Daisy – Meet Our Reviewers and Win Prizes

winter blogfest banner copyMerry Christmas and welcome to a chance to meet our reviewers! Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a grand prize of a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift card, with runnerup prizes of a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card, or one of four book/swag prize packs (US only).

Why did you become a reviewer?

I became a reviewer because I devour books and I wanted a chance to get through some favourites for free and offer up my opinion.

What are your favorites genres to read in and why?

Sci-fi/fantasy or contemporary romance. These are my favourites as I like something out of the ordinary, a bit of an escape from reality and something truly creative. Romance satisfies the first two and a good sci-fi or fantasy book satisfies all three points.

What book in your youth made a big impression on you and why?

I actually had ten books really influence me when I was young…

In no particular order:

Peter Pan (not sure what edition it was but it had beautiful artwork)
The Faraway Tree Series by Enid Blyton
Aesops Fables
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis
The Famous Five Series by Enid Blyton
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Abhorsen Series by Garth Nix
Anita Blake Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
Merry Gentry Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus

My favourite out of those would probably be Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree series. It took me out of my world and introduced me to a fantasy land where people are kind and anything is possible.

Do you have any “bad book habits”? Dog Ear? Reading in the tub or while eating? Breaking the spine?

I do all of those things but I personally don’t view them as “bad book habits”. A bad book habit is not reading or not reading enough. How you read should not be an issue.

What is one thing we would be most surprised to learn about you?

I’m usually pretty open. I guess one of the more surprising things about me is I do not really wish to stay in the country I was born in past the age of 35. I like travelling too much and my country is going downhill!

What is something that makes you stop reading a book?

Lots! My biggest pet peeve is a book that features an author/writer as a main character. That’s just lazy characterisation and I refuse to read it on principle. (I’ve also not, on glancing through the first few pages of these, found a good one yet).

What books have most influenced your life? Why?

Very similar – if not the same – as the books which made an impression on me in my youth. I believe genre has a far more lasting effect on people than literary works for the most part.

Perhaps Laurell K Hamilton’s series or Naomi Novik’s dragon books have had the most effect on me recently though. They illustrate fantasy ideas brilliant and have characters which are full of life. I truly got sucked into their alternative realities – and wanted to stay!

What book do you think should be made into a movie? Why?

The Naomi Novik series. It’s a better plot than Eragon and has the depth of Tolkein in some ways. History is recreated with fantasy and it’s amazing to read and would work beautifully with a big budget on the big screen.

What would you choose as a superpower? why?

Either mindreading or the ability to live forever. There is not enough time to learn everything about people, their behaviour, how they think, and how the world works. I wish I had more time and ability to gain knowledge.

Describe your perfect reading space.

A vacation spot with dry heat – perhaps poolside in southern Italy or in the Sahara after dark – with something very comfy to lie on, a couple of pillows, some water and some junk food.

If you could spend a day with anyone from history, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you do? What would you ask them?

I would ask the first person in my family tree with my last name why it was they chose such a strange last name and I’d spend the day learning about my oldest relatives which the records did not record.

What were your top ten books you reviewed for LASR in 2014?

I don’t think I’ve managed to review a full ten books so far this year but here is a list of the ones I really enjoyed:

Cara O Shea’s return by Mackenzie Crowne
Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville
The Gypsy Ribbon by Shannon Macleod
Texas Fandango by Cynthia D’Alba
The Same Mistake Twice by Albert Tucher

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THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF OUR REVIEWERS: DOGWOOD

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Who does not like the “Happily Ever After”?

I used to be a wedding planner when I was younger and I have this love of romantic décor, so you see I was born to LOVE reading about true love.

Now a-days I write part-time for an online magazine, and when the opportunity came up to review for Whipped Cream, I was thrilled to do it! Why? Because I knew this would give me the opportunity to discover great new writers and I love the new discoveries!

Even though I have done book reviews for writers in my articles, this was the first time I had the chance to review for a fictional genre I love! I cannot tell you how exciting it is to read a new works from a writer I have not heard of. I feel as though I am privileged to be the one to share the wonderful facets of these stories with other readers.

I am often ask what my favorite book or author is and I have to reply, “too many to name.” I am in love with so many books and writers. Nora Roberts was a favorite for many years, and then I discovered Lora Leigh and Maya Banks, Desiree Holt and many more. I could not seem to find time in my life to work or play, because I was too engrossed in these books. Bookworm or not, I just bet I am not the only one who loves a good romance.

When I review books I often look for grammar and spelling errors, as well as fluidity. I like a story that can stay on focus and not jump tracks too often to side details. If I can read the story anticipating the next page and chapter, wonderful! I know this story is a winner. I also love books that are not predictable. I know it is difficult to come up with originality when it seems it has all been written before, but sometimes when you see the ending way before you get to the ending, you sorta lose interest in the story, and this can lead to books getting reviews lower than it could have gotten.

I often see some writers rushed in their stories due to deadlines they have to meet, and I feel sad, because I know this writer has written wonderful pieces in the past, and cannot tap into her or his imagination due to being rushed. But on a happy note, I find this to be rare and most of the books I have read and reviewed thus far have been wonderful romance stories and I am happy to share the details with others who love romance.

So now you know alot about me and my world of reviewing.

I have to say, I absolutely love this job!

I tip my hat to all of the great storytellers today! May you continue to charm and intrigue us mere mortals who love your heroes and fantasize about your characters!

THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF OUR REVIEWERS: AZALEA

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I’m pretty picky when it comes to the books I choose, so rarely do I review a book that I don’t like. However, I have a list of elements that, if found, will drop a score: anachronisms in historicals (recently read an eleventh century set medieval where they referred to ale tankards as steins, which actually came into usage in 1825), repeated use of sentences beginning with “ing” words, bad grammar (complected for complexioned, drug for dragged, snuck for sneaked), too much telling, and so on. The trouble with being a writer is that one also becomes an editor when reading someone else’s work. That said, I love a good story and prefer romantic suspense, contemporary and historical to other sub-genres. Automatic buys for me are Brenda Novak, Robyn Carr, and Kathleen Eagle, among others.

I particularly like books set in Ireland, England, the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountain states. My favorite book of all time is actually a set of folk tales from the Hebrides in a volume titled A Fair Stream of Silver by Ann Moray. Another wonderful story is one by an author duo calling themselves Michaela August. Sweeter Than Wine is set in post WWI Sonoma and is about pre-Prohibition winemaking and the young Austrian soldier who comes to the winery to help the widowed heroine. I love unusual settings or time periods, and I particularly like the time of the Belle Epoche (late nineteenth century to World War I). So many changes. In Europe the end of an age. Fascinating time.

But a well-written book set during any time will work if the author has created characters with whom I can empathize, if the plot is sufficient to keep the pages turning. Hey, great writing is great writing.