Today I have an interview with the awesome Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl and The Broke and The Bookish!

What are you like outside of blogging?

You know, I do my best to let my true personality shine through my writing, so I like to think I’m the same way in real life: a little goofy and fangirly when necessary, but insightful, serious, and sensitive at the same time. I talk about books as much as I do online, only people don’t receive it as well in real life, because they just don’t GET it! I’m also a freelance graphic designer and I have a full-time office job, so I’m pretty busy!

What made you decide to start your blog?

I’d been blogging with The Broke and the Bookish for about a year and a half by the time I decided to start That Artsy Reader Girl. I was getting to the point where I had to be able to post more than once or twice a month, what with my Netgalley requests and publisher/author review requests. I honestly never knew I’d be a book blogger, much less one who writes for two blogs! I love it so much, though.

What is your best book blogging moment?

Going to ALA in Anaheim this past June! It was like my bookish life and my real life collided. I was no longer just a person behind a computer screen. I was talking to all my amazing blogger, publisher, publicist, and author friends face to face! My contact from Macmillan hugged me, and I got to meet a bunch of people I’ve been blogging with over the past few years. It was surreal.

To help some of the newer bloggers: what have you found to be the best way to network and get your blog out there?

Tough question. Really, you need to visit other blogs and make friends. The book community is huge, and full of a lot of amazing people. If you get to know them, not only will you make lifelong friends, but you’ll also receive a lot of guidance, inspiration, pats on the back, and even some extra blog traffic. Also, find a place where you fit in in the book world. Make yourself stand out from the crowd by finding a little something unique that you can bring to the table.

What book turned you on to YA? 

Honestly? Don’t judge me. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was the book that made me venture into the young adult section of Border’s bookstore YEARS ago. I’d heard about this random vampire book with a boring-looking cover with an apple on it, and went to go check it out for myself. I didn’t even know the book’s name, just that it had an apple on the cover. I was directed to the YA section, where I found Twilight AND an entire book world I’d never noticed before.

How many books do you own?

On my Kindle, I’ve got over 400… and then I have two floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that are chock full (stacked double and triple deep)… and then my entire headboard, my floor, and my nightstand are covered. I’ve got around 2,000, I’d suspect. I really need to make an official count, though!

What are some blogs you recommend reading?
Alexa Love Books, Between the Pages, The Broke and the Bookish, The Perpetual Page-Turner, Katie’s Book Blog, Novel Sounds, Vegan YA Nerds, and SO many more! I could go on and on with this list, but these blogs I mentioned here are my favorites of my favorites.

Favorites:

-Book of all time: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

-New release: Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone was amazing, and probably my favorite of the year!

-Genre: Romantic Contemporary

-Place to Read: The balcony of a cruise ship!

-TV show: The Big Bang Theory. And I watch at least one episode of Friends a day.

-Candy: Dove milk chocolate

-Song: I’ve got a lot of favorites, but I will forever love Yanni’s song, Tribute (Omaggio), that Nathan Pacheco took and wrote lyrics for. It’s gorgeous, and so is he!

You guys can find Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl, The Broke and The Bookish, and on Twitter!