Did you read a lot in high school?
I didn’t. I read a TON in elementary school (babysitters club!) but by high school I had gotten busy and didn’t pick up the reading again until college!
Are there genres you really cannot stand?
Well, I read mostly romance, but I do occasionally add some non-fiction, YA, and a few others. I can’t really think of a genre I wouldn’t read-but like I said, I mostly stick to romance anyway!
What kind of student were you in high school?
Oh I love this question!!! I was a great student. I was a teacher-pleaser for sure and graduated with a 3.9 GPA. I was also a band geek (I played the piccolo!). I was terrible at math though so that was the only class I wasn’t in honors for. I loved my honors English and History classes so much! I got my bachelors degree in History before realizing that the only way I could everything I loved was teach!
What was your biggest achievement as a blogger?
Hmmmmm…..I tend to allow myself to judge success by number of likes, followers, etc. But, I think my biggest achievement has been to be auto approved for a few publishers! That was such a huge deal!
Do your students know about your blog? And if there are ones who know, what were their reactions?
Most of my students have no idea! First, because they cannot imagine any of their teachers having any kind of life outside of school. But, a few of my students and I talk books all the time. They figured out I blogged and now they check out my recs. We all agreed that if blogging about books was a job, we would totally do it. However, when I told them how much money it COSTS me each month they were bummed.
What is your most important tip for amateur bloggers?
Don’t measure your success in numbers! I felt like I wasn’t successful unless I had as many likes as a similar blog. It was really making blogging not fun. Also, don’t be afraid to ask! Reach out to publishers that you particularly like! Reach out to your fav authors. Talk to other bloggers! If you wanna know how they did something, ask! I have discovered that bloggers are amazingly kind and happy to share what they know!
ABOUT SAMANTHA
Hello world! I am a 30 something wife and teacher whose love of reading is genetic. My mother and her mother were voracious readers who passed the love along to me. My grandmother had whole rooms of her house filled with books and she was always reading. My mom could spend days in a bookstore and her collection of books is starting to rival her mother’s! I started reading young and shared books with my parents frequently. We talked about books and read together. Then, my college roommate gave me a Nora Roberts book. I was hooked! We spent the entire summer barely speaking to each other except to swap books. Then, a student gave me a copy of Twilight and I was hooked again. I love romance, young adult, new adult, and paranormal. I have enjoyed discovering indie authors as well as the more ‘main streamed’ authors. My husband and I have been married for 11 years and he accepts my reading addiction (usually with a smile!). He is not a fan of books however and only reads comic books. I hope my blog helps you find a new book to dive in to!