I have a special treat for everyone today. I have two close friends that have started book review blogs. I asked them if they would like to participate in the New blood book blogger on the block, of course, they said yes! So, please welcome Ronda aka Queentutt and Vanessa aka thejeepdiva.
theJeepDiva reads a little of this and a little of that. She loves everything form Steven King to zombies, if you throw in some hot erotic sex she is good to go. I have to say though she is ready for the zombie apocalypse, so much so it wouldn't surprise me if she has a zombie monthly feature on her blog LOL. Oh snap, there you go chick a good idea for you lol.
Tell us a little about yourself?
I have an extreme case of CDO (yep, I alphabetized my OCD.) I love cruising country back roads in my Jeep with my camera and taking tons of photographs. I’m from South Louisiana, relocated to Tennessee in February of 2010. So everyone thinks I talk funny. I have been married for nearly 10 years and we have 8 fur kids. Oh, yeah…. I LOVE TO READ.
How long have you been reading? What’s your favorite genre?
Started reading in high school, stopped for a bit during college, got back into reading when time allowed after college. I recently became a heavy reader again in the spring of 2009. The job I had at the time required me to be there for 40 hours even though I only worked probably 10-15 hours. The management did not mind if I brought a book to read. I have not gone back to work since my husband & I moved in January of 2010, so now I have an abundance of time to read.
My favorite genre is paranormal romance. I also read some sci fi romance and have recently become obsessed with zombie apocalypse. I also enjoy some urban fantasy. I am a huge Stephen King fan. I guess I am all over the place with the books I read.
When and why did you start doing book reviews?
I wrote a few reviews on goodreads.com prior to the starting of the blog. I noticed I was only reviewing books that I did not like (so not fair.) I’m going to guess that spring of 2010 I started reviewing all the books I read on goodreads. As to why, who knows, I have an abundance of time on my hands. How long have you been reviewing books?
I’ve been reviewing books for about a year now.
Do you take notes for your reviews while you read?
ABSOLUTELY! I keep them in a composition notebook. After I am done reading the book I move the important notes into my Collector Z book database under the appropriate book.
Why did you start a book blog?
One of the panels at Readers N Ritas Dallas 2010 was “Writing book reviews for free books.” That was what started the blogging. I now do the blogging because I enjoy the socializing with other book loving individuals. The beginning was hopes for free books.
How long does it usually take you to read and write a review for your blog?
I can typically start a 400 page book in the morning when I get up and have it and the review finished by the time I go to bed that evening. This does depend on if my husband is at work and if I have to leave the house for some reason.
What’s the hardest thing you had to do in setting up your blog?
Name. I wanted some cute catchy name. Oh well. I’m the Jeep Diva, so I am just going to keep rocking that. I am still trying to figure out the whole button thingy. I WANT ONE and I have no clue how to make one. I even googled up several how to’s. I am oblivious on how to do it.
What’s the most exciting thing that has happened to you since your started your blog?
I did a happy dance all around my house one afternoon when an author commented on my Facebook page that she though the “About Me” on my blog was funny.
What’s your favorite thing to do on your blog?
Yay for stalking posts. I have an abundance of spare time so I go to quite a few signings and book cons.
Any tips, for a new upcoming book blogger?
Do not buy the book Google Blogger for Dummies. EVERYTHING in that book is something that you can figure out easily on your own.
What are the most books you read in a week?
6 and in June of 2010 I read 27 books.
Quick questions
Spoilers or no spoilers?
Nope, I HATE spoilers. I will point out in a review that if I mention something it would be a spoiler, so I guess I am a bit of a tease…he he
Author interviews or guest post?
Not yet, I have had an offer for a guest blogger and I recently had an author offer to answer any questions I may have about her books in an email. I have been thinking about asking her to do an author interview on my blog. I was waiting to talk to my blogger guru friend Laurie at bittenbyparanormalromance.com about some how to’s behind that.
Long reviews or short reviews?
That really depends on the book. I do tend to be lengthy though. I try to give an overall feel of the book, then what I thought of the main couple, and then I move into what’s next for that author/series.
Kindle or Sony -reader?
Kindle. The Hub bought it for me when I did NOT win a contest that I had entered on an author’s Facebook page. He felt that I should have been the winner, so he went out and got me one. He’s a sweetie!
Paperback or PDF?
PAPER. I like actual tangible books. I buy most of my books from used indie stores.
Queentutt You may recognize Queentutt, she has been a reviewer here on the blog for a while now. Her blog is all about romance *clears throat * I mean hot monkey sex LOL.Oh ya, your'll find all kinds of erotica on her blog with the added little of this and that.
Tell us a little about yourself?
Hi Laurie, thanks for having me on the blog. My blog is called Queentutt’s World of Escapism http://wwwqueentuttsworldofescapism.blogspot.com/ I am an avid reader who loves to blog and review the many books that I read. I love focusing my life around entertainment whether it is through reading, movies, or music. Life in general can be such a bummer at times and the best way for me to escape the insanity is through these entertainments. Family is important to me too. I have three grown children and they have currently blessed me with 3 grandsons. I am married to my best friend and together we enjoy life as much as possible by traveling, fishing, gardening, animals, BBQ-ing, watching sports – especially football (Go Dallas Cowboys), and watching movies.
How long have you been reading? What’s your favorite genre?
Growing up I wasn’t much into reading because of either sports or my military career but once I retired in 1998 my time seem to free up some and I would read about 3 books a year due to the kids being so involved in sports and school activities. But then in 2006, the last kid graduated and I found myself with nothing to do so I started picking up books and reading constantly to fill the void of missing my kids. So it’s been 5 years since I have steadily been reading. My favorite genres are Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Erotic. I don’t really do Young Adult Reads and prefer erotica in most of my reads. I do read M/F/M and M/M reads as well.
When and why did you start doing book reviews?
Actually, doing reviews was a natural thing for me to do because I consider it like taking notes to whether it was a good book or not and it reminded me what the book was really about. Usually if I rated it a 4 or 5 star than I considered it a book I would probably read again. Not only that but my friends could see what I thought about the book and then judge for themselves if they would enjoy it.
How long have you been reviewing books?
It’s been 5 years now and I will always review every book I look at.
Do you take notes for your reviews while you read?
Sometimes I do especially if it is a book over 500 pages.
Why did you start a book blog?
I started a blog because I was mainly posting my reviews on goodreads.com and then I started doing reviews for you Laurie (Bitten By Paranormal Romance) and found that I really enjoyed the interaction between the followers and the authors. It’s a great feeling when you get wonderful comments regarding your reviews. Then I enjoyed the interaction from going to other blogs and making comments on the different blogs. So I figured I should start a blog on my own. It’s not real big and it’s just for fun blog of the many things I enjoy.
How long does it usually take you to read and write a review for your blog?
I can usually read a book within a couple of days and then it takes me about 30 minutes to write up a review and get it posted to the blog. I think I am doing good when I push out 3 books a week and great when I do 5 books a week.
What’s the hardest thing you had to do in setting up your blog?
It can be time consuming especially in the beginning because of the learning how everything works concept of the blog. I think the hardest thing to learn was finding the right gadgets, widgets, and different tools to use to make the appearance of the blog look nice.
What’s the most exciting thing that has happened to you since your started your blog?
The most exciting thing that has happened to me is getting followers and hearing back from the authors I have done a review for. Their great comments is what makes me want to continue with the reviews I do and read more of their books.
What’s your favorite thing to do on your blog?
I love music and erotic pictures and it is always neat when I come across something to share with my followers. I am hoping to start doing some book giveaways soon and that is always fun to giveaway stuff.
Any tips, for a new upcoming book blogger?
Patience and time are a key factor in blogging. It takes time to build up to how you want your blog to actually look like you want it and the more time you spend on it and the more money you put into it the better the success.
What are the most books you read in a week?
I think the most I read in a week was 5 books. 20 books a month.
Quick questions
Spoilers or no spoilers? No spoilers
Author interviews or guest post? Author Interviews
Long reviews or short reviews? Short Reviews
Kindle or Sony -reader? Kindle/Nook
Paperback or PDF? PDF
Now that you have meet these to lovely ladies you can check out there blog and if you like what you see please follow. You can also leave a comment below for either one or both if you want.
Now that you have meet these to lovely ladies you can check out there blog and if you like what you see please follow. You can also leave a comment below for either one or both if you want.
