Friday, May 10, 2013

YRAH Bday: Interview with Fiktshun + GIVEAWAY!

YOUNG READER blog is now 2 years old!

And 

THAT

calls for a celebration!

Don't forget to check out the previous posts



Today I have Rachel from Fiktshun over at the blog!
Rachel is an inspiration for me. I stalk her blog and she's been one of the most helpful and nicest people I've ever interacted with virtually. I will literally stalk any site she decides to start up!

So without furthur ado I present to you one of the most awesome bloggers ever.....

Fiktshun button by parajunkee

What advice would you give to shy book bloggers for improving their networking skills?
I'm not the greatest person to give advice about this as I'm really shy with people I don't know. But I would say get involved in community events online like Armchair BEA or the BBTC that Parajunkee and The Bookish Brunette just put on. Jump into conversations on Twitter with other bloggers. Most of us don't bite. Or join a super social meme that involves getting to know other bloggers.

Just keep putting yourself out there. While it might not always be easy, and the fear of rejection will likely always be there, if you don't do it blogging will be a lonely endeavor. I couldn't have made it through without the friends I've made in this community.
Your tips for blogging success are
Be honest and speak in your own voice. People visit your blog to hear what you think. If you spend all your time trying to emulate someone else, you'll end up failing because you're not being honest with your readers. It will be too hard pretending day after day. Just be yourself.

Don't fall victim to "the rules." There are no rules. Etiquette, yes. But if you try to follow all the "rules" that are thrown out there, you'll end up feeling so stifled and unhappy you won't want to do this. Remember that it's your blog and there's no right or wrong way to do it.

Don't over-promise. It will just stress you out. Big time. You're doing this because you love it, hopefully. Try not to worry about passing on an opportunity or saying "no." Believe it or not there will be other opportunities. It's much better to say that you aren't able to, than to say you can do something and then fail to deliver. Being stress-free and having a reputation as being a reliable blogger that can be counted on are two things that will help in the long run.

Oh and these are just my "tips" for success that seem to have worked for me and not "rules." I've defined success as being able to blog as long as I've been blogging not in terms of how many followers, how many pageviews or how many publishing contacts I have. If you're looking for tips on how to get those... well, I haven't a clue.

Movie/TV show you are obsessed with?
If you asked me a couple of months ago I would have said The Vampire Diaries. Now, though, it's Supernatural. Hands down. I am majorly obsessed.
Books you would recommend to complete strangers? 
Ugh... I'm terrible about book recommendations. Books are such individual things that I'd never recommend anything to a stranger. I'd have to know a little something about their reading preferences.

Even within a sub-genre I'd never offer up a suggestion unless I knew more. Such as if they like contemporaries to have drama and heartache or if they like them fun or flirty. In paranormal - which supernatural beings do they prefer, and do they like their stories dark and gritty or with less of an edge. So, yeah, way too hard to make recommendations.
Some adult novels that you think are definitely worth a gander?
While I love a lot of the classics I don't recommend them, because most people will have read them in school and it just makes me feel pompous to do so.

And while I don't do recommendations, I think Stephen King's THE LONG WALK - a dystopian with characters who are teens - is definitely worth a read. Even with the younger characters, it's not YA. Perhaps due to the time period it was released or the rather bleak/violent subject matter. I'm also quite fond of his Dark Tower series. (And by "quite fond" I mean hugely obsessed. Favorite series of all time and there will be nothing written in my lifetime that will take its place.)

Janet Fitch is one of my favorite authors and while I love PAINT IT BLACK, I think WHITE OLEANDER is also a great read.

Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have some amazing contemporary books. And they also do YA. THE NANNY DIARIES was hugely popular. But my favorite book of theirs is DEDICATION. It's one of my all-time favorite contemporary books, actually.

For those into PNR/UF, anything by Rachel Vincent and Chloe Neill. For those who like things with a bit more heat, Kresley Cole or Jeaniene Frost.
Rapid Fire ( the first thing that comes to your mind when you see the following words...)
Twilight – Sparkly Vamps.

Black - Black Flag. (The punk group, not a bunch of dark flags.) Though Sirius Black comes a close second but that could be because your next question is Harry Potter, LOL.

Harry Potter - Quidditch. (Dunno why that popped into mind.)

Hot - Vampires. (As if I could have answered in any other way.)

Wings - Aprilynne Pike.

Coffee - Essential.

T.V. - Favorite time suck.

Love - Eternal.

Merlin - WIZARD AND GLASS. (Stephen King novel, of course.)

Rachel has been AWESOME enough to offer up something for giveaway (SEE... I told you it's tough to even be jealous of her she's so nice...)

So in honor of Rachel this giveaway is going to be the simplest of all the giveaways I have had so far...

GIVEAWAY 
ONE book of their choice not to exceed USD $20 from Amazon or The Book Depository depending upon location

PSST: Extra brownie points for whoever tweets @fiktshun to thank her for this awesome giveaway use #YRAHbday please. (She didn't let me make this an entry for the giveaway but you'd have my gratitude if you did :)

Don't forget to check out Rachel's website Fiktshun.
I believe she's celebrating 2.5 years of blogging as well!

49 comments:

  1. +JMJ+

    If someone asked me to recommend a book to a complete stranger, I'd give a very similar answer to Rachel's. Heck, I already give a variation of the same to friends I've known for years! I'm just not good at recommending things, but if I'm asked more specific questions about a book, I try to be helpful. =)

    That's probably why, when Rachel finally named some titles, I paid attention.

    Happy Blogoversary! =D

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  2. I love Fiktshun too! I'm ALWAYS checking out her blog, it great! Happy Blogoversary!

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  3. I've followed Fiktshun for a few years now. She's awesome. :D

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  4. ohhh i found Fiktshun like 2 moths ago... for rise tour ... is a great web.. and the reviews also good.i really like the design .. of the page .. is well done ... HAPPPPY BLOGOVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    almendra in the rafflecopter
    thanks for the giveaway

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  5. i checked rachel website at http://www.fiktshun.com/fiktshun/ and become email follower..
    thx u for this giveaway :)

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  6. i follow Rachel for quite some time and i've interacted with her, she is really a wonderful person ( despite what she think sometimes) and i really appreciate her, she is really thoughful with other bloggers and a passionnate reader

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  7. Fiktshun is one of my favorite blogs ever! I visit it really often, and Rachel's reviews are always amazing! Loved this interview so much!
    Happy Blogoversary!

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  8. I'm already subscribed to FIKTSHUN. Already a fan.

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  9. Oh, I really like Stephen King's THE LONG WALK too. Fiktshun seems like a nice and interesting person.

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  10. First time I've heard of that blog! I'm going to have to visit it more often, having a read of all the above comments :)

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  11. Rachel is on of the nicest, kindest bloggers out there!! She is seriously awesome :)

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  12. I am silent stalker on Rachel's every blog and I to read her posts... :)

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  13. I had never visited her site before but it seems interesting :)

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  14. I've been a follower of her blog for a while and she always has great content!

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  15. I've been a long time follower of Rachel's and I adore her blog.

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  16. I like her blogging tips =) I used to be one that didn't say no, and I'd just stressed myself out. Now I'm able to =)

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  17. Happy Blogoversary to you both!! I already follow her blog -- it's amazing! I've never talked to her before though. :(

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  18. I checked rachel website, and it seem nice and interesting.
    I think i will like it :)

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  19. Her blog is awesome, I am already a follower and I check her site daily!

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  20. Happy blogoversary!
    I love her blogs, she is really nice and has always really generous giveaways :)

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  21. Fun interview! My bleary mind is agreeing with the "coffee - essential" bit most of all at the moment! xD

    I check in on Rachel's blog now and then, previously joined her Soul Screamers readalong! I'm not a blogger but I love her blogging tips.

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  22. I have been a fan of Rachel's. I absolutely enjoy her blog and read it on a daily basis! Thank you for te amazing giveaway!

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  23. I like the pictures and the colors. Also, her reviews look good and will help me choose what books to read and not to read.

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  24. I've been a long time follower of Rachel's, I love her blog :) Thank you!

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  25. I love Rachel's blog, been a follower for a while now. love her giveaways.

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  26. I've been following Fiktshun for a while...obviously that's because I like the featured books :)

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  27. I've been following Fiktshun for a long time now! I love her blog, she has great reviews, book info, new releases & of course AMAZING Giveaways! Thanks for this giveaway & Congrats on the 2 yr Blogversity!

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  28. LOVE Rachel's blog:)) Her reviews on Fiktshun are honest and thoughtful, and when she's into a book you can totally tell:)

    She's always sincere and you can tell she loves blogging - this was a wonderful interview. Love how she got more social in the social blogging world. Really great advice for everyone:))

    Thank you:)

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  29. I just visited Rachel's site and it was very nice! I also liked her page on facebook! :)

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  30. I love Rachel's site. I love the graphics on it, and the darker vibe that it gives off. I think I could spend some time there, checking the posts out, and never get bored! And congrats to her for 2.5 years!

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  31. I'm still browsing Rachel's site & so far I love the image at the top, the font, colors & the reviews. I'm currently reading her review on The Beautiful & the Cursed. Discovered a new book now. :)

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  32. I've already been her follower :) I love her blog design and love her really well-detailed, long and totally honest reviews :)

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  33. Happy Blogoversary! I love Rachel's blog. I've been following her for a while. I love her reviews. I know that she is always honest. I love the way she has her blog set up.

    I love your blog too. I love how is so easy to find stuff. I love how you do book reviews. Your reviews help me find awesome books.

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

    Ryver

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  34. I love Rachel's blog and visit it a lot!

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  35. Rachel's blog is great! I love going there and reading new book reviews :)

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  36. I found Fiktshun a few months ago but it's only recently I've started commenting on her posts and I really love the way she interacts with her visitors.

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  37. I did check and sounds interesting blog :)

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  38. I've gone to Rachel's site before--it's such a great blog and I always love reading her latest posts! :D

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  39. Fiktshun is,without a doubt, one of My favorite blogs and I have been following it for more Than a year and a half.

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  40. She is awesome. The very first blog I found, I've been following her from the very beginning. She is the nicest and so good to her readers, always interacting with us.

    Happy Blogoversary to you!

    luarroyave(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  41. I've known Fiktshun for over an year and its one of my favorite blogs!
    Penny Pe

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  42. yes, I did. I've visited fiksthun before, nice blog^^

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  43. I frequently visit this website and enjoy the honest content. I also am a big fan of Vampire Diaries! Thanks for sharing and for the great giveaway!

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  44. Honestly, Fiktshun is one of the blogs that I salute the most because everything's just so organized and pretty to look at!

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  45. I've read Fiktshun's many reviews and am always back for more interviews and giveaways. Fiktshun is one of my favorite blogs to read :D

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  46. I've been to Rachel's website and I love it! Thanks!!

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  47. Yes I did! It looks really great! :)

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  48. I checked out her website and it's really nice, but I didn't see any books on my TBR.

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Please leave a comment and your blog link(if you have one).I LOVE comments!! I read all the comments on my blog and will try to pay a visit to your blog :D

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