BBAW '09, topic #2 (Blogger Q&A)

I signed up to trade an interview with a fellow blogger and was thrilled when I was paired up with someone who was new-to-me! So I scoped out her blog, nosed through some posts and came up with some questions. She was a real sport about it and came up with great responses.

I now give you, Kate, from The Neverending Shelf:

1. You haven’t been blogging for very long. Were you a book blog follower before a blog writer? What was the first book blog you remember coming across?

Actually, I was not much of a blog follower before deciding to become a blog writer. I have been a reader for a long time, and so when I started to discover the blogging community it was like a light bulb went off. I just kept thinking-- this would be so much fun to do and I can do this. I did however, do a lot of research before I started my blog. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into, and what was expected of me. I think that has helped me be a better blogger.

I think the first book blog I came across was The Story Siren's. I am not really sure how I ended up there, but I was just fascinated by her site. It is filled with a lot of information for the new blogger, as well as great links to other fabulous blogs.

2. Why do you not read non-fiction or memoirs/biographies?

While those types of books can be interesting, they are just not my cup of tea. I have tried to read this genre in the past, and I usually lose interest. But this is actually kind of strange since I love historical fiction so much.

3. If you were a character in a book, would you rather be a memorable bad girl, or an unremarkable good girl? I would definitely want to be a memorable bad girl. This would be something that is a bit out of the norm for me. So if I am going to be a character, I would love for it to be possibly my antithesis.

4. From your first Branching Out post: “My reading obsession began when I was about 10 with my mother's old romance novels.” I, too, began reading adult material at a young age (VC Andrews) and feel it was vital to my growth as a reader. Do you think your reading tastes would be different had you not been introduced to adult material at a young age? Would you prevent your children from reading outside of their age range?

Absolutely. I think that opportunity has helped fuel my passion for reading. It also set me up for advancements in reading and English courses. For example, I remember in about the 6th grade, we had to take reading level tests. When the results came, my parents and teachers were amazed that at my young age I was reading at college level. All in all, I honestly think that if I had not began actively reading at such a young age that I may not be the book lover I am today.

I would never stop my children from reading outside their age range as long as I believe that they are mature enough to read it. I was a very mature child which helped me handle reading about sexual interactions at such a young age. But I think that it is important for each parent to take into consideration their child's maturity in regards to what they read.

5. How do you deal with hissing cockroaches?

Very carefully. (Just kidding.) They are very easy to handle and care for. We basically got them as a food source for our centipedes, and sadly, before we knew it we probably had over 100 since they breed like crazy. Thankfully, we gave them to a local pet store since there were way too many.

6. If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

Wow, this is hard. I am really bad about picking names. Let's go with- Just Another Step. Life is a journey and one step at a time.

7. You speak a lot about covers and how they make you feel. What would the cover to question #6 look like? What images would you want represented on it?

Maybe some artsy with shoes. I am getting this picture of shoe prints going down a sidewalk from a shoe that stepped in wet paint.

8. You’re hosting the Alice in Wonderland week on October. You said that The Looking Glass Wars is your favorite series. How do you feel that series reflects the intentions of the original work?

I think that it upholds Carroll's message very well. It is a wonderful series regarding the use of the imagination. It challenges the reader to think outside of the box similarly to Alice in Wonderland, and gives the reader a chance to think about their own reality. Scientists often think there are other worlds out there that have yet to be discovered, and Beddor kinda builds on this theory. He wants his readers to imagine that Alice (or Alyss) is actually a real person with her own universe.

9. If you could go as a book for Halloween, what would it be and how would you pull it off?

If it was trying to be an actual book, I think would find one that has something on the cover like a fairy or something supernatural. I would dress up as that character and try to make something go around me to make it look like a book. So it would be kinda like a two in one costume. Hope that makes sense.

10. What would be your dream job once you finish school and earn your BA in English?

If I am going to just stay with my BA, then I would love to find a job in publishing. I am great organizer, so I think it would be lots of fun to be a book promoter or maybe an agent. I am right now considering my Masters in Literary Science, so maybe I will actually end up in a library somewhere which would suit me fine.

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Thanks again, Kate! Kate's blog, The Neverending Shelf is a pretty incredible book blog, so I highly suggest you check it out. Thanks to the BBAW organizers for pairing us up. :-)