The YA Spill (#5)

Welcome to The YA Spill! 

The YA Spill is a (mostly) weekly meme where I'll have Q&A with YA book bloggers. As a founding member of a YA book blog, I've had the pleasure of getting to know many bloggers and even though I've stepped back from blogging in that capacity as often, I'm still a huge fan of reading YA book blogs and love hearing the blogger's opinions on the hottest books out there. 

So each week I'll be spotlighting anywhere from one to three YA book bloggers with a few questions on what they're currently loving and can't wait to read next. If you're a YA book blogger, and you'd like to participate in The YA Spill, please email me at cindythomaswrites (@) gmail (dot) com. 


 Please welcome this week's awesome participant:

 Franny from Mind Reader

(Blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook) 
  

   What is the most recent book that you've read and loved? 

I’d have to say Forgiven by Jana Oliver. The Demon Trappers Series is a must and everyone should read it. :)

What book recently surprised you? 

The Lure Of Shapinsay by Krista Holle. I have to be honest, I wasn’t really sure at the beginning because I thought it was about sirens and I had recently read a short story about sirens which was really awful. But the book was about Selkies and I actually enjoyed it and it was very intriguing, since Selkies are very unique creatures.

What types of books do you wish there were more of?

I wish there were more books about magic/witches.

What book comes out soon that you can't wait to get your hands on?

Elemental by Emily White. She’s a great friend of mine and I’ve been waiting to read this book for months! I’m so happy the wait is almost finally over!

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you became a YA book blogger?

My name is Franny and I’m Italian, but I’ve been living in UK since 2008. To be honest I’ve never really thought about blogging until last year. I wasn’t totally happy with myself and the Royal Wedding really had an impact on my life. It really made me think about what I wanted to achieve with my life and soon after I started blogging. I really can’t believe I’ve been blogging for almost one year, and if I look back at when I started, I’m so glad and proud of myself for all the achievement I’ve made. J Now I happily review for publishers & indie authors, I organize virtual book tours (check Dark Mind Book Tours) and I also have a food blog, So Good…So Franny! Life is busy!

What is the first book you read & reviewed as a blogger?

Die For Me by Amy Plum. It was my absolute first review, although I can’t remember how I got it. :D

As a book blogger, you probably get lots of review requests. What is the best way for an author or publisher to receive a response from you when sending you a request?

Ohhh… this is a very sensitive topic, and I know there is a lot of fuss going on around about this. I really appreciate if authors read my review policy, that means they actually spent time looking at my blog to see if I might really like their book. I’ve received lots of requests for genres I don’t even read, and that it’s a bit annoying. However, the most important thing to make me consider a request is presentation. I also received requests like this: “Hello, I would like to submit my novel for review, hope you’ll take it into consideration. Thanks”. No name, no book title, no info at all. I have deleted these emails in a beat (and I’m not afraid to admit it). So, the best way to receive a positive response is a brief introduction of who the author is and the book blurb. And if they have a site I can check out, that’s definitely a plus!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Franny!