Tag Archives: book blogger

Interview with a Book Blogger: Michelle of Galleysmith

3 Aug
1.What YA character do you identify most with?

It’s hard to say because I identify with each character in a different way.  I firmly believe that we can find something in common with most characters — be it a particular circumstance, emotional tendency or other personal characteristic.  

2. What YA character would like to be friends with?

I’d love to be friends with Cole and Isabel from Maggie Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls series for sure.  They’re cool, flawed and it seems like they would be entertaining to be around.  I wouldn’t mind hanging with Tris from Veronica Roth’s Divergent she’s beyond strong both in the physical and emotional sense.

3.What would you say to someone  who says YA books are just for kids?

I’d hand them a copy of Hunger Games, Split, Stolen, Butterfly, Illyria, Want to Go Private, Bruiser or any other YA book with complex characters and plots.  I’d ask the person to read them all then come back to me with the same opinion.

4.What’s been the best part of reviewing YA books?

Reading them first!

5. Any advice for YA book bloggers?

Read what you want, be honest in your reviews and enjoy the ride each story takes you on.

6. What’s your favorite YA sub-genre?

Dystopian, with realistic fiction a close second.

7. Do you have a prediction for the next YA craze (ex zombies? mermaids? suburban kids?)

It seems to me that mythology is all the rage right now for some reason.  Also ghosts seem to be trickling in quite a bit more.  I hope that we see more realistic fiction out there, seems to me it’s inching it’s way up in popularity more and more.

8. What book are you most looking forward to coming out this fall?

Just one?  I will be excited to get the follow up to Lauren Oliver’s Delirium called Pandemonium.  I’m also excited the The Scorpio Races (which I’ve actually already read) by Maggie Stiefvater to release. I want to squeal about it with everyone!

9.What’s been your best experience meeting/talking with a YA author?

Honestly I’m a trainwreck with authors.  I’m not well spoken at all. LOL  I tend to shy away from approaching them for that reason.  I did have a lovely conversation with Meghan McCafferty at an event before BEA and she was just so lovely as I got all fangirly with her.  

10.What are your future plans for your blog or future with books in general?

I’m excited to shift the focus of my blog just a little bit.  I’m all YA all the time to be sure but I’ll be focusing on the educational aspects of reading YA some now as well.  I’m still going to bring the fun stuff but I like the idea that teachers and librarians can use it as a professional tool as well.  As for books, my only plan is to try and read as many as I can!

 

Check out Michelle’s blog Galleysmith.

 

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Interview with a Book Blogger-Brent of The Naughty Book Kitties

18 Jul

1. What YA character do you identify the most with?

Oh, such a tough question! I’ve been reading YA for 5 years now, and I
identify with each protagonist I read about—each in a different way
and capacity.
One character I’ve identified the most with recently is Evan from Brian Farrey’s WITH OR WITHOUT YOU. Evan is an artist that likes to mimic others’ work; he never does something that isn’t a recreation of someone else’s painting. And the whole story behind it is that he hasn’t really found out the kind of artist he wants to be, or who even is. Because he hasn’t really found that personal identity, he’s stuck mimicking others.  And I love that—I don’t know who I am yet, either, and I think I’m still on the same journey Evan went through in WITH OR WITHOUT YOU.

2. What YA character would you  like to be friends with?

Carrie Bradshaw from THE CARRIE DIARIES by Candace Bushnell, just because she’s kind of my idol. Carrie has this way of being in the right place at the right time, and she alwaysalwaysalways gets herself out of tough situations by remaining calm, learning from her mistakes, and staying true to herself.

There’s this saying in French–Je prévois de vous promener à pied sans but sans un plan—and it translates to “I plan to walk around aimlessly with no plans.” That’s really how Carrie Bradshaw lives (and leads) her life—she lives in the moment and makes no plans, she lets her life’s path carve its own way into the streets of Manhattan.

 

3. What would you say to someone who says YA books are just for kids?

D0n’t h@t3 us cuz yhu @!n’t us.

Hah, no really. I honestly think the kidlit haters are just angry that we’re filled with so much more wonder, imagination, fun, and love.

 

4.What’s been the best part of reviewing YA books?

Pointing people in the direction of books and authors they otherwise would have never read.

5. Do you have any advice for YA book bloggers?

Blog a lot, blog quality stuff, and let your personality shine through your words. We always say that, in writing, voice is key. Well, voice is key in blogging too.

 

6. Do you have a favorite YA sub-genre?

Contemporary. Sarah Dessen, Kody Keplinger, Stephanie Perkins, Nick Burd; I love them all.

 

7. Do you have a prediction for the next YA craze?

Mystery/suspense/thriller and true crime, with  maybe a dash of horror. I can feel it in my bones.

 

8. What are some books you’re most looking forward to coming out this fall?

I’m so excited for LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins to come out! I’ve already read it, but I’m excited for its release because I want to discuss its amazingness with the whole wide world.

 

9. What’s been your best experience meeting/talking with a YA author?

I’ve actually never met one of my YA writers in person. 

 

10. What are your future plans for your blog or future with books in general?

Well, I plan to blog forever haha. As far as my future with books go, the plan is to move to NYC fall 2014 and start my career as a children’s book agent. Right now I’m interning for a handful of lit agents, and I’m about to start working with a lit agent who deals primarily with true crime/thriller, where I’ll be learning about contracts, legal stuff, etc. etc. It takes up pretty much all of my
free time, but that’s okay because I absolutely love it.

Check out Brent’s Blog The Naughty Book Kitties

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