BBAW: New Treasure - Interview Swap

Welcome to day two of BBAW and the interview swap! I am very pleased to welcome Sophia of the Fiction Vixen Book Review  to my blog! Although she reviews in a genre that I don’t read a lot of books in I really enjoyed getting to know this new to me blogger.

 

First off, can you tell me and my readers a bit about yourself?

Hi Zee, thank you for having me at Notes From The North today.  My name is Sophia and I am an unapologetic romance novel lover.  I write the blog Fiction Vixen Book Reviews where I review romance and urban fantasy books.  I am married and mother of three girls. 

What made you start blogging about books?

I originally started my blog as a way to connect with other readers who share my love of books.  I didn’t have a clear idea of the direction I wanted to take my blog back in August of 2009 when I first started blogging but eventually I fell into a my groove and found my blogging voice. 

How did you find out about BBAW?

BBAW was in full swing just after I started my blog and became more active in book blogging community.  I didn’t participate last year since I was a fairly new blogger, but I decided that I wouldn’t miss out in 2010.  I’m very excited to have been short listed for Best Romance Blog this year. 

What other bloggers have you connected with? What made their blogs stand out to you?

Since my main reading interests are in the romance and urban fantasy genres I mostly visit blogs that focus in those areas.  My must read blogs are Smexy Books, Babbling About Books and More, Smokin’ Hot Books…actually the list is a little too long to share here.  I love these blogs and others because they are written by smart women with opinions.  They read the books they love and write thoughtful, constructive reviews.

If you didn’t blog about books what would you blog about ?

I’ve been a blogger for years about various topics, however my book blog is the only one I currently write.  In the past I have kept a family blog, blogging about family life and parenting.  I also had a blog dedicated to digital scrapbooking where I promoted my business and shared my digital art.  But these days if I wasn’t blogging about books I’m not sure if I’d be blogging at all.

In your post from December 2009 you admit how you fell in love with “your” genre you mention that your “gateway” books were Twilight and then Sookie Stackhouse. Are there any other books you think a relative “virgin” to the genre should read? (I’ve read Twilight and I’ve got the Sookie Stackhouse books waiting for me).

Well, my December 2009 post was mostly tongue-in-cheek where I was being a little silly.  Most of my readers are used to my sense of humor but I sometimes wonder how someone who just happened to stumble upon my blog might receive some of my posts.  I like to have fun and keep it light. 

Twilight and Sookie Stackhouse did lead the way for my love of paranormal romance.  If you’ve read those books and enjoyed them then you might enjoy the Immortals After Dark Series by Kresley Cole as well as the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward.  Paranormal Romance was actually the gateway to my most favorite genre, romantic urban fantasy.  My favorite urban fantasy series include The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, The Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost, and a few more you can see here.

Before you found your love for Paranormal Romance what type of books did you read or did they turn you into a reader?

I have been a reader most of my life.  I’ve dabbled in horror, mystery and suspense as well as some Christian fiction.  However I’ve always loved romance and that’s what I always come back to.

I noticed you read a lot of books on your Kindle, what made you switch from print to e-reader?

I haven’t totally switched over to e-books yet since most of the books I receive from publishers for review are print books.  But when I purchase books for myself I prefer e-books.  I don’t like clutter and overstuffed bookshelves and my e-book library stores nicely on my hard drive and e-reader.  I love the convenience of e-books as well.  I can easily take all my books with me on vacation or anywhere else and I can purchase new books within seconds.  I just recently purchased a Kindle 3 and I love it.  

Let’s play Desert Island Discs Books! If you could pick only 5 books to take with you to a Deserted Island (no you can’t bring your Kindle :D) which books would you take? And why?

Oh gosh, that is a hard one.  I think I would take the first five books in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  That series is one of my most favorite and I could read it over and over again.  It’s a mix of fantasy, historical and paranormal romance and adventure.  It’s written beautifully and each book at least 650 pages or more.  Plenty of pages to keep me busy.

Thank you!

Thank you for having me here today Zee, it was fun. J

Copyright ©2010 Zee from Notes from the North. This post was originally posted by Zee from Notes from the North. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.