Sunday Spotlight - Raschel Reads

Here's another fun blogger who is a newlywed like myself! I'm lucky that my hubby loves video games so he mainly leaves me alone to my obsessions when I want to be left alone. :)


Name: Raschel
Nickname and blog name: Raschel's Reads
Blog URL: http://www.raschels-reads.blogspot.com

Tell me a bit about yourself:

I'm a newlywed reader who drives her husband insane with how much I read. I'm also a wanna-be author trying to get myself a literary agent, and thinking about starting a new blog for young authors trying to get review to be scouted. I love reading YA fiction and fan-fictions from them. They really are wonderful!


When and why did you start your blog?

I originally started my blog as a way to count how many books I read in each year, and it slowly developed into a list of good-reads books and reviews for my friends. I currently run the House of Night Fan Forum for PC and Kristen Cast's House of Night Series and I double my blog onto there for readers to view, as well as trying to start a new myspace for my review blog. I have fun reading and reviewing and having the blog gives me a reason to tell my husband why I'm reading again.


What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?

My blog is mainly about keeping a positive look at any book I read. There are lots of book blogs out there that get their reputation by downgrading every book they read in order to gain followers and for some reason it works....and on the rare occasion that they like a book that book suddenly is amazing. Well I'd like to focus on how good books are and though they have a few issues every once in a while they can still be awesome and inspirational in other parts.

My newest feature is the sister blog that I just started toRaschel's Reads, The Slush Pile, where I am reading new/young author books that aren't published but are trying to get some credibility so they can get published. Its rather fun too cause I get to do what I love, editing! I get to read through the person's new fresh book and help them with the grammar and with small parts that don't explain enough or explain too much...my first review is on Autumn Dreams by Ev.


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

I prefer to read YA Fiction, but I will read random others. My most current favorite book would have to be Wonderous Strange by Lesley Livingston. I haven't ever seen her around, nor have I found her since, but her book was amazing. Part of me wants to think that it was Melissa Marr's work, but under a Pen Name....but who knows right?


How do you find out about the books you read?

Mostly I like to wonder into B&N (Or what I used to call Barnes and Evil lol, I miss Waldenbooks!!) and go directly to their YA Fiction area and see what book covers catch my attention the most, gather those up into a rather large pile then go to a table in the cafe, order a venti hot cocoa and a muffin then proceed to read the back cover blurbs to all the books, and if one in particular catches my eye, I read the first chapter and decide from there if I buy it. As of late, due to current marriage issues of money, I just sit and read them and decide which ones I am going to A: Borrow from friends B: Check out from the library or C: scrounge for loose change in the couch for.

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

Don't start a blog cause you want free books, its actually the other way around....You're the one giving away all of your books to your followers. Its not until you become really popular that you actually can even start to request for publishers to send you books to review, it needs to be a benefit to both parties, yours to gain followers, and theirs to get the publicity for the book.

Also, don't get discouraged if your blog doesn't kick into gear right away, It took me quite a while before I started getting any followers other than people I knew, and honestly, they barely even checked it out. My advice to you is to post for at least three months, then go through and ask other bloggers to post about your new contest, yes, you'll have to throw a contest or something to boost your book blogging experience, it helps bring more people to your blog cause honestly, who doesn't like a good free book? O.o I know I sure love 'em!

If you're starting just a regular blog, like I have one about my personal life, now, its not something I really want others to read unless they are my friends, but if I wanted to get that blog out there I would push for publicity, who do I want to read this, who is it aimed for? Then ask the question, what is a popular area that that audience goes to online? How can I get my blog posted on that online area to get noticed? And build from there, sometimes it takes sending out an email to just your friends and asking them to pass it along...it actually can work that way.

Thanks Raschel for stopping by and sharing more about your blog! Go check her out and see if her blog is for you!


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 dragonzgoil (at) gmail (dot) com.