Today I have an interview with Jessica from Fly To Fiction!
First up, tell us a little about your blog! What do you review, do you have any co-reviewers, etc.
Fly to Fiction’s tagline is “a reviews blog for books, TV shows, movies, music, and whatever else strikes me,” which basically sums it up nicely. While I mostly review books, I also occasionally review other things, such as movies, TV shows/episodes, music, etc. And while many of my book reviews are for YA books, I also dabble in other genres based on what I’m reading and what I enjoy. I don’t have any co-reviewers, but I also blog at Lit Up Review and, depending on when this interview goes up, possibly Feminists Talk Books, and those two are blogs I co-blog on. It’s a lot of work for me, but it’s fun, engaging, and it really helps me grow.
What are you like outside of blogging?
Hmm…I’m not 100% sure what this is asking, but I’m a rising senior who loves reading, writing, music, fandoms/fangirling, and especially dance. I’m fairly quiet and shy, and I think I have social anxiety, but once I get to know people or start talking about something I love, I can talk a lot. I guess I’m not that different outside of the blogosphere as I am in the blogosphere. I just have lots of activities and school-related stuff going on, as well as non-blogging friends, both online and at school.
What made you decide to start your blog?
I’m not entirely sure! I was sitting in my dorm room at Brown University (I was at a pre-college program), and I just got the idea of reviewing and talking about things that I like, particularly books. So I figured I would start a blog and see how long it would last. I don’t really remember how I first found other bloggers, but perhaps it was through Goodreads? So yeah, it’s only been a year, but I honestly can’t recall any one thing that made me decide to start a blog. It was pretty spontaneous.
What is your best book blogging moment?
For the most part, my blogging experience has been made up of many little happy, awesome moments. I guess that four of the highlights were getting one of the two positions at Lit Up, being asked by/recommended to (!) Hannah and Racquel for their feminism blog idea that turned into Feminists Talk Books, getting pretty close to a publishing company/publisher (First Second Books), and getting to know Sonia Fuderer, an aspiring author. But certainly meeting all these wonderful bloggers (and sometimes even getting to meet them at events and stuff) is also definitely always a great moment.
What book turned you on to YA?
Hmm…I’m not entirely sure. I was always an advanced reader, so I always read YA mixed with MG in elementary and middle school. I guess it would be the Harry Potter series and Sarah Dessen’s books.
How many books do you own?
A lot…probably not as many as many of my fellow bloggers because I don’t have a lot of shelf room. But the combined number of books owned by my sister and I are 200+.
What are some blogs you recommend reading?
I’m going to go for blogs that aren’t huge-huge (like Cuddlebuggery or something): Ensconced in Lit, A Wonderland of Books, Stay Bookish, Candace’s Book Blog, Pandora’s Books, The Observant Girl Book Reviews, Reading Is My Treasure, Fiction Freak, Effortlessly Reading, Out of Time Book Blog, Tween 2 Teen Books, Blue Eyed Bibliophile, Stuck in Books, SJ and Dashiell, Notebook Sisters, Words Like Silver, Willa’s Ramblings, of course Katie’s Book Blog ;), and more!
Favorites:
-Book of all time: I cannot choose ONE book, so I always cheat. The Harry Potter series.
-New release: So many! Ermm…Strange and Ever After?
-Genre: YA, Contemporary/Realistic, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
-Place to Read: Anywhere I can, but I love reading at home, at the library, and at a book store
-TV show: This changes all the time, but I foresee my current choice will continue on for a while: Orphan Black
-Candy: Snickers, Sour Patch Kids, Brigadeiro (a Brazilian sweet–go try it some time), Twizzlers, Gummy bears. I like a lot of candy, though I don’t eat it too often. 😛
-Song: I CAN’T JUST CHOOSE ONE IT’S LIKE MAKING ME CHOOSE ONE FAVORITE BOOK. But Bad Day by Daniel Powter always makes me feel better/a little less alone when I’m feeling down, and it’s my go-to song, so maybe Bad Day? Oh, and also Everybody Hurts by Avril Lavigne for mostly the same reason. It reminds me that I’m not alone and that it’s okay to be sad and upset and hurting. They both make me feel understood, and that’s what helps me to feel better. But seriously, this changes all the time, so don’t even.
You guys can find out more about Jessica on her blog or on Twitter!
