Saturday Spotlight - Park-Avenue Princess

You guys will have NO idea that this chica has only come back to blogging a few months ago. Because she's fantastic. Check her out:

Name: My mother swore she was having a boy, so I had no name for about a week! My grandmother always loved the name Amy so, that's what's on my birth certificate! (try and get my middle name out of me though...*giggle*)
Nickname and/or blog name: Park-Avenue Princess ( of Royal Reviews)
Blog URL: Park-Avenue Princess or http://aparkavenueprincess.blogspot.com/

Who is THE PRINCESS (aka Amy)?

Definitely a girlie girl to the core. She has to have her hair done, nails done and heels on (sometimes in that order). She LOVES to laugh! She keeps her books and computer near-by as "comfort tools" and is SO into fashion and shopping. Oh yes, these are a few of her favorite things ...speaking of favorite things...that song just came into my head and I added some of my own so if you sing it to that tune (like I am while typing it...see if you can fill in your own favorite things...it isn't easy) *giggle*

You know the song ... "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens bright paper packages tied up with strings ....oh yes, THESE are a few of my favorite things..." So, mine would be something like....

"New books to review on her shelves by the dozens, talking fashion and shopping with friends or her couzins... Bubblebaths, redwine and BIG Diamond Rings ... Yes, these are a few of her favorite things.

Ok...enough...I'll get serious for a moment and give you "just the facts!" I was born and raised in the smallest State in the U.S. (except for a period of time when I did live in New York and I loved it). I have a love affair with Rhode Island as well... the fact that we have four seasons is huge to me and I used to look forward to all the activities that came with each one. I say "used to" for a reason and we'll get into that in a moment. I live for the "Happy Ever After",in fact my father still calls me "Princess"! It's also the license plate on my car. NO LIE! But my hands-down favorite *ME TIME* activity is reading by far.

I am a proud mother of one son and I am a cancer survivor. I love to read, write and review. Making friends is always important to me (along with looking my best)! I enjoy reading all genres, but some of my favorites are Thrillers/Suspense/Mysteries/ Young Adult/General Fiction/and Children's titles! But, I've been known to read the cereal box in the morning so...I will read any genre! Ummm...what else? Oh, I used to be a Paralegal for a fairly large law-firm before I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 23. It's been a long road with a rare type of cancer called "Ewing Sarcoma (s)" and it's been anything but easy. I started reviewing what I was reading daily when I got sick as sort of a way to give back to the authors that were helping me get through my troubled times. It worked and kept me upbeat. I call all reading now my *comfort reading*. So, I honestly believe that we all review for different reasons, mine just happens to be personal.

When and why did you start your blog?
I started my blog as a way to vent my feelings ... be "me" and then I started looking through other blogs and seeing just how many people loved reading and reviewing as much as I did! So, I eventually switched my blog over to be a book blog! I wanted to be part of a bigger community. A place where I could voice my opinion on the books I just read and perhaps even help someone find a book that they may enjoy just as much as I did! It also was going to be a major outlet for me when I became ill again. I didn't feel so "alone" when I was blogging and talking with friends.


What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
My blog is a bookish blog that does reviews, book tours, highlights, teasers, author interviews, question and answer sessions, guest spots, contests, giveaways and a new "get to know your bloggers" spotlight. I also have a few new things in the works! I'm trying to get my blog back to the way I wanted it to be to begin with. My illness and absence because of that kind of set me back a little bit. But I do have a ton of cool giveaways coming up. Oh...and the thing I like most about my blog is that it's basically ALL me. I love that it screams basically all that I am. I got that advice from a blogger when I first started off. To make the blog me, and I'll get followers that are similar to me, like the things I do and/or just think I'm a great blogger with an awesome blog and I never forgot that. So, it's me in all it's pinkish glory! I think that the blog gives off a MAJOR Girlie vibe (like me) and my theme is original in that I try to keep all things princess and royal from the banner down to and including my review system.

Do you have a review system? If you do, would you like to explain it for us?

My review system, which you will find on the right side of my blog, is entitled Royal Reviews and it uses a system of Crowns or Tiaras instead of say stars or hearts. They go from 5 Crowns to 1 Crown with 5 being the best and 1 the worst. They are as follows and in my own words. And may I just say that I am in NO means claiming to be a know-all, must-follow type of girl. Nope, what's on my blog is strictly MY opinion of a book and you will find you either agree with me or you don't. That simple. But back to my crowns, they are as follows: A 5 crown read is "Lives Happily Ever After on My Bookshelf", A 4 Crown read is "Magical, like a kiss from Prince Charming, 3 Crowns "Worth Asking your fairy godmother for", the 2 crown read would be "nothing to leave the castle over" and a ONE crown well that's just "A Royal Mess"!

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?

Like I said above, I'm not an expert, I just know what I like and have learned along the way, so I am going to have to say. Be kind to your fellow book bloggers and help them out whenever you can. Follow blogs and show support, be yourself and no one else, don't expect everything to come all at once (that's probably one of the hardest ones) but believe me, it WILL come and it WILL be everything you want it to be but what most people don't realize until they start a blog themselves, is just how much work goes into one! Last but not least and one of the most important things you could ever do is LEAVE COMMENTS for your fellow bloggers and hopefully they will be courteous enough to do the same! I know I LOVE comments! To me, that means someone is listening and cares enough to have an opinion on what I've written. So, basically you live in the blog-o-sphere like you do in "real" life..."Do unto others..." Corny, but SO true. You never ever know what someone is going through in their everyday life and no matter how happy they seem on their blog or what you perceive them to be may not always be true. So treat everyone like they may have a problem, a personal issue, a loss or something that needs a little TLC. All I'm saying is just show a little kindness, it WILL come back to you!

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?

Ooooo Yummy question, I have many favorite genres and while I'm a girlie girl and I do like Chick*Lit, it's not my favorite. My favorites have to be Thrillers, this girl LOVES to be scared! I mean ... talking to herself, covering her eyes, turning on the light, putting the book down, talking to the characters scared! So of course I like horror as well and mysteries and suspense. I've also been reading A LOT of YA titles lately. These are NOT your "Are you there God? It's Me, Margaret" young adult novels (which to this day happens to be one of my very favorite books along with all the other goodies from that generation. Like, "Forever", "Tiger-Eyes", "The Cat Ate My Gym Suit" and "Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice?") oh no they're not. I WISH these were around when I was a YA! I can still enjoy them now, right? And believe me, I am. Oh, and the above-mentioned Chick*Lit, I do like that genre a whole lot as well! I'm currently reading "Prada and Prejudice" and it rocks!

Amy is totally awesome, so check out her blog!

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at bittahsweetharmony@yahoo.com.