Meet The Blogger - Writing From The Tub

Welcome to this, the Maybe-Penultimate Meet The Blogger. Yes, we're on the home straight! This week's blogger is Carly from Writing From The Tub. Check out her blog at http://carlybennett.blogspot.com/.

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When did you start blogging?
Hello lovely! Thank you for having me. Well, technically I started my blog in 2009 but if you look back through my blog posts you’ll see that era of blogging was woefully short lived – as in, two posts! I started blogging regularly in January 2010 and have been pretty regular since then.

What made you start blogging?
Originally I started Writing from the Tub to focus on just that – my writing. However, as I mentioned before I was terrible at that so stopped after two posts. Around that time (June 2009) I started reviewing for The Bookbag, Chicklish and Curled Up with a Good Book. I’d been reviewing for six months or so when I discovered book blogs, a whole world was opened up to me! I know Chicklish was a blog but it was so huge and awesome I never imagined I could actually run my own. Anyway, I decided to give it a bash and here I am!

What was the first book you reviewed for your blog and what was your reaction to it?
Well technically it was The Declaration by Gemma Malley but that was a review I originally wrote for Chicklish so it doesn’t really count. The first review that I wrote for my blog was for Blue Light by Gary Paulsen. I LOVE that book, it’s one of my all time favourites.

The first book I ever got sent by a publisher that I reviewed on my blog was Friction by Joe Stretch. I liked it because there was BOOB on the front cover and a slutty character called Carly.

When was the first time you realised you were a Book Blogger?
I guess that would be when I attended my first blogger meet up in London, in April 2010 (was it April? Maybe May…) I was so nervous, I dragged my boyfriend with me in case I got lost or everybody stood me up. I ended up having an awesome day and I think that’s when I really felt like I was part of a community. One of my favourite parts about blogging is still getting to meet up with other bloggers as often as possible. They are all so lovely and diverse and we always have a ridiculous amount to talk about!

How much of your time a week do you spend blogging?
I’m a bit of a binge blogger really. I’ll take one weekend a month and blog non-stop for forty eight hours – I can normally get about 15 or so reviews written in that time and I schedule up any blog tour posts etc that I have coming up for the next month. Once my binge is out of the way I probably spend about an hour a day keeping things up to date and reading other blogs.

Has your taste in book genres changed since starting the blog?
Yes! I now hate vampires (for the most part). And mermaids. And werewolves. And pretty much anything paranormal, unless it’s written by Alyxandra Harvey. I have realised that I do definitely love contemporary the most. I fell in love with dystopia but have now fallen slightly out of love with it due to being sent far more dystopia books than I will ever be able to read.

What book are you reading at the moment?
At the moment I’m reading Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness and am utterly obsessed.

What book has got you very excited or made you cry?
Most books make me cry. I’m not even exaggerating. Anything by Patrick Ness generally takes control of my soul and turns me into a weeping wreck.

Have you read any book that you disliked so much you threw it across the room?
Unfortunately, yes. Scarred by Julia Hoban (Willow, in the US). That book actually makes me angry. I try not to talk about it.

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to take part or what to set up a book blog?
Well I would say welcome to the world of blogging! First things first – don’t get stressed out about ARCs and review copies and events and followers. None of those things are the be all and end all of blogging and, honestly, if you think they are then blogging probably isn’t for you.

When you’re starting out it’s important to establish your blogging voice to set yourself apart from the pack. Read everything you can and use your library – it is your best friend.

Get a Twitter account but don’t become obsessed with it – if you want to be a blogger then spend time on your blog, not Twitter. Twitter is all well and good but I see so many people who sit on Twitter all day talking about how much they love blogging. Go and blog then, people!

Introduce yourself and don’t be shy – there are so many bloggers out there now that it’s impossible to keep up with them all. The lovely Amy and Turn the Page sent me an email when she first started blogging and now I’ll always go out of my way to visit her site because she was so lovely and friendly.

Now, to ask five fun quick-fire questions. What song are you listening to right now?
Young Blood by The Naked and Famous. It makes me want to jump in a lake and be all tanned and take hipster photos to put on Tumblr. I won’t though, because that would make me a massive douche.

MySpace, Facebook or Twitter?
Facebook for photos, stalking people I no longer talk to and keeping in touch with old friends. Twitter for stalking celebrities and getting pissed off with people for bitching about not getting enough review copies. Die.

Hardback, paperbacks or eBooks?
Good old paperbacks. American paperbacks, though, as they’re all floppy and the spine doesn’t crease. I love my Kindle for being on the go but it won’t ever replace books – anyone see Stephen Fry’s Tweet about Kindles vs. paperbacks? Actually, Andy (Andy: Did I? *goes and checks) I think it was you who retweeted it… Hardbacks look pretty on my shelf.

Letters, phone, texting or emailing?
Probably texting. Texts brighten up my day. Emails send me into a panic as my inbox is always too full. I do love a good phone chat but too many people call me for a ‘catch up’ when I’m just about to sit down for an uninterrupted afternoon of writing. Or watching Gossip Girl. Note: Don’t ever leave me a voice mail. I will never, ever listen to it.

Zombies or unicorns?
Unicorns FTW! Always!