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.

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!

Today on fLiP iT fRiDaY, we’re chatting with Steph Bowe from Hey, Teenager of the Year, aka @stephbowe on Twitter.

Describe a typical day in your life.

Well, the aliens bring me back around five in the morning, and I’ll sleep for a bit before I get up. I usually go for a run to the lake, do some schoolwork (I’m finishing high school by correspondence), chuck some washing in the machine. Then it’s spending way too long working on my blog, Twitter, emails and Myspace. I might have a photography or drama class in the afternoon, and I’ll walk to that, if the weather’s good. I go to the library and do some schoolwork there during the week. In the evenings I’ll usually help with dinner and do some writing. I’m incredibly lucky to have such a relaxed life (us Aussies are either really laid back or just plain lazy).

Relaxed? Wow I really need to step up my game. These bloggers are high energy! Maybe the Bowe family will adopt me and let me study game-stepping-up in Australia! 😀

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

I don’t think I can name a single book and say this is my favourite ever, but this week I love Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell. I love personally signed books especially.

What are 5 of your favorite things?

1. Writing
2. Photography
3. Dance
4. Lipstick
5. Zombies

I can’t help but imagine that list as a combo. A lipstick-wearing zombie dancer… hey, wait a second…

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

I started Hey, Teenager of the Year in March of 2009, but my blog has had many reincarnations, all the way back to 2007. My old blogs didn’t last mainly because of lack of enthusiasm and lack of content – then this year I discovered the YA book blogging community, finally got serious with my writing and started HTotY (that’s an acronym for Hey, Teenager of the Year, and I think it looks rather snazzy). I’m am also working with Kristi of The Story Siren on The YA Blogosphere, a more detailed directory than the YA Book Blog Directory, that will hopefully become a reference site for authors and publishers looking for book bloggers to promote their books. I suggest you check it out!

I will check it out. Kristi is awesome, too, so I’m sure I won’t be disappointed! Everyone. Go check it out!

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?

I always have lots of interviews planned – established YA authors, aspiring authors, book bloggers, and soon some artists – which are a lot of fun; asking people about their imaginary friends especially. I’m also keeping everyone updated on how my novel is going, sharing my photographs and soon I’ll share my tales of trying to seduce The Anonymous Library Boy.

Yes, please! More seducing library boy tales! Yay! And of course, best of luck with your novel. I love that so many book bloggers are also novel writers. I mean, it makes sense, right? But it’s also awesome.

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

Oh, how I love dance! It’s my biggest regret that I stopped doing dance when I was seven, because I love it so much now, but when I leap and twirl people freak out because they think I’m having an epileptic fit. When I’m not scaring people with interpretive dance, I write. I’m an aspiring author, and I’ve currently got a YA novel under consideration at a publishing house here in Aus. Fingers crossed!!

Well, that was the novel update I was looking for! *Crossing all fingers immediately and indefinitely!* Wouldn’t it be cool to write a novel and then create an interpretive dance based on said novel? Hmmm. I hope that plants a seed for all you dancer-writers out there. Your welcome. 😉

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

I don’t think you ever have to grow up. My parents have eluded adulthood for over twenty years. But if I absolutely have to… an elephant.

❤ Elephants!!!!

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

Only three?

1. I want to live to see complete racial and gender balance,
2. have people admire me for my writing and my vivacity (though the closest I am to vivacious at the moment is curvaceous),
3. and to be at peace with who I am.

Those are the top three – just missing out are tapping into my psychic ability and owning a pet baby elephant.

Hmmm. So what am I thinking right…. NOW?

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

I love giving people massages. I secretly want to become a masseuse, not a psychologist.

Really? Wow. Now I *really* want to be adopted into the Bowe household.

*Turns aching shoulders your way and clears throat subtly*

Now, it’s time for Apocalypse Mad Libs!

If I ever had to face a legion of zombie strippers I’d want Simmone Howell on my side, because her books have attitude and they’re not afraid to use it..

If she wasn’t available, I’d take Riley Rose from the book, Everything Beautiful, because she’s absolutely fearless.

In any case, if I only had 1 day to live before the end of the world, I’d eat all my favourite things – fairy bread and custard and toasted marshmallows and then I’d tell everyone, “Well, at least we had fun.”

So I’d heard of fairy floss (cotton candy), but fairy bread? I just had to look it up. And I’m so glad I did, because do you know what it is? Sliced bread, buttered and then covered in sprinkles! Why didn’t I think of that!?

Thank you, Steph, for joining us on fLiP iT fRiDaYs and introducing us to the delectable magic that is Fairy Bread! Check out Steph’s blog at Hey, Teenager of the Year and don’t forget to follow her @stephbowe on Twitter.

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!

Today on fLiP iT fRiDaY, we’re chatting with Nadine-Stella from Starry Night.

Describe a typical day in your life.

Wow. I do not even know where to begin. I wake up at 6:30am everyday and leave for the bus about an hour later. Then I’m at school till about 2:45. Right after school, I have track practice which usually doesn’t end till around 4:30/5. When I get home I pop into the shower, make dinner, clean the kitchen and start on my homework while I eat. I usually get done around eight-ish or nine-ish. After that, I work on other random projects such as scholarships or competitions or just cleaning my room really then I pop into bed between the hours of 10-12. Sometimes 11-2am on track meet days cause when I get home I have to do my homework and shower before going to bed. But nonetheless, I have very busy days and time flies by like nothing. I barely have an hour for myself.

Wow, you are really productive!

*Is a total slacker by comparison*

You should be a motivational coach or something! “Sarah! Where’s that revised draft? Did you order your bookmarks yet? What do you mean, you haven’t done your ninja blog post?! What are you waiting for?! This book isn’t going to write itself, you know!”

Hmm. On second thought…

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

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky has had the most profound effect on me. Let’s just say, I’d never really had Sex-Ed till I read that book.

Another one for my TBR pile! With a description like that, maybe I’ll even learn something new!

What are 5 of your favorite things?

1. Food
2. Music
3. Books
4. People
5. Colors (hehe)

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

I’ve been blogging since maybe September 2008. I had wanted to have one for a while now but it took me a complete summer away from home to realize that it’s about time I make one for myself. I was really fascinated by the blogging world and was dying to be part of it. Now-a-days I barely have any time for it and it SUCKS. I DO MISS IT.

Well, at least summer is right around the corner. Maybe you’ll have a little more free time? Of course, you do have that crazy busy schedule! I don’t know how you keep up with it!

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?

I can’t really think of anything unique to my blog. I pretty much participate in everything most other bloggers do. I’m still working on that one thing that will just be mine, other than my writing style I guess. –I know, so generic.

Just by being yourself, you can’t possibly be generic. That’s what I love about YA book bloggers. There are literally hundreds, but they’re all so different. Even when they show the same features and memes and reviews, each person has a different take and a different voice. I guess it’s not all that different from writing YA books, right? There really aren’t that many stories out there, so it all comes down to our individual unique styles and voices, and that’s exactly what you’re doing with Starry Night!

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

I love free dance, when no one’s looking. lol. I get shy in a crowd unless I’m sure I’m doing it right.

Oh, you should see me dance. I mean, you never will, because I don’t do it in public either, but I’m sure you’re a regular Ginger by comparison to my Carlton-esque moves!

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

Well I’d love to be at least 5’4″ but I don’t see that happening so I guess becoming a physician would be nice.

Shorties unite! I’ve given up the 5’4″ dream too. Fortunately there aren’t any height restrictions for medical school, right?

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

1. I’d definitely have to pay a visit to England,
2. be more comfortable in an unknown crowd,
3. and sail the seven seas……. after I learn how to swim. lol

Looks like we have another friend for our YA writers/bloggers/readers Seven Wonders of the World road trip! Hmmm, we may have to rent a second bus at this rate!

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

I haven’t gotten a haircut since I was 7 years old.

*Drops jaw*

Well you look gorgeous, so I guess if it ain’t broke… don’t fix it!

Now, it’s time for Apocalypse Mad Libs!

If I ever had to face a plane crash on the water I’d want Kelly Bingham on my side, because she wrote a novel titled SHARK GIRL so I assume she knows a thing or two about swimming.

If she wasn’t available, I’d take Jane Arrowood from the book, SHARK GIRL, because she survived a shark attack and was able to swim to the shore with pretty much just one hand.**

In any case, if I only had 1 day to live before the end of the world, I’d eat mussel and then I’d tell everyone, “Viva la vida!”

**In truth, I have yet to read Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham but I hope the assumptions I made are correct. And I don’t really know what “viva la vida means, it was the first thing that came to mind. I know it had to do with life cause viva means You Live so yay, I’ve decoded part of it. =)

Update: Okay, so after Shark Girl, turns out Jane didn’t swim to shore with one hand. Her brother was the one who saved her. But I still say she’s an awesome swimmer.

Too much talk of sharks will keep me up at night! Ack! Good thing I don’t live near the ocean.

*Hopes there aren’t any sharks in Lake Erie but honestly wouldn’t be all that surprised if there are, especially the toxic waste-enhanced ones*

Yikes. Anyway, it was fun chatting with you on fLiP iT fRiDaY, Nadine-Stella! Thanks for stopping by! Guys, don’t forget to check outStarry Night, where Nadine-Stella will be hosting a Twenty Boy Summer interview and giveaway in the coming weeks!

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!

Today on fLiP iT fRiDaY, we’re chatting with Alea from Pop Culture Junkie, aka @mint910 on Twitter.

And just to prove that Alea is actually not a cartoon (so she says, anyway!)…

Describe a typical day in your life.

I wake up at 6, check my email and a few blogs quickly before I’m out the door and on the bus. Then I READ transfer to another bus and READ!!! Once I get to work I’ll have some breakfast etc and then get to work. Often times I can be found designing things such as ads, postcards, the occasional book cover, and logos and sometimes sumo related things among other stuff! Once the workday is over I do all of that in reverse, get home, have dinner, take a shower, maybe watch some tv, catch up on some blogs and hopefully squeeze in a bit more reading before I go to bed at 10. I tell you, where does the time go! Isn’t my life beyond exciting? HA!

Attention class… Who else would like to see Alea design sumo related things… in reverse?

*Raises hand!*

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

Wow, I really don’t know. I haven’t read nearly the amount of YA I want to, to be able to make an informed choice. But here are a few of my recent favorites: Willow by Julia Hoban, Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols, and The Season by Sarah MacLean. I really liked these because I think they just unraveled perfectly. Willow was very powerful and made sense for me out of cutting and self destructive behavior. Going Too Far had the best chemistry I had ever seen, and The Season pretty much played out exactly how I had hoped and make me squeal. I loved these books!

Cool! I’m reading Willow for Chelsea’s book club this month and many of you have already heard me gush all up and down this blog about Sarah MacLean’s The Season. Which I love. And Sarah is awesome. I need to check out Going to Far, too. 🙂

What are 5 of your favorite things?

1. Tapirs (Hello – Look at them!)
2. Reading a new favorite book.
3. All Wes Anderson movies.
4. Finishing all the items on a check list sooner than I thought I would.
5. Finding things in common with others (Like you guys and reading!)

This interview totally would have been posted earlier, had I not spent the last hour clicking on all those tapir pictures. I mean, just when I think nothing can be more adorable than a baby hippo… boom! “Hi, I’m a tapir, and I reek of adorableness! You’re welcome!”

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

I started my blog in June 2005. I was taking some summer classes at college and had some time to kill. I posted all sorts of weird things like the periodical offerings of my school’s library and my mini-take on an assortment of movies (seriously do not look at those posts). I had a few dear friends that would leave a comment or two and slowly it died off. With me posting maybe once or twice a month (if even) because no one was reading it besides me! I continued to read blogs and then in the Spring of 2008 discovered book blogs! So I figured heck, I’m reading books and sometimes writing reviews on LibraryThing, this could be perfect! Some of my friends enjoy reading, but not like you guys! It was so surprising how quickly I was welcomed into the community!

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?

I’ve been toying around with a new feature for my blog, think another new type of cover post. But I’m not 100% sure yet. But for anyone new to my blog, one of the things I’m known for are my Lookalikes and Hardcovers vs. Paperback posts. Being a graphic designer this is the perfect way for me to combine my love of reading with my love of design. And I’m very thankful that I’m not the only one that finds them interesting! I’m also very thankful for all the emails and suggestions I get from people for these posts, you don’t know how much it means to me!

I love the Lookalikes feature, too. As an author (and also as a former marketing person), it’s interesting for me to watch the trends in YA book covers. And it’s really fun to see how publishers sometimes alter the same photograph or use photos from the same shoot to convey very different meanings for different books.

Check out the Lookalikes post that featured Twenty Boy Summer! From there you can click on the LOOKALIKES label at the end to view the others.

Alea, I think another cover feature would be great. They’re so fun!

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

Hmmm, no creative writing here. Art, yes lots of art. I have some in progress comics that I haven’t touched in a good year (think, blog banner) that I should really get back to. I was a screen-printing freak in college and would definitely love to have the set-up to do that again and again. I also have a minor in Photography but haven’t been taking many pictures lately, well besides of course my This Week In Books pictures. I really need to start exploring my hobbies more. And I did Dance for 12 years but haven’t since I graduated from high school.

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

Ummm a better version of myself, more confident and a lot less lazy.

That sounds wonderful! Please let me know if you figure out how, because I’d love to be a better, more confident, less lazy version of myself. I think those are good things to strive for!

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

1. I would love to move to New York City, I was born on Long Island and my parents worked in NYC but I’m sort of a chicken, maybe someday!
2. Travel, everywhere.
3. Know more about everything.

Yay! You’re coming with me and Kristi and everyone on our YA writers/bloggers/readers Seven Wonders of the World road trip! Kristi is totally driving. And on the way we’ll try to learn stuff, too. And take pictures.

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

That I blog, no seriously. Most people don’t know or I tell them and they forget. I don’t talk about it much, well until recently with the whole Audrey,Wait! thing! I think my mom only found out when she went with me to get Audrey, Wait! Apparently she told my Grandfather about it and he was very impressed. LOL! My grandparents are where I get my reading from, my immediate family, not so much. My grandparents actually went to a $1 Bag Sale last summer at the local library. We walked away with 2 bags!

Sounds like a great investment!

Now, it’s time for Apocalypse Mad Libs!

If I ever had to face a tapir extinction I’d want NOT Katie Alender on my side, because when she found out what a tapir was via me talking about it on Sharon’s blog she said they were “grody looking” *cries*.

If she wasn’t available, I’d take NOT Kasey from the book, Bad Girls Don’t Die, because she sounds kind of scary/dangerous and might help kill off the tapirs and not save them!

In any case, if I only had 1 day to live before the end of the world, I’d eat lots of sugar and chocolate and then I’d tell everyone, “zzzzzzzzzzz.” (because i would already be in a sugar coma).

Okay, with you on the NOT Katie Alender part. How could she not love the tapir?! I just don’t get it. *Sigh*

Thank you, tapir-lovin’ Alea for joining us on fLiP iT fRiDaYs! Visit Alea over at Pop Culture Junkie and follow her @mint910 on Twitter.

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!

Today on fLiP iT fRiDaY, we’re chatting with Kristi from The Story Siren, aka thestorysiren on Twitter.

Describe a typical day in your life.

My days are actually very boring. I work at an orthodontic office from 8-5. Sometimes I’ll get some reading done on my lunch break. I try to be productive!

Usually I make dinner when I get home, it helps me wind down. I really like to cook and bake. And I eat in front of the television. I know it’s a bad habit, but I usually catch up on my shows via dvr! Which usually consists of Heroes, True Blood, and sometimes Ellen.

Then I get a couple hours of reading and internet surfing done, play with the dog, and hang with the hubby.

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

I don’t have a favorite YA book, I wish I did, but there are to many great novels out there! I would have to say that the Harry Potter series had the most profound effect on me, because it reaffirmed my love of reading after I had almost stopped completely. And then after that I found the Twilight books as a recommendation for Harry Potter fans “what to read next” Then once I found this obsession with YA, it essentially started my blog.

Whoa… I never would have guessed that you, The Story Siren, almost stopped reading! Yay for Harry Potter for getting you back into books!

What are 5 of your favorite things?

1. My husband
2. My dog
3. My iPod
4. My computer
5. My books

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

I’ve been blogging for about a year and a half. Initially I just utilized my library. I think I’ve read about every YA book they have! I didn’t actually know you could be a “reviewer” and actually get books from publishers until I stumbled on the Random Buzz site. That’s actually how I got my first ARC. Then it grew from there.

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?

I don’t have anything specific in mind right now, as for new features. I wish I did! My blog mainly consists of reviews, interviews, contests, and random book related posts.

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

Creative pursuits…. well I do take a lot of pictures, but I’m not really all that good at it. I mainly do it because I like to scrapbook, which now that I think about it I can’t remember the last time I did that! But I do love to scrapbook, when I actually get around to doing it. I like to make cards too!

Awesome. I used to scrapbook, too, but I found it took me so long to make just one page because I wanted everything to be perfect! So now I focus on the pictures rather than the scrapbooks. My mom is *way* into it though, and she also makes cards, which I love getting. Home made cards are the best! It’s almost like getting a real letter in an age of email and text.

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

Honestly, I still don’t know, and I probably should have that figured out already. I have a job that I really like right now, but I’m not sure it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. I mean there are so many things that I’d like to do! I’d hate to limit myself.

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

1. I’d like to write a novel. Not necessarily to be published, but who knows maybe I could try that too, but I’d just like to write a complete story.
2. I’d like to visit the seven wonders of the earth.
3. And I’d like to meet some of my favorite authors!

Um, can I come with you on the 7 wonders trip?

*Packs bags*
*Stands innocently in the doorway waiting for Kristi’s car*

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

That I have a book blog! Not many people that know me, know about it. And I also like to drink pickle juice. In the summer I used to freeze it and make pickle-sicles.

Pickle juice? Picklesicles? Okay, that sounds awful. But I have a feeling it’s one of those things that people eat on a dare and end up really liking!

Now, it’s time for Apocalypse Mad Libs!

If I ever had to face a massive meteor headed for earth I’d want Richelle Mead on my side, because as long as I find out what is going to happen to Rose and Dimitri, I could die happy..

If she wasn’t available, I’d take Rose from the book, Vampire Academy, because she always seems to make it out of hazardous situations, alive and kickin’.

In any case, if I only had 1 day to live before the end of the world, I’d eat a Grand Opulence Sundae, you know that $1000.00 sundae and then I’d tell everyone, “Ah, that tastes nice, Thank you!“

There’s a $1000 sundae?

*Smashes piggy bank* 🙂

Thank you joining us on fLiP iT fRiDaYs, Kristi! Check out Kristi’s blog at The Story Siren and Tweeting as @thestorysiren on Twitter. Follow her there!

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!