BLOGWORDS – Thursday 30 May 2019 – CHAT THURSDAY SEEKERVILLE BLOG BLITZ– BLOGGER-REVIEWER MINI-INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY – SEEKERVILLE BLOG BLITZ – BETH ERIN AND CARRIE SCHMIDT
CHAT THURSDAY – BLOGGER-REVIEWER MINI-INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY– SEEKERVILLE BLOG BLITZ – BETH ERIN AND CARRIE SCHMIDT
“Sharing all things bookish and whatever comes to mind.” – Annie on Just Commonly
“Do you adore stories? Always need to read just one more chapter? Me too!” – Beth Erin
Wrapping up the Seekerville Interview Blog Blitz with the blogger team members.
Please give a warm feathered welcome to Beth Erin and Carrie. NOTE: Annie JC is not able to join us today but she’s still here in spirit.
rem: Hullo, Ladies! Welcome to my little nest! Tell us a little about yourselves. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
BETH: My family has lived in Southern Illinois for generations.
CARRIE: I grew up in Illinois, and for the moment I live in Kentucky.
rem: So, y’all are close in proximity, too. Not just readerly-ish. Tell us three things about yourself.
CARRIE: I used to teach 3rd grade, William Shakespeare is my first cousin (14 times removed), I have 10-going-on-11 nieces and nephews!
rem: I can totally see you teaching! I’d love to have had a teacher like you. Also, how awesome is that—to be related to William Shakespeare! How did you become a Seekervillian, and what do you like best about it?
BETH: The best part about being invited to join Seekerville are the friendships we’ve built and strengthened.
CARRIE: I have no idea … but when they asked me, I said yes really quick before they changed their minds! I love the behind-the-scenes friendships and being able to help authors in various stages of the journey to publication.
rem: Oh, Beth, even as “just” a follower of the blog, I can see the friendships and the bond you all have. And Carrie! You so silly. I can totally see why they invited you. What was your first Seekerville post?
BETH: I used my blog tagline as inspiration for my first solo Seekerville post, Connecting and Encouraging
http://seekerville.blogspot.com/2018/02/connecting-and-encouraging-plus.html
CARRIE: My first post as a Seeker was – https://seekerville.blogspot.com/2018/01/your-story-matters-or-what-reader-wants.html but I had been a guest blogger a couple of times before that.
rem: Both of your blogs are fabulous, as are any of your posts—no matter where they appear. What do you think is significant about Christian fiction? How has being a reader impacted your relationship with Christ?
BETH: Stories impact our hearts in a unique and lasting way. When those stories inspire us and point us to Jesus, they help shape our perspectives and lives and draw us closer to Him. Christian fiction motivates and challenges me to examine my heart regularly and intentionally learn and grow personally and in empathy.
rem: Beth, you are so right!
CARRIE: I think all fiction (well… ok … most fiction) reflects THE Story in one way or the other, even if the author isn’t aware he/she is doing so. The one that starts with the ultimate ‘once upon a time’ – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) – and ends with the best ‘happily ever after’ ever (Revelation 21:4). Christian fiction is set apart because the writer is writing with THE Story in mind, however subtly the message is presented, and it is ‘allowed’ to present the HOPE to the mess of life in a way that other genres aren’t. Being a reader has impacted my relationship with Jesus by continuing to open my eyes to the fact that I am part of the greatest Story in the world. And so are you. The Author and Finisher of my Faith is telling a Story about me and about you. And He has promised to keep writing it until it’s completed – not when I die or when you die, but until the day Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6)
rem: So beautifully said, Carrie. I can “see” THE message sometimes even in the most secular stories. When reading, what makes or breaks a story for you? Your fiction pet peeve?
CARRIE: The characters and how connected I am to them makes or breaks the story for me; also, the writing style. And usually those two go hand in hand. My pet peeve (one of them) is narrative masquerading as dialogue.
rem: Ya, that bit about hokey dialogue gets me, too, and can destroy a story for me real quick. What gets your attention in a new story? Where do you find / look for new books to read and review?
BETH: I’m a big fan of well-written accents and bearded heroes so those are good hooks for me. I started by ordering books from my local library. Now that I’ve been reviewing and blogging for a few years, I participate in blogger programs, author influencer groups, NetGalley, and publicity group tours. Unfortunately, there’s never enough time to read all the books!
rem: Aye, I’ve got me accents in me head and I do like writin’ them when I can, don’tcha know? #winkwink
CARRIE: In a new story, the first chapter is what will get my attention and hold it. If I’m invested in the story by the end of that first chapter, I’m probably going to love it. Publishers and authors keep me pretty busy with requests so I am fortunate enough not to have to really hunt for new books to read/review. (That’s also a bad thing – I have two full bookcases of books I need to review yesterday.) Otherwise, I scour publishers’ catalogs for what’s coming up in the next season because I clearly don’t have enough to read yet #sarcasm
rem: My TBR “list” is now a tome in its own right, and includes authors, not just book titles. Have you ever read a book you couldn’t finish? Why?
BETH: I have chosen not to finish a book on rare occasions because I wasn’t enjoying it which means I am probably am not a member of its intended audience. I would much rather read books I enjoy and write positive reviews than force my way though a book I don’t enjoy then agonize over a single review.
rem: Totally agree with ya, Beth.
CARRIE: Yes. I was assured that a book was free of profanity and/or ‘sexplicity’ and uh… let’s just say it wasn’t. rem: YIKES! Typically as long as a book is free of those things, I’ll keep reading even if I don’t like it… however, lately I’ve had to DNF (* Did Not Finish) a few books because they weren’t grabbing me, they weren’t a review I had committed to, and I have those two full bookcases of books I need to review yesterday.
rem: I’ve had to do that a couple of times myself. If you could spend an evening with a fictional character, who would it be and why?
CARRIE: Ummm… am I allowed to say #myJames (Carla Laureano’s Five Days in Skye) here without anyone telling my husband?? 😉
rem: Totally allowed! And mum’s the word. Do you ever read a book twice?
BETH: I do on occasion. Rereading is a bit like revisiting an old friend, you don’t love old friends any less just because you make new friends!
rem: YESSSS!!!!
CARRIE: Yes – definitely. I haven’t had as much time to do that since I started blogging but one that I have read so many times I have whole chapters memorized is Newlywed Games by Mary Davis.
rem: How many books have you read?
BETH: Over the last few years, I have read an average of about 250 books per year.
CARRIE: ummm ever or in the last year??? LOL I read about 250-400 books a year and I started reading when I was 3 ½ and I’m more than 11 ½ times that old now so uhhh I don’t think I can count that high.
rem: HOLY MOLY! That’s a LOTTA books in a year! What’s the last book you read and reviewed? Tell us a little about the story and give us the first line.
BETH: That is an ever changing answer which would be located on my personal blog, FaithfullyBookish.com
CARRIE: By the time this runs, that will be A Daughter’s Truth by Laura Bradford. It’s a great book about Emma, a young Amish woman who tries to be the perfect daughter, even though her very birthday is a reminder of great sorrow for her mother. Each year on Emma’s birthday, odd trinkets are left on her aunt’s gravesite and this latest gift – a locket – sends her into the English world searching for answers that might change everything Emma has ever known. The first line is “Not for the first time, Emma Lapp glanced over her shoulder, the utter silence of the sparsely graveled road at her heels deafening.”
rem: Gripping first line! Anything you’d like to add?
BETH: Thanks for having me, Robin!
CARRIE: Thanks for having me!
rem: My pleasure, Ladies. Thank you both so much for chatting with us on my blog today!
ABOUT THE BLOGGERS
Just Commonly, AKA Annie is an avid reader turned blogger. She is the mind behind Just Commonly blog, sharing what she loves most – Jesus & all things book and bookish . She’s a big fan of all Christian fiction, as well as books in the Young Adult, Middle Grade and even Kids Fiction genre. She’ll test out recipes from cookbooks and share thoughts from biographies to books on nutrition, spiritual help or just any book that struck her fancy. Next to reading, her other interests includes spending time with family and friends, eating, playing with her miniature schnauzer pups, Gabby and Reagan, and somehow challenge her non-existent athletic abilities to improve (tremendously) her tennis and golf game.
Annie is proud to be one of the founding stewards of the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat (CFRR). CFRR is a one day event gathering of Christian Fiction readers and authors, with a focus theme of “Honoring God through Christian Fiction.” It features speaker sessions, author panels, breakout sessions, prayer & worship and author signings.
http://justcommonly.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/justcommonly
https://www.instagram.com/justcommonly/
https://www.pinterest.com/JustCommonly/
https://twitter.com/justcommonly
Beth Erin is a Christian fiction enthusiast, book reviewer, and blogger. She is passionate about promoting authors and their entertaining, encouraging, and redemptive stories. Beth strives to edify and connect with readers and authors through Faithfully Bookish, and on social media. She is a Christian Fiction Readers Retreat associate and also contributes to the Hoarding Books & Diversity Between the Pages blogs.
Beth lives with her husband and their four children in a close-knit rural southern Illinois farming community. They love their laid-back lifestyle and small country church family. When she isn’t reading, Beth enjoys indulging in a favorite show or movie with her family, completing DIY projects with her husband, and seeing the country on long family road trips.
#swoof
So, what is “swoof”, right? Swoof is an acronym/hashtag for “Squeezing Words Out Of Feelings.” I coined this lovely word while chatting with some book blogger friends about the struggle we often face when we’re striving to craft a review worthy of whatever wonderful book we’ve just read… #allthefeels and #nowords just don’t cut it for reviews! Ask any reviewer and they’ve probably experienced something like #swoof
https://faithfullybookish.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/betherin02/
https://www.pinterest.com/faithfulbookish/boards/
https://www.instagram.com/faithfulbookish/
https://twitter.com/faithfulbookish
https://www.facebook.com/faithfullybookish
Carrie Schmidt is an avid reader, book reviewer, story addict, KissingBooks fan, book boyfriend collector, and cool aunt. She also loves Jesus and THE Story a whole lot. Co-founder of the Christian Fiction Readers’ Retreat and JustRead Publicity Tours, Carrie lives in Kentucky with her husband Eric. She can be found lurking at various blogs and websites (because she can’t stop talking about books) but her main home is the blog she started in 2015 –
ReadingIsMySuperPower.org.
https://www.facebook.com/meezcarriereads
https://twitter.com/@meezcarrie
https://www.instagram.com/meezcarrie/
https://www.pinterest.com/meezcarrie/
“Hi! I’m Carrie! Aka MeezCarrie
Avid Reader. Book Reviewer. Story Addict. KissingBooks Fan. Book Boyfriend Collector. Cool Aunt. I love Jesus and THE Story a whole lot.” – Carrie Schmidt on Reading is My Superpower
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NASB*)
#Blogwords, Chat Thursday, Blogger-Reviewer Mini-Interview and Giveaway, Seekerville Blog Blitz, Beth Erin, Carrie Schmidt
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Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.
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