Sunday 15 May 2016

Ask Rea


Thank you all for your questions that you have asked as part of the Matilda Pillow Giveaway.






That has got to be winning the blog of the year award, it was completely unexpected and actually had me in tears because it felt like such a great achievement and it is a great feeling to know that something I absolutely love doing is also noticed and enjoyed by other people too.





Since starting the blog I have my books in publication order so I try and stick to picking them in order, but when I lose my reading mojo I usually pick one of my books that I have purchased and it is usually from an author such as Carole Matthews or Jane Costello whose books I can always rely on to pick me up out of a slump with their light hearted and uplifting storylines. I am not one who follows books that have a big hype around them as I have found in the past that I haven’t enjoyed them and fail to see what they hype is about.






The Enchanted Wood ( first book in the Enid Blyton Faraway Tree books) I remember I was given 20p to go to the local car boot sale and that was what I brought and I was absolutely mesmerised by it and couldn’t wait to read the next book in the series and I think this was where my love of reading came from. I actually brought the complete book The Magic of the Faraway Tree only two years ago just because they remind me of good times.






Yes so many to mention, the blog has not only introduced me to new authors that I hadn’t discovered before but has also helped me widen my genre choice too. Dinah Jefferies one who sticks out to me because her books would not have been the kind of books that I would have picked up and it was only when I was lucky enough to meet Dinah at an event and she was talking about The Separation with such passion and what she was telling me really piqued my interest so I decided to give her books a try and they are now favourites of mine and I constantly find myself recommending them. Also Angela Marsons now this author I definitely wouldn’t have come across as not only did I not like crime thrillers but I also am not a fan of e-books but now I can’t get enough of her Kim Stone series.






This is such a hard question and one that I am often asked but I think I would have to pick Me Before You by Jojo Moyes as it was the first book that made me cry but also had me laughing away this is one of the few books I have kept so it has to be up there with my favourites.






At the age of 18 I became quite unwell which resulted in me being in and out of hospital for long periods of time up until I was finally in remission at the age of 24. It was during these long stays in hospital where I found my love of reading again. I was reading around 2 books a day at that point and on a number of occasions my family brought me books that I had already read but because the covers had changed we were unaware so I decided to keep a blog so we could see which books I had read as well as what authors I enjoyed so we knew what books to look out for. It was mad when people started to follow my reviews and it all grew from there.





I found my confidence! Sounds like a strange one right? I mentioned above that I was in and out of hospital for around 6 years I didn’t go out due to my condition and because there wasn’t a lot of awareness about my condition at that stage I lost contact with my friends as they didn’t understand the impact the condition had on my day to day life so I didn’t do the whole clubbing, shopping, girly holiday things that people my age were doing. Thanks to Rowan Coleman who I am a massive fan of, I was invited to her publication party for The Memory Book and it took a lot for me to go ( with my poor husband standing outside the venue waiting for me!) but this was where I finally got a piece of confidence back and began to meet new people too and now I have such a wonderful small group of friends who I have met through these events and that to me is priceless and this will always be the best thing that my blog has given me.





Wow Ana that’s like the angel and demon question!
Yes of course I would love to do your nails when you come to meet us all! 
The worse book I have ever read eeekkk people will hunt me down here so I am blaming you but I would have to say The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling I couldn’t even finish it which doesn’t happen often. I loved all of the Harry Potter books but this one was a big disappointment for me.





Blog for you and keep it fun! Blogging takes up a hell of a lot of time but it should never become a chore, you are not paid for it in anyway so it is not your job it is a hobby enjoy it! Think of the blogs you enjoy and what it is you love about them and then incorporate this in your blog . To reach out to more followers make sure you use social media to get your reviews out there and giveaways can help too! Don’t focus on free books, I have had so many emails over the years from newbie bloggers and this is the first question that is asked, blogging is not about free books they are a bonus if they come your way but we are not entitled to them and also the publishers only have a certain amount of review copies so be realistic you are not going to get a copy of every new release and at the end of the day you don’t want to miss browsing the bookshops and supporting the authors by buying their books. The book blogger community on Twitter are very supportive we are always there to help spread reviews and the joy of books.






This one is an easy one for me and shocks people but no! I love reading and supporting authors and publishers but I have no desire to release my own words into the world. My ultimate dream would be to move away from the beauty industry and into the publishing industry working behind the scenes but my book baby will always stay in my head!

5 comments:

  1. Thoroughly enjoyed reading your answers Rea, honest as always, and just wondered if "Ask Rea" could possibly be a regular item on your blog? xx

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    1. Haha I think people would get bored of me blabbering on, I have a tenancy to babble! xx

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  2. What a lovely post Rea! We've met a few times, but lovely to get to know you a bit better. And some great questions from everyone too... xx

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    1. Thank you for popping by and reading Anne, there was some toughies here! xx

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  3. Nice education study book reading of the best knowledge growing the students. Oswaal Books

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