilliant. I love mas with my books.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn’t quality writing?

I feel like the Wind on Fire trilogy meets this criterion… I mean. I loved reading it at the time. But every time I think back on it, I can’t help but wonder what the author was smoking when they wrote it. I also can’t believe how many discrepancies I let slide while I read it.

8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood?

I have a couple of stories. The main one I remember is more like a book lovers’ nightmare and total horror story, so I’ll share a different one!

Every family trip growing up we took 3 suitcases. Mum’s had her stuff and my clothes; dads had his stuff and my toiletries and beach stuff and mine was filled with books. Specifically, I remember celebrating my 12th birthday and all my friends and family got me books.

As soon as I’d opened them my parents took them all away and I wasn’t allowed to touch them until we got to the airport to fly to Fiji. The suitcase full of books that was meant to last me 2 weeks lasted me like 4-6 days!

9. What is the thinnest book on your bookshelf?

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. I’ve had this for years and actually picked it up at a country fair. A great 20c investment!

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?

The last Game of Thrones book, A Dance with Dragons, or maybe Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is thicker? One of those two.

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?

Hahahahaha no I don’t write! I do enough writing for my job (I’m an Instructional Designer so writing learning courses takes all my creative juices) that I’d rather focus on just reading and enjoying myself outside of my job.

12. When did you get into reading?

Apparently, I’ve always been a reader. I always asked my dad to read to me as a little kid coz he did all the voices and it was great. I think when I could read by myself I broke into the freedom of being able to read when I wanted to rather than having to rely on when my parents had free time to read to me.

13. What is your favourite classic book?

I’m going to say the Black Stallion coz that’s really the only one I’ve actually read. I’ve started a few, but the style of writing is quite difficult compared to todays writing style.

14. In school what was your best subject?

History. I had a knack for remembering the stories my teachers and textbooks told me, including the dates. Being able to remember where on a page the info I needed was written down and quote it back as if the book was in front of me really helped. I also have a knack for understanding how all the little pieces fit together into the bigger picture. How one action resulted in numerous reactions etc.

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated, what would you do?

This has happened to me in the past. I asked for the receipt and exchanged it for another book. Not sure if I’d do the same these days… I tend to get people to give me gift certificates instead so this doesn’t happen.

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?

I haven’t got an answer for this…

17. What is a bad habit you always do (besides rambling) while filming?

Not a vlogger. So can’t say I have one.

18. What is your favourite word?

I don’t have a favourite word from my books. But my default one when talking is “alrighty” and “ok then”. I apparently got up to like 100+ of those in 1 hour of training when a colleague counted.

19. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or all of the above?

I’m not gonna lie, I had to Google what each of these meant. Based on their definitions I’m going to go with dweeb. I do lead a pretty boring life, I study a lot (both formal and informal training) and I’m pretty sure most people who know me would agree that I’m pretty socially inept.

20. Vampires or fairies? Why?

Vampires. No hesitation there! Fairies are all well and good, but vampires are sexy, morally grey and so relatable. Some of my favourite characters from a range of novels are vampires.

21. Shapeshifters or angels? Why?

Shapeshifters. Again, easy! Like vampires, shapeshifters are morally grey characters. Yet this time, they are often fighting a force within them that they can’t control and are doing everything they can to be good people.

22. Spirits or werewolves? Why?

See above. Spirits just don’t have that morally grey area. They are what they are.

23. Zombies or vampires? Why?

Vampires. Zombies are gross! I mean, the living dead that’s rotting? At least vampires are eternally young and sexy!

24. Love triangle or forbidden love?

Hmmmm… I really like both of these!

Love triangles are interesting because someone has to make a choice. A choice about what’s best for them and seeing them struggle with that choice of what’s best for them now vs in the future is a difficult choice.

Forbidden love on the other hand comes in a few different forms. You have sisters falling in love with their brother’s best friends. Rival families having young people fall in love etc. It has it’s moments, but sometimes I feel like this can wear a little thin, even though I still love it!

25. Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

I actually enjoy both. I love a good romance because I get to really relax and just enjoy a nice read. While having an action-packed book with the romance dotted throughout it gives me a different style with that emotional relief you need from that same drama.


This really didn’t take me as long to write as I thought it might. If you enjoyed this, feel free to give it a go and share your thoughts!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

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