Today on fLiP iT fRiDaY, we’re chatting with James from Book Chic, aka @BookChicClub on Twitter.

Describe a typical day in your life.

Well, now that I have a steady(ish) job, here’s how a weekday goes: I wake up at around 6am after about 6 hours of sleep, turn on my computer, check email and the like, get dressed, go make my lunch that I bring to work (although sometimes I go to McDonald’s for lunch instead, which is fun too), and then head on out. I arrive to work surprisingly on time now (when I started work in the afternoon, I was almost always constantly late) and go in and sit down at my little cubicle area. I do data entry from 7am to 3pm with a half hour lunch break and two other 15 minute breaks. I go home (though if it’s a Monday, I go volunteer at the library for 2 hours) and usually check email and read for a bit. Around 4:30, I go check the mailbox, which is always fun (unless I get nothing, in which case it’s NOT fun), then my roommate and I go walking (not every day) when she comes home from work, then dinnertime followed by Wii playing time and also House-or-Reba-or-Sex-and-the-City time (which is usually accompanied by a snack). Then it’s bedtime. Oh, and I bring a book to work so I read during all the breaks too.

Whoa.

*Exhausted*

You bloggers are really a high-energy bunch! You must share your secrets wit me… how do you have time to read, post thoughtful reviews, interact with other YA book bloggers, and still have an outside life? I mean, why haven’t the Twitter and Facebook forces of evil sucked your lifeblood yet? Clearly, I’m missing something here!

What is your favorite YA book and why? Or, which YA book has had the most profound effect on you and why?

I honestly have too many to name. But I usually go with Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot. The reason for that is that it was the first YA book I ever read and it started me on my YA reading path, so it brought me to where I am today. Which I’ll always be eternally grateful to Meg for. Now, the reason it’s the second Princess Diaries book and not the first is because I saw the movie of it first and therefore thought that the first book was EXACTLY like the movie and so I didn’t want to read it cuz I’d already seen the movie. I have since gone back and read that first book, lol. Also, another reason I skipped over the first book was because I thought it was written in novel format rather than diary for some reason, as I thought she got the diary AFTER she found out about being a princess. I was a bit stupid back then, lol.

I love that you named one of Meg’s Princess books because… well… you might not remember this, but a long time ago, way before Twenty Boy Summer hit the shelves, I entered one of your giveaways on MySpace. I didn’t win officially, but the first winner never responded, and I was next in line! Yeah! And guess what you sent me? A signed copy of Princess in the Spotlight. 🙂 *Memories*

What are 5 of your favorite things?

Hmmm, five things…

1. I enjoy reading, of course!
2. I also really like to write.
3. I love getting comments on my blog posts- they always make my day!
4. Being a part of this wonderful YA blogging community is another favorite thing of mine- I never thought that I’d be able to chat with authors online and also be able to meet so many different readers all over the world. It’s simply fantastic. So that’s four things…. what’s my fifth favorite thing?
5. Ooo! How about cute boys? I do quite like those too! Hehe.

Yay! You named 5 of my faves, too! 😉

How long have you been blogging, and how did you get your book blogging start?

It’s been about two years now (the official two-year date will be June 23, 2009) and I’ve talked several times about how I got my start, so I hope it’s ok that I link to two places instead: For those who want to see me explain it all in vlog format and for those who want it in print. (3rd question, though feel free to read them all!)

Are you planning any upcoming new features or special content on your book blog and/or is there anything specific you want potential new visitors to know about your blog?

Well, I’m going to be doing something for my two-year blogiversary this June! There won’t be as many giveaways this time around, but it should still be a fun time! Oh and also last month (May) I did a series spotlighting and discussing GLBT YA Literature on my blog! I would have done it to coincide with GLBT Pride Month, but unfortunately, that’s in June, which would mess up my blogiversary. And then the next time I could potentially do it to coincide with anything would be in October for National Coming Out Day but that was much too far away. And then in July, I am gonna be making the move completely over to my blogspot blog and will be reviewing and doing everything there. So that’s what I’ve got planned!

In addition to blogging, what other creative pursuits do you enjoy?

In my free time, I do love creative writing but I haven’t done it in so long. Job hunting (for a stable, permanent job) and working at my job plus the reading and blogging leaves little time for writing. Which sucks. Hopefully, once I get used to everything going on, I can make a schedule and have alloted time for certain things and keep to that schedule. I do enjoy photography too but not in any professional sort of way- I love taking pictures of various things, like books out in the wild! Or like our cats in the apartment. Occasionally, I’ve taken nature photos and those have turned out well, and it’s just a fun little thing to do. I also enjoy singing and dancing, but no idea how good I actually am at those things, lol.

I hear you on the singing and dancing thing. And it’s not like you can ask your friends, because they’ll be all, “Dude, you rock at signing and dancing! You should totally try out for Idol!” And suddenly you wake up on live television with Simon calling you a disaster and Randy saying he just wasn’t feelin’ it for you, dog.

I mean, but if you’re good, you should totally try out. 🙂

What do you want to be when you “grow up”?

I really want to be a published author, or at least working in the publishing industry in some capacity. But right now, I just want a permanent job rather than a temp one. I do enjoy what I have now, but it sucks not knowing when it’ll end. It’s supposed to go for a while, but you never know.

What are 3 things you’d like to do or accomplish in your lifetime?

1. Finish writing a book and get it published.
2. Record an album (though again, I’m not sure how well that’ll turn out, lol).
3. Would also love to go to Italy, England, and Egypt.

You are *so* coming with us on the YA blogger road trip! And you’ve heard about my mummy-loving obsession with Egypt, right? Well, Khy is taking me there. Join us! Pyramids or bust!

Tell us something that people who know you in real life would be surprised to learn about you.

Hmmm. I guess I might have to say blogging. While some of my friends know about it now, I actually tried to keep it secret for a while, but when you’re getting packages of books almost every single day, people start to ask questions, lol. But aside from my closest friends, no one really knows about it and I don’t make it a point to tell people. I don’t think it’s really something that people need to know about me. If it comes up in conversation somehow (like “How’d you get that early copy?” or “How do you know that author?” or something like that), I talk about it. But it’s generally something I keep to myself. Even though some of my friends have been like “Wait, you TALK to Meg Cabot and you didn’t TELL ME?!?!?” LOL. I find that funny. In fact, my roommate actually came with me to Sarah Dessen’s signing on June 16th down in Durham, NC because she wanted to meet her, due to the fact that she’s so famous. She had no idea I knew Sarah either.

OMG!

*Resists urge to say, “Wait, you KNOW Sarah Dessen and you didn’t TELL ME?!?!”*

Now, it’s time for Apocalypse Mad Libs!

I don’t think I can do this. I suck at MadLibs. For some reason, it’s always so hard for me to do these sorts of things. Plus, after reading other bloggers’ awesome MadLibs, mine would never compare. So I won’t bother, lol.

Hmmm. I guess this means your own personal apocalypse would have something to do with reams and reams of MadLibs, all the old school ones, you know, in those little foldy-pad thingies? And every time you complete a stack, a fresh new stack appears in its place. And all of the ones you write are pale imitations of the ones being acted out before your eyes by all of the other bloggers, in costume. And then… wait. Have I gone too far? Sorry. I get that way sometimes. 😉

Thank you, James, for helping us narrowly avoid the apocalypse on fLiP iT fRiDaYs! Learn more about James and his great reviews and vlogs at Book Chic, and don’t forget to follow him at @BookChicClub on Twitter.

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fLiP iT fRiDaY is a weekly feature at SarahOckler.com showcasing the fabulous YA book bloggers and reviewers who share young adult fiction with the world and inspire raves, rants, intelligent discourse, and a whole bunch of book-lovin’ among readers everywhere. If you’d like to be featured on fLiP iT fRiDaY, contact me!