Into the Confessional: ME!

Into the Confessional is where I show case authors, and the occasional character for a guest post.  However, this is a very special edition of Into the Confessional, here at Confessions of a Bibliophile.  I was actually the one being interviewed.  My dear friend Sue Ward wanted to interview a reviewer, and I was victim number one, an honor to be certain.  So, I present to you the interview that I did for Sue Ward over at Read along with Sue.

How did you come about being a reviewer for books, was it by accident or a conscious decision.

I became a book reviewer because ultimately, I read so much that I wanted to share my opinions about the books that I read. It also actually started when I joined the Goodreads community and started reading a lot more. So, it was a conscious decision to begin starting to review books and things went from there.

How long have you been a reviewer for books?

I have been reviewing books for about a year and a half, so I'm fairly new to writing reviews (at least in my opinion!)

Do you have a blog that we can visit to read you're recommendations?

You can find my reviews here: http://caedyslibrary.blogspot.com

What genre's are you interested in?

I tend to be drawn to YA (all aspects of it for the most part), however, I will at least attempt to read anything once. If I don't like it, I won't revisit it – if I love it I will continue reading books in that particular genre.

If you get a book or series that you read and its outstanding, what actions do you take to advertise the book/s?

I write a review on both my blog & goodreads, I share it via my facebook page (personal and my blog fb page), I tweet about the book, I recommend the book to friends that I know who read the same genres as I do, and we all usually enjoy the same series.

If you come across a book that is badly formatted or riddled with errors, what actions do you take? If any.

I have learned my lesson from the last time this has happened – I will, if posting a review that has heavy errors, poor formatting, and the like, contact the author and let them know that my current review will be pointing out these details.

Have you ever given up on reading a story because:
A] you can't get “into” it? Yes, I hate to admit it, and it takes a lot to make me want to give up on a book. If I am 25% into a book and I have no emotional investment in any of the characters I simply cannot bring myself to finish it.
B] Its badly written? Yes. The book that comes to mind is The Macabre Masterpiece: Poems of Horror and Gore, and this book is filled with horror and macabre poetry – but the repetition of it all is maddening and every, single one of the sixty poems in the book RHYMES! Also, there is very little variation on the themes within the poems themselves. Honestly, how many poems do you need titled River of Blood?!
C] You find its not your genre after all? No, actually. I've not had this issue with a book that I've read. I am picky about my genres, but am willing to try something at least once when it comes to my obsession with books.
How do you explain this to the author if they ask you if you have read their book yet?

I do explain to the author that I have had trouble getting into a book, I do tend to explain why I had trouble getting into the book given to my by an author. It will also be reflected in my review – these books usually get 2 stars from me, occasionally I do get blowback for this, but it is stated in my review guidelines why I give out a 2 star review. I also tend to, provide the author with a copy of the review before it is published on any site.

Many books we receive from authors are asking us for an HONEST review. Are you 100% honest at all times?

My reviews are 100% honest. I will not sugar coat my opinions on a book. I will not simply give a book a five star review because that is what the author is looking for. I don't dance around my opinions on things in life – and I take my reading & reviewing seriously. So, you will get blunt honesty from me. Will I be brutal at times? If it is required of me, yes I will. If you cannot deal with an HONEST review, then perhaps you might not want me reading your book.

Do you believe that you can be constructively critical without upsetting the author?

I want to say yes, but history has already proven that some authors will, despite receiving constructive criticism act like children and demand a review get taken down simply because it wasn't the “sunshine and rainbows five star review” that they ACTUALLY wanted from me. I am honest in my reviews, and sometimes that does come back to bite me because I will offend with some of my criticisms. However, I'm trying to be nicer when things require criticism from me in a review.

Is it harder to review a book from an author who you have got to know personally on groups that you are in which you didn't enjoy?

No, because prior to any author giving me their book – asking me for a review they are encouraged to read my review guidelines. They will know ahead of time that my review does not in any way reflect on my opinion of them as a person, change our friendship or anything of that nature. If they have asked of me an honest review, then that is EXACTLY what they will get.

All authors books are their “babies” and they have given time, blood, sweat and tears to their final page, right down to the chosen book cover.
If they get a bad review this upsets many authors, which I can understand fully, however, they have asked for an HONEST review, if your review is going to mention something that you know will upset them, what actions do you take ?

From past experience, I have written a 2 star review, and the author acted very, very unprofessionally. He demanded that the review be removed, he accused me at one point that I'd gone against my own review guidelines when I refused to give him the five star review that he wanted. I understand that this is your 'baby' that you have put blood, sweat and tears into the creation of this story, but you have to remember that not everyone is going to like your work. I have long since stood by the guidelines that I set. I do not deviate from them. They are black and white, and any edits to them take great consideration. The review, for the record, was not removed, nor was the rating changed on Goodreads. From that experience, I will now, discuss the review with the author, but they had ultimately been warned that they did ask for an honest review from me.

There are many “bullying” campaigns around at the moment where many gang up and give full on bad reviews that are simply not bad reviews as opposed to bullying the author, have you seen this and how do you feel about this?

Honestly, this practice disgusts me. To simply give a bad (harassing) review of a book simply to ruin the author's credibilty or bring their self-esteem down is simply wrong. Anyone who has the guts to put their heart and soul out into the public format deserves to be given kudos because THEY were able to actually get published (even if it was self publishing) and should not be bullied simply because someone thinks that it would be a good idea.

Is the cover of the book important to you?

Yes and no. It is not the most important thing to me when I read a book – but chances are it will be a large part the reason that I pick up a book. I like covers that can grab my attention and make me want to get lost in that world. Also, if the blurb catches my attention and makes me want to read the book I will definitely be adding it to my collection.

Has your reading enlarged in genre's and styles since becoming a reviewer?

Yes. I've read more into the horror genres, and I've gotten completely sucked into the YA genre and even explored genres that I hadn't really explored before – such as epic fantasy, high fantasy and such.    

Many thanks to Sue for putting me in the hot seat.  It was an honor! 

Into the Confessional: Voluspa Author: Ray

This is an interview with the Author of the YA Novel Voluspa.  Review is soon to come.  Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! 

1. How old were you when you got hooked on reading and what book started it all?  

I used to pester my parents to read to me all the time before I learnt how to read. After that as far as I can remember, when I was six or seven I could finally read on my own and I have been hooked ever since. I think some of the first books I read were by Enid Blyton.

2. How did you know you wanted to be a writer and who do you draw the most support from? 

I have always wanted to write. All through childhood and teenage years, I wrote for neighborhood periodicals, journals and so on. It’s only recently due to my husband’s urging, I decided to write a novel.

3. Each writer has their own process when writing, and each process has its own little quirks.  That said, what are some of your little quirks? 

Even though I use my laptop to write the book, I create flash cards to aid in my writing. For instance, I make up cards listing pertinent information about a particular character or some place in book.

4. Have you always enjoyed or favored fantasy over other genres in both reading and writing? 

I personally think imaginative literature has immense scope and it can entertain all age groups so yes, I have always had a penchant for the fantasy genre.

5. What can we expect in the next part of the Voluspa story? I do hope it includes lots more Amy and Drake (not that I'm biased or anything!). 

Absolutely; the next book picks up from where the first one ended. Amy and Drake’s journey continues.

6. If you could spend a full twenty four hours (midnight to midnight) in any city in the world where would you go and what would you do? 

It’s a cliché but I would definitely choose Paris. I would spend hours in the Louvre and the rest, walking along the streets of Paris.

7. If you were to be buried (entombed) like an Egyptian Pharohwhat would you want to fill your tomb? 

Books, books and more books and perhaps my laptop.

8. If you were a citizen of Voluspa, what clan would you belong to? If Morphous, what would be your animal form?  

I think I would love to belong to the Empath clan. Being able to connect to another person  using just my mind sounds fascinating.

9. If you could have two hours with any fictional character what would you ask them? 

It would be Peter Pan. I would ask him to take me to Neverland; ask his fairy friend to sprinkle some magic dust on me so I could go flying with him. Eschew all practicality and just loose myself in one rip roaring adventure after another.

10. In the great debate about e-readers and physical books: are you a lover of e-book portability, physical book feel/smell or both? 

I have grudgingly accepted the whole e – book trend but I love holding an actual book. The smell of old bound leather or crisp new pages is incomparable.

Into the Confessional: Natasha McNeely

Today's trip into the Confessional we have author Natasha McNeely, who is an epic author and a friend of mine! I adore her and was so glad that she sat down to answer some questions for me and take a trip inside the Confessional here at CoaB :)  Also, look out for her guest post coming soon, along with a give away of her book.

1.       You’ve lived in the Netherlands and Germany, have these places had an influence on your writing?
They have had an influence on my writing, but not directly. Living in different countries spurred my love for culture and languages, so I’ve focused on studying both of those more, in and outside of my education. Because of that, culture and different languages often find their way into my writing, so my cast of characters is often diverse and from all over the world.

2.       Making the jump from the USA to the Netherlands at such an early age, what sort of impact did this have on your life? Was it more like an adventure since you were only seven?
To be fair, I don’t remember much about what I thought about it at the time. I do remember that when we moved to the Netherlands, I knew only two words in Dutch. No and grandma; nee and oma, respectively.
Once we were there, I immediately started at a Dutch school without any help of extra courses to improve my language skills. Six months later, I spoke it fluently and aced more Dutch tests than my Dutch classmates! In that respect, moving at such a young age was less of an adventure and more a way to learn things I never would before.

3.       Your first self-published book, A Glimpse of the Dark, is a collection of short stories. Why did you choose to go with this collection as a first publication piece?
I felt that it would be a good way for readers to see a broader variety of the stories I write in a compact and easy-to-read form. I could have started with a full-length novel, but as I am also working on being published traditionally, I want to save any major novels for that.
“Worst” case scenario, they’ll be joining my self-published collection.

4.       From your blog, I see that you have two works currently in progress, can you give us a glimpse into how you get your writing done?
I tend to focus on one project at a time, even if my blog states multiple projects. The Forbidden Series is a series that consists of four novels. The first is finished. Werewolf’s Lair is the first book in The Hunted Trilogy and is currently underway. It is my main project and, once the first book is completed, depending on where my inspiration takes me, I will work on book two of one of the two series.
More on that when I finish Werewolf’s Lair; its deadline is set for August 31^st.

5.       Do you have any quirks that somehow find their way into your writing?
Oddly enough, I’ve never considered this question before. Quirks. I tend to run my hand through my hair, or tuck strands of hair behind my ears a lot. Now that I think about it, I’ve been struggling to limit the amount of my characters who do that. It’s a habit of sorts for me. Having long hair just calls for it to happen, especially since I always wear my hair down.
That aside, I have a habit of making my main characters fond of books. I should change that, even if it is a habit that everyone should have.

6.       What are some sources you draw inspiration from for your writing?
Inspiration comes from everywhere. Books, music, television shows, movies – even things as simple as snippets of conversations that I catch when I’m walking down the street, or getting groceries.
Music is wonderful as inspiration. The melody and the lyrics paint a picture and we all know that a picture’s worth a thousand words. Video game soundtracks in particular are my favorite songs to listen to while writing. No lyrics. Just the music to guide me through whatever scene I’m writing.
Books talk for themselves. Not only are they a great source of inspiration, but reading also shows writers different ways to write – different perspectives, tenses, and so many other things. The more you read, the more you can write.

7.       Now, for a fun question, if you could meet one historical figure who would it be and what one question would you ask them?
My choice is a bit peculiar, but I would choose to use my question for Amenhotep IV, also known as Akhenaten, former pharaoh of Egypt during the Eighteenth Dynasty.
Ancient Egyptian mythology is easily my favorite mythology that I have studied so far, with so many gods and goddesses, each representing a different aspect of nature and of life. I would ask him: Why did you, in vain, turn Egypt’s religion into monotheism?

I love the old Egyptian religion with all its gods and all its myths. He changed it so there was only one god: Aten. When the pharaoh died, Tutankhaten, his son, changed his name to one we are all more familiar with: Tutankhamun.
This was an act of defiance against the monotheistic religion, rejecting the god Aten and instead restoring power to the old god, Amun, and all other gods. He returned the polytheistic religion to Egypt.

In the end, I want to know what Akhenaten’s thoughts were and what the reasoning behind his decision was.

A day off

Today I had a day off and it is being spent running errands. A Dr appointment for Shawn, then a trip to walmart for some groceries then home. I have an interview with Natasha McNeely to share with you when I get home. Also I am working on another interview with Robert Downs the author of Falling Immortality, which is an awesome book.

My current reading list is:
Francesca of Lost Nation
The Moon Dwellers
The Legacy of the Wolf - Cheysuli omnibus 2
Voluspa

Beyond that I have quite a few reviews to get done for you all.

Alright, more when I get home.

Lots of love,
Cae