August kicks off with a new weekly post every Wednesday spotlighting some fabulous book bloggers. These wonderful women have offered me so much support since the release of my first Keepers book last year and I’m thrilled to get to know a bit more about each of them!
Today in the spotlight is the lovely Charlotte Foreman from BestChickLit so join us and get to know a little more about the person behind this amazing blog!
If you had to write a bio for yourself, what would it say?
I’m a bookworm of the highest order. Not being able to read is something I could never comprehend and having a good book in my hand is one of life’s biggest luxuries. I indulge more frequently than most.
Describe yourself in five words.
Persistent, friendly, hard working, obsessive and tidy.
What made you decide to start BestChickLit?
I wanted to create somewhere my books, as in the way I see the books I read, could live. I needed a place I could express my excitement about the stories I loved and hoped to share that will like-minded people.
What are the blogging highlights?
There are so many! Meeting any author is always a huge thrill for me and is the ultimate payment for all the hard work blogging takes. Having one of our reviews quoted on a cover is also exciting.
Do you have any pet peeves about the blogging / author / publisher / reading process?
I’m generally fairly laid back about what other people are doing but one of my real pet peeves is when people write spoilers in reviews, especially on Amazon. I simply don’t understand the need to layout a book’s every surprise, twist and turn. That’s not what a review is for, it’s unfair and completely unnecessary.
How does blogging fit into your family life, work etc?
I work from home so I’m able to interweave it quite easily.
When you’re not reading or blogging, you’re…?
Either working or doing family domesticated type things!
You receive a lot of author requests to read their books. How do you decide what to read and when?
We have a Review Database. When books are sent in, they are added to the database for a period of 12 months and we choose our own reads from there.
Tell us something about yourself that readers won’t know from reading your blog.
I’ve got quite a temper on me 😉
What are you currently reading?
I’m just about to start You Had Me at Merlot by Lisa Dickenson.
Do you have any advice to authors about how best to approach bloggers and develop relationships with them?
Remember that just being friendly and polite goes a lot further than you’d think. As does checking out a blog before emailing over a review request.
A few fun, quick word associations!
Fire – hot
Cake – chocolate, fudge, gooey
Books – heaven
Ocean – blue
Abs – six pack
Holiday – sun
Babies – awww!
Diamonds – jewellery
Scent – perfume
Food – a good meal
Thanks for the lovely chat, Charlotte! For book news, reviews, blog tours and many other author services, head on over to BestChickLit!
Thanks for reading – as always, we welcome your comments!
Rae Rivers
Couch Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
What fun to read an interview from a blogger and reviewer for a change!
Hi Kathy, it is, isn't it? I had such fun chatting to Charlotte, lovely to get some more information about the woman behind the scenes. Thanks for stopping by!
Really enjoyed this post and being able to hear things from a reviewer's perspective. I completely agree with Charlotte about spoilers on Amazon.
Thanks ladies for sharing such a great interview 🙂
Oh I totally agree about spoilers! I find it so irritating when the 'reviewer' spells out every bit of the story. I have to scan through reviews with a hand half over my eyes! I personally have hated reviewing books since it was obligatory in primary school, but as an author, I'm so grateful you love to do it! 🙂
I also agree, spoilers are horrible. Thanks for the read and the comment!
I agree, Emily, I'm also so grateful for the lovely bloggers willing to read and review our books! Thanks for the visit!
This is fabulous & fun! Thanks for sharing Rae & Charlotte!
Glad you enjoyed, Sun. Thank you!
Such fun! Thanks Rae and Charlotte!
Six-pack abs, chocolate cake and diamond jewelry? Yes please! 🙂
Lovely to see Charlotte sitting in that awesome chair, she's one very experienced reviewer/blogger! I also love the word association bit – interesting to see other people's responses.
Really interesting to hear from Charlotte… must remember that bit about the temper 😉 . I do agree with her about being friendly and polite – I was once savaged on Twitter when – in my early days – I butted in on a conversation and was told in no uncertain terms where to go. It put me off that particular writing professional for good!
Ooh, we're on the same page, April! Awesome combination, isn't it? 🙂 Thanks for stopping by. x
I agree, Linn, Charlotte's awesome! Thanks for the visit! I also love word associations – the different responses are a lot of fun to read.
Oh, no! Twitter savaged, how awful! Especially back in the early days – that's enough to chase anyone off Twitter. I've often wanted to butt into a conversation on Twitter (and have!) but tend to hesitate if I'm unfamiliar with them. On the other hand, it's a public forum! If you want private … 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Great interview Charlotte & Rae! It's good to get to know the person behind the blogger 🙂 xxx
Lovely, so pleased you enjoyed the post. Thanks, Aimee!