But this week there’s a twist. We’re going to find out what happens when an aspiring author is also a Baby Book Blogger.
Logan Turner and I connected through Book Blogs, where she runs a wonderful self-titled YA book review blog-Logan E. Turner.
So what happens when you combine an aspiring author and a book blogger? Lets find out…
A bit about me? Little old moi? Well, I was born and raised in Nebraska, and lived in the capital (geography lesson!), Lincoln, until after college. I earned my BFA in Theatre Arts from a small liberal arts college, which is where I met my husband. After graduation in 2004, we moved to Chicago and have been here ever since.
Writing is in my blood. I’ve been journaling, writing poetry, and writing fiction since junior high at least. My mom has an MFA in Poetry and had me and my sister reading and writing from an early age. Our house was always filled with books and notebooks.
I’m also a grad student, studying for my master’s in public service management. I’ll be graduating in June, and hope to move into a research and writing role at a nonprofit or government institution – like a grant writer, program officer, or research assistant. Anything as long as it involves writing!
Congrats on the pending graduation too! So Logan, you are my first interview that is both aspiring author and book blogger. Can you tell us a little bit more about your blog and how you got started with it?
I discovered book blogging through a friend in one of my writing classes – Tabitha from Writer Musings. She had her blogs listed in her email signature and I decided to check them out after she’d established herself as a YA guru in our class. I wanted to know how she knew about (what seemed like) every YA book ever released. Through her blog and our instructor’s blog, I started poking through their blogrolls and checking out other sites. Of course, one of the first I came across was The Story Siren’s and from there everything snowballed. I had been looking for a way to develop a blog but never knew what to write about, until DUH! I realized I should be writing about books and writing! I decided to get my own domain and operate under my own name for simplicity’s sake. Right now I’m mostly book blogging and doing one weekly post about writing, because I’m still more reader than writer at this point.
What a neat way to get into book blogging. Can you tell us a little bit more about your writing? BTW-Linda Sue Park says that the training for a writer is reading :o)
Currently I’m revising (heavily) a book I finished for NaNoWriMo. It’s a young adult fantasy about a girl and her pet cougar battling an evil king to save her kidnapped father. Lately I’ve had a hard time focusing on that project because I have this image that won’t leave my head. It’s more apocalyptic/dystopian in nature, and I think sooner or later I’m going to have to buckle down and let that story be heard!
I love it when a story comes knocking on my door. It’s like a first date–kind of fun. So, I have to ask–do you think there are any advantages and/or disadvantages to being an aspiring author and a book blogger?
Boy, these days that is quite the loaded question! 🙂 When I first started, I didn’t give it a second thought. I didn’t (and to some extent, still don’t) see why they have to be mutually exclusive. I wanted to blog to meet people in the book industry, connect with people who love to read and write, and to get my name out there. I think those goals are advantageous to both book blogging and a potential writing career. I guess a disadvantage that I hadn’t considered fully is the idea that being one can tend to compromise the other. If you’re an aspiring author who blogs about books, can your reviews be trustworthy or are they just brown-nosing? If you’re a book blogger who wants to write a book, have you boxed yourself in to the blogging community? Personally, I think the answers are yes, no, and no. I like to think that I’m a nice person and am always level-headed and professional, so I hope that what I choose to blog about, be it books or writing or what I had for breakfast, always reflects on me positively and can only help rather than hinder me.
That was a very thoughtful answer…thank you. As a blogger, you are well aware of the power of technology in today’s world, without it there wouldn’t even be book bloggers. But, how do you think technology effects you as a writer? Is it a double edged sword?
I have definitely fallen victim to technology hindering my writing. For NaNoWriMo, I downloaded the trial of Scrivener software to use during the process. It was a helpful way for me to stay organized and so I recently purchased the full version with the "winner" discount. I opened up my laptop to start working on edits and spent THREE HOURS doing nothing but working my way through the Scrivener tutorial. By the time I realized how long I’d been at it, my editing time was *poof* gone. I didn’t do a single thing to my ms. So frustrating!
Social media is a big distraction as well. It’s been said that we should be putting ourselves out there on Twitter, Facebook, and connecting all of that to our blogs. Between following agents and authors, posting fresh content, and working all day, I really struggle to find time to devote solely to writing.
That said, if I had to write with pen and paper, I would NEVER finish anything longer than a few pages. I can’t write for that long and my hands can’t keep up with my brain! So in that sense technology is a win, and I can’t complain about all of the wonderful people I’ve "met" already (yourself included!).
That is hysterical-I just bought Scrivener!!! I’m starting my edits for TOUCHING THE SURFACE and wanted to be more organized about it. So, I lost my morning to setting that up and learning the bare bones. Good to know I can come to you with questions. *grin* So…the answer then is balance? Yes, I think it’s balance. We’ll work on that. LOL! BTW-I’m so glad we’ve become friends too.
I’m going to ask about something that came up in my last writer’s group. We were talking about how family and friends are usually very supportive of our journey to be a writer (and in your case a book blogger too) but there are always people out there who think that you should be spending your time doing something real, productive, something that pays etc… Do you think this is a universal condition for artists everywhere? Have you run into this?
I have the unusual family that is full of artists, so I was lucky enough to never get discouraged from following artistic inclinations. Mom let us do anything we wanted – ballet classes, art classes, music lessons, we did it all. In fact, if anyone is telling me to get a "real" job, it’s me. Isn’t that crazy? Whether from fear of failure or just not believing in myself enough, I’m the one who has always made the decision to give up those passions for reality. I’m working every day to change that and find a way to do what I love.
I think that is very cool. It’s hard to try to change yourself and very brave to say it out loud. I like you Logan-so don’t give up. ((((hugs)))
Could you tell me the 5 books that have inspired you the most? I know you love a zillion-but what 5 hold special meaning for you?
I’ve been thinking over this question long and hard. Here’s what I have so far, in no particular order:
Watchers by Dean Koontz. I read a lot of Stephen King and Dean Koontz in elementary and junior high school, and have read most of their books, but this one stands out from the crowd. Not only is it a brilliant suspense thriller, but it has creative sci-fi elements and really explores the nature of man’s relationship with beast. It asks tough questions about medical/genetic experimentation. It’s one of the few books I’ve read over and over, and still cry like a baby at the end.
Animal Farm by George Orwell. This was another book that really struck a chord with me in my youth. This book stands up as just a book about some weird animals and also as an incredible Communist allegory. Talk about communicating a message without losing the story! Utter genius.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Perfection. This book grabbed me from the first page and embedded itself into my psyche. This is what good dystopian fiction wants to be. Not only did I love everything about the story, but it got me obsessed with YA literature.
Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare. I know it’s not technically a book, but how can a theater girl not have Shakespeare on her list of influential literature? The writing is beautiful, the story is captivating, and the action is exciting. Comedy and tragedy both work so well in this play to draw out all kinds of emotions from the readers/viewers. Shakespeare is the master of all writers as far as I’m concerned.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. This has all of my favorite elements: a historical setting, time travel, suspense and romance. This book will always be on one of my top ten lifetime lists. Gabaldon is not afraid to really go there with her plots, and the action is often dark, horrifying, yet still believable. Her characters are not perfect, and they often do hurtful things to one another. I am always completely transported when I read one of her books.
Thanks Logan!!!! I recently met with my agent and editor for the first time and we were talking about Outlander LOL! I said that my oldest son was Jamison aka Jamie and that I may own a scarf in the Fraser plaid and just might have had a silver ring that looked a little like Claire’s until I wore it so much it bent. LOL! Thanks so much for taking all the extra time to help me out.
If you’d like to follow Logan’s wonderful reviews and thoughts on writing, you can find her at Logan E. Turner. She is also on Twitter!
Subscribe via Email
Thanks for having me Kim! Great interview!
You're so welcome!!!! Glad we got a chance to be cyber friends-now we need to meet in person! :o)
Another great interview, Kimmie! Nice to "meet" you here, Logan! Best of luck with your grad studies, and your writerly ambitions. 🙂
I love Koontz, King, and Gabaldon, too!
Thanks Linda!
It's so nice getting to know more about Logan! I am dying to read that fantasy book with the pet cougar. I always say I should disconnect the internet whenever I want to get something done on my computer. Otherwise I spend hours browsing blogs and doing everything except what I intended to do. Of course, I never actually disconnect my internet (and I never get anything done!)
Thanks for hosting this interview Kim!
I am really enjoying your blog, it has provided me an immense information I was searching for months. I am working on my literature review and it seems that with your blog's help,I will come up wiht a perfect review.Regards.
Awww Martha, so happy I could help and thank you for letting me know. (((hugs))) Good luck and let me know how it's going.