Lisa Marie Pottgen's Blog, page 10

#ArmchairBEA: Day 3: Blogging Q&A

Well, I have been back and forth about what to post for this one.

I have been blogging for a number of years but I still feel like I don’t have a lot to say on this topic.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I could give a new blogger is to not get so obsessed with ARCs and status.  All of those things will come in time.  Focus in the beginning on getting a routine established and finding your voice and your style.

The worst thing in blogging is to feel like you are reading because you have to.  You will burn yourself out every time and not want to pick up a book for months.  Believe me, I speak from experience.

The other important bit is to not think you have to say yes to every request you get.  It is okay to say no, that you do not feel like a book would be a good fit for your blog.  But be professional about it.

The bottom line is that book blogging should be fun.  Remember why you started blogging.  And if you got into this for free books, please stop and think.

As far as ARCs are concerned, get familiar with sites like Netgalley and Edelweiss.  This is the best starting point.  Don’t expect to be able to email a publisher when your blog has been open for a few weeks and get results.  Establish yourself.  Reach out to other bloggers and ask for advice.  If you take the steps to make sure you have a quality blog in the beginning, when the time is right, you will have success with print publishers.  Feel free to pick my brain any time!

#ArmchairBEA Day 2: Social Media

I have been sitting here today struggling on thinking up what to write about for social media, because social media is an area where this blog and myself personally could stand to improve our presence.

I tend to be really good about being involved and active on social media during blogger events and readathons and the like, but then fall off the wagon in between.  It’s one of the reasons I always look forward to Armchair each year, because it helps me to get myself out there and be more active and involved.  And I even go back throughout the year and check back on posts from the previous year to get more tips and ideas for the blog as well.

I can be found on all the major social media outlets, with links somewhere over there in the sidebar.  I am also on Instagram as @destinyisntfree, though that particular outlet is still fairly foreign to me.

One of my more recent attempts with social media has been to join Triberr.  So if you see my stuff flooding your feed, sorry about that.  I am still working out a balance with that one.

I see so much room for improvement with my social media usage, but I don’t really know where to start.  I try to interact with people, but the trick is knowing who is open to the interaction.

I have had some awesome interactions with authors and other bloggers and found some great groups to be  a part of as a result of social media.

I do think in terms of social media, I am likely the most active on Goodreads.  Partly because it is simple to post a reading status update from my ereader.  I cheat.  I have both a Kindle Paperwhite and a Fire HD 7, so Goodreads is integrated right into the ecosystem, there.

For those who have had great success with social media, what are some things you think would help me to improve my standings there, to become more interactive and engaged with followers, friends and readers?  I know giveaways are great for driving traffic to social media, but how do you keep those new followers engaged?  I really want to know how to be more a part of the community.  I tend to be a bit on the socially awkward side and have trouble with social situations in general, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

#ArmchairBEA 2015: Day 1: Introductions (and an #ABEAShelfie)

So the first day of Armchair BEA is for introductions and getting to know one another and meeting new bloggers and networking.  I spent a large part of the day I spent in the emergency room due to strep throat and I missed getting this post up, so I thought, better late than never, right?  So here I am with my intro questions!

 

Tell us a bit about yourself: How long have you been blogging? Where are you from? How did you get into blogging?

I have been blogging for, oh, about 6 years with my personal blog, 3 and a half years blogging about books, with just a little over 3 years since I started JARR.  I am from NY originally but I currently hail from central Florida.  Ironically, my book blogging start grew out of getting a Nook Tablet for a Christmas gift in 2011.  I became active in Nook groups on Facebook, and met a woman who quickly became a very good friend.  She was a book blogger and introduced me to this insane world of book blogging.  Since then, a small business has grown out of that friendship and this blog, and it has been one hell of a ride.  


What does diversity mean to you?

Diversity for a lot of people just refers to the race of characters and authors, but I think that even that is a rather narrow view and we need to be looking wider.  I have become a somewhat passionate parent of a special needs child and have taken up the mantle of finding fiction in many genres that show characters my child can relate to as she grows up.  Of course, autistic characters in young adult and adult fiction tend to be scarce, so I have decided I need to start writing them.  I have a few in the works to account for that.  I think diversity is about broadening horizons.  I personally read to experience different things, so I want to be exposed to as many different and diverse settings, environments and characters as possible.


What book are you reading right now?

I have finally found the time and place to make my way through the Mortal Instruments series, and I am currently reading City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.  I am thoroughly enjoying it so far, but there have been many twists and turns that I had definitely not expected, though I think I probably should have.  


Why do you loving reading and blogging?

I love blogging for so many reasons that would very likely bore the average reader!  But really, there are just so many more things I have gained from blogging than I could have ever imagined or expected.  I love the fact that, through sites like Netgalley and Edelweiss, as well as relationships I have been able to develop with publishers through the years, I have been exposed to so many new and exciting authors, books and genres that I might not have found otherwise.  I love the camaraderie and friendship I have developed with other bloggers.  I have even had the chance to meet and interact with some amazing authors.  I got to interview Amanda Hocking via email for a blogging event.  One of the first authors I reviewed for was Breeana Puttroff, and then we have casually chatted over the years about everything from writing to parenting to so many different topics.  I have even been able to bounce a few of my own writing ideas off of her!  And I even have had Katie McGarry respond to a tweet I made about one of her books and got to chat a bit with her.


Take a picture of your bookshelf and share it with us! (#ABEAShelfie)

It’s not a spectacular picture but its the best I could get with my cell phone.

So that is me in a nutshell.  Look forward to visiting some other people’s sites and seeing their intros!

Bookish Survey #boutofbooks

Today’s challenge comes to us from  Writing My Own Fairytale.

The challenge is to answer the following questions and to get to know some of the other participants through this survey.  So here is mine!

 

The Questions: 

1. How do you organize your shelves?

2. What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres?

3. What is the last 5 star book you read?

4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon?

5. What book do you recommend the most?

MY ANSWERS:

 I am a bit anal.  Mine are organized by author, and then by series within the author clump.
I really don’t know how to answer this.  I don’t really have “favorite genres” and I just read pretty much anything.
I had to consult the Almighty Goodreads to answer this one.  My last 5 star read was Leaves of Revolution by Breeana Puttroff.
I am re-reading City of Bones right now so that I can read the rest of the series, so my most anticipated read is going to be the second book in the series.
Oh gosh, this is way too subjective a question.  I guess I would go with The Dusk Gate Chronicles series.  It has something for everyone.

Did you do today’s challenge?  Let me know and I will come check it out.

#Boutofbooks 13 Goals and Progress

So for a more official post regarding my goals and such.  This will also be where I will post my updates.

Time Spent Reading
I plan to spend at least one hour a day reading.

Goals:
I want to read at least 2 books this week.

I want to participate in at least 3 challenges.

I want to visit at least 10 new to me blogs.

I want to participate in at least 1 Twitter Chat.

Books:  
I want to finish re-reading City of Bones.  I am starting out on page 74.  


Updates

Monday

Number of books I’ve read today:

Number  of Pages today:
Total number of books I’ve read:

Total Number of Pages
Books:

#Boutofbooks 13 Official Signup and Goals Post

Well, it is that time again and I am excited to say that I will be once again participating in Bout of Books.  After my epic fail with Dewey, I am looking to make a good showing this time around.  I do not have a set list of books but my goal is to read as much as possible and get in Twitter chats and do some good networking with other bloggers.  Are you participating?  Link me up and let me know.

Dewey Readathon April 2015

So, I am starting a few hours late, but let’s see what we can do!  My alarm clock never went off!  And of course I am behind at work so I am going to have so many distractions today, but hopefully I can get some reading in.  And off I go.  This post is where my updates will be!

UPDATE: So 5 and a half hours in and I am at about 30 pages into my book.  Life has a funny way of throwing us some curve balls.  I have missed out on some of the hourly challenges but I plan on paying more attention the rest of the day.  

Oh, Wow! It’s #Readathon Season

So, totally forgot that it was getting to be readathon time again.  Dewey’s starts in the morning!!!  Who else will be participating?  I am looking forward to trying to get some reading in.  Of course, we just moved, and I have a house full of kids, and I am under the gun at work, so who knows what I will really be able to accomplish, but I will give it a go nonetheless.  If I can finish one book, I will be pleased enough with myself.  Going to start with book 7 of Artemis Fowl, the Atlantis Complex, and see if I can get it knocked out since it has been on my TBR for far too long!

Survey Time, Readers. I Need Your Comments

So, the other day I announced that I would be starting a few new features on the blog.  One is going to be called “The Life and Times of an Autism Mom.”  The other is going to be reviews of non-book items.  Namely, well, products and stuff like that.

What I am wondering is does anyone have any suggestions on types of products they would like to see reviewed?  I don’t want to just throw random stuff at you and send you screaming for the hills.

Are there any other features you would like to see here?  I don’t want to just post book reviews and have the readers that I love so much get bored and run off and not coming back.  Please leave your comments below and tell me what you , the reader, want to see happening here on JARR.

So, Thinking about some new things

So, I know it has been very quiet around here and I need to work on that.  I have a bunch of reviews drafted that I need to just finish up and get them posted.  I am still reading and reviewing.  I just have been super busy in real life and balance has never been one of my strong suits.

I have a few things coming up that I am kind of excited about.  While this blog will primarily be about the books and such, I do want to broaden my horizons a bit, so I am starting to do product reviews as well.

I also am going to be starting a new feature (thanks to Bea at Beas Book Nook for brainstorming with me on Twitter).  It does seem that there are at least a handful of us in the blogosphere that are autism moms.  This is such a big part of my life and my day to day that I want to start writing openly about it.  Raising a child with autism can be both exhausting and infinitely rewarding and the challenges can range from mild to severe, and I think that more attention needs to be called to it.

I cannot even tell you how many times I have been out in public and my child has had one of her meltdowns, only to be looked at like I am a horrible parent and I have done something wrong because she acts that way.  There needs to be more awareness and acceptance.  Ironic in my mind that I should begin this now, as April is Autism Awareness Month, but it really was not planned.

I just finished moving, and I have an awesome “reading room” now.  (Hubby set me up with my bookshelves and a lamp, just need to find an awesome chair now.  He gave up half of the garage for me!).  I will post some pictures here as soon as things get settled down.

What kinds of things would you like to see here moving forward?  I am open to suggestions because I love all of my readers and would love to have your feedback.  Please comment and let me know.