Michelle Toy: A Mighty Writer's Interview with a Book Blogger
*Enters room and sits down, waves hello to George and produces a huge packet of Haribo to share during the interview – nom nom nom*
1. What is a book blogger and what sorts of things do you do?
*Ahem clears throat after eating far too many Haribo bears!*
Wow! What a fab question to start!
In my opinion there are many different variations of being a book blogger. You can write about books or authors you love or write reviews or recommendations for books that you have read or enjoyed or about different aspects of books and what you love. You can even feature interviews or guest posts with authors which can be fun.
On my blog, Tales Of Yesterday, I feature anything that I enjoy talking about. This is mainly in the form of reviews, guest posts from authors about different aspects of their writing lives or author Q&A’s. I love discovering the answers to all my probing questions! I have even tested author’s imaginations and have featured Q&A’s with characters from their books. It’s so much fun.
My blog is connected to Twitter and Facebook so the links get posted on their too and that’s how people can discover them and read them.
Another form of blogging is by recommendations through twitter and spreading the word of fab books. There are certain people who are bad for my bank balance as I will always buy books the recommend either through their blogs or by their tweets. I have had people buy books that I have recommended too on my blog or on twitter and I love it when I hear back of them to say thanks for the recommendation I loved the book!
My 10 year old son, Corey, also uses my blog to write book reviews for books he has read…he find it fun and loves it when I tweet his reviews out on Twitter and an author replies to say thank you I’m hoping for him to be able to do some Q&A’s with authors too as they are so much fun.
2. How long have you been a book blogger?
I have only been book blogging since November 2014 so I am relatively still a newbie, but I have enjoyed every minute of it.
I felt so proud when I received an award in the UKYA Blogger Awards in March 2015 for Champion Newcomer which is voted for by the UK publishing industry. It was very over whelming and still brings a tear to my eye when I think about it. Corey filmed it all and I posted this on my blog. I also won another award voted by people on twitter and other book bloggers for Best Newcomer in February 2015. I feel like a very lucky book blogger
3. What are your favourite things about being a book blogger?
I mainly blog and talk about YA (Young Adult) and MG (Children’s) books on my blog (I do occasionally read adult books too ), but one thing I love about YA & MG as well as the books is the fabulous community, which was unexpected when I started book blogging, but so lovely. Everyone is so welcoming! Bloggers, authors, publishers, book shops and everyone! It’s like one big family, all passionate about books! This has been a lovely highlight for me and I have made many friends through the community and I would not change it for the world.
I also love how approachable the authors in the YA and MG community are and you can reach out to them and chat about their books and other authors books too. I also love doing a Q&A with an author as I love seeing the answers back!
4. If you really like a book would you find another book from the same author?
Oh Yes! For sure! I love discovering new authors and then being excited about the release of their next book or being recommended an author and then hunting down the rest of the books in a series or by that author. It’s very exciting!
I love sharing books with Corey too and visa versa. If I love a book I tell Corey and he will then read it and then we will hunt down more books from the author together and share them. Sometimes we book share!
5. How many pages is the longest book you’ve read?
Hmmmmmm, I think maybe the book I read last year, The Diviners by Libba Bray, it was around 700 pages long! Luckily it was a good one…..big books are daunting and scary as you think you will never get through them, but it’s amazing how quick those pages turn when your engrossed in a good book.
I think the longest book Corey has read in Harry Potter and The Order Of The Pheonix…..he loved that book!
6. If you don’t like a book do you stop reading it or carry on?
I do tend to keep on ploughing through a book where I can unless I’m really struggling. It may take me a little longer than normal, but I get there. I like to be able to give an honest review and not just say I didn’t like the book and didn’t finish the book. I like to give reasons and be constructive. If I really am struggling really badly then yes I would stop reading completely, but this has only every happened once to me in all my years of reading! I try and encourage Corey to do this also so sometime he will put the book down for a bit and then go back to it a few weeks later.
7. How many books have you read?
*Starts to count but runs out of fingers and toes*
Soooooo many books I don’t think I could even count how many. I have been reading for as long as I can remember!
It’s the same with Corey…I’m not sure we could count them all!
8. What’s your favourite book?
My favourite ever book is Watership Down by Richard Adams. Have you heard of it? I read this book when I was a child and I adored it so much. I even have my old copy of the book that my Mom’s friend gave me when I was younger with the retail price of 40p on the back. It’s now a very tatty and well-loved copy that I have read over and over again!
Corey doesn’t really have a favourite book so to speak, but he has favourite authors.
9. Do you have a favourite author? – (mine is Adam Blade)
Oh Corey and I have read and LOVED some of the Beast Quest books by Adam Blade! He’s amazing!
I do have favourite authors! I have so many that I could list! I studied Thomas Hardy at school and I adore him as a classics author. Most recently I have discovered a YA author James Dawson who is now one of my favourite authors. I love his writing style and humour. He writes scary books, but also some nonfiction important books too!
Corey adores David Walliams, Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Jonathan Meres (World Of Norm – he even has some signed book plates and a signed poster from the author) and the MG authors Robin Stevens who wrote Murder Most Unladylike and Arsenic for Tea which are murder mysteries for children and Abi Elphinstone who has written The Dreamsnatcher which is the first in a new series and is an amazing magical adventure! You should definitely check those out! Corey recently met Abi Elphinstone and he says she is now his favourite author EVER! He even did a review of Abi’s book on my blog
10. Where do you stop on the page when you want a break or it’s time for bed?
I try my best to get to the end of the chapter I am on before taking a break or putting a book down to go to sleep. Sometimes though my sleepy eyes get the better of me! Either at night or sometime during the day on a weekend….like a power nap, but sussssshhhh don’t tell a soul!
11. Have you read Harry Potter?
*Runs around the room waving arms excitedly!*
Oh Yes! Harry Potter is just brilliant. I’m not sure I have met anyone who doesn’t like Harry Potter! My favourite characters in Harry Potter are Ron Weasley and Luna Lovegood!
I also love that Harry Potter opened the doors for it to be okay for adults to read children’s books with pride!
Corey has recently started reading them too!
12. What do you do when you can’t read a word?
If I can’t read a word I try my hardest to say it out loud to sound out the word! Failing that google translate is my best friend ;-)
Corey will always ask if he can’t read a word and I will always try and get him to sound it out too before telling him the answer!
13. When you were young did you like an adult reading to you or did you like reading to yourself? (I like both)
I love this question!
I used to love both too…in fact I still do! Corey reads out loud to me sometimes and I love listening to him read and listening to him telling me the story. I think as a child it is important to have both too. I also still read to my son and love making up the voices of the characters. If it is a book we have read a few times and know well we read it out loud together with one of us being one character and one of use being the other! It’s so much fun.
Thank you for such wonderful questions…. I’ve really enjoyed doing this. I feel like a famous author
*Pops the rest of the Haribo eggs into mouth….and chews with a satisfied grin*
Michelle & Corey x
