Her Book Self

As part of the festivities for Book Blogger Appreciation Week, today is Blogger Interview Day!  Whether through a computer glitch or my own error, I was actually given two interviews to conduct but rather than regret the extra effort, I'm thrilled that the experience has put me in touch with two seasoned book bloggers whose wonderful work I may otherwise have not discovered!  Please join me in welcoming to my blog Tif of Tif Talks Books!  (And be sure to also check out my interview with Angie of Angieville!)

Hi Tif!  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Tif and I'm a book blogger! I'm sure you actually want to know more about me, so here's a really quick synopsis of myself . . . I'm a reader, a wife, a mother of 2. I love to write, to read, and try to be creative. During the day, I'm an Academic Advisor at a local university, an advocate of many things, and try to squeeze in as much reading as possible whenever I can! And, have I mentioned that I love to read?!? That about sums me up!

How long have you been blogging? How did you get started as a book blogger?

This last May, I celebrated my 3rd blogiversary! Those many years ago, I had many friends who were blogging about family and crafts and cooking, but none of those fit me. I have always enjoyed reading and writing, and it just made sense to blog books! The rest is history!!

Describe your blog in five words or less.

Eclectic, Fun, Spontaneous, and Genuine

You listed Harry Potter and Wicked as two of your favorite books. If Harry and Elphaba were in a fight, who do you think would come out on top?

I am totally going to cheat on this answer!! Neither Harry nor Elphaba are actually violent by nature and truly fight for the common good of their magical worlds. I actually see them on the same team, fighting side by side, both coming out on top between the battle of good and evil . . . at least in my world! :)

I love your feature of Fairy Tale Fridays! How did that idea develop? How do you choose the fairy tales you read? (Badge at right from Tif Talks Books courtesy of Ye Olde Faery Shoppe)

More than a year ago, I read The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. This book spurred an interest in fairy tales, and re-visiting or discovering the original tales that inspired Connolly's work. I had no memory of such violence that appears in the tales and thought it would be fun to explore them further now that I am an adult. Along the way, we have also explored lesser known tales and those featured around the globe. It is fun to see how culture influences the tales, and how some morals reverberate no matter where in the world you may be.

As for how I make the choice of the weekly pick . . . completely random!! I am sometimes inspired by my fellow participants and/or bloggers, books I come across at the library, and some days, I truly will randomly pick a story from the list of classics, having no idea where it will take me or what it will be about!

Along with Tif Talks Books, you host an author directory called Literary Locals. Who is your favorite local author? Do you go out of your way to choose local works or do you generally find them by chance?

The Literary Locals author directory was inspired by my monthly feature that I started back in January 2009 by the same name. Unfortunately, due to my current time constraints, the site is still under construction. I hope it to go completely live no later than January 2011.

I love to support local authors, a tradition that was influenced by my grandfather. It only grew when I worked at a local independent bookstore while attending graduate school and that featured a multitude of local and national authors. Since then, I have lived in a multitude of other states, but I always tend to gravitate towards the authors of the Northwest, the place I truly call home. I have a hard time choosing a specific author as my favorite, but a few that really stand out to me are Pete Fromm and Christopher Paolini, both from the great state of Montana!

How can other bloggers add local authors to your directory? How can they use it to find authors local to them?

Bloggers, readers, and even authors themselves can be added to the directory by filling out the survey linked on the Submit Your Local Author page. The reason in the delay of the launch really comes down to enough content to let it go live! I encourage you to share your authors with me!

To find authors local to you, you will be able to select the state you live in and authors will be listed alphabetically. Select the author and more information will be provided. This is one of the items that is still in the works, so once it is completely launched, more information will be provided on how to use the site.

If a random stranger only had time to read three posts on your blog, which three posts would you point them to as your favorites?

This is one of the hardest questions I have ever had to answer!!!! I think if I had to narrow it down, I would go with a few recent ones that I had the best time writing . . .

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Literary Locals: June 2010 . . . Visiting the Home of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Fairy Tale Fridays: Hansel and Gretel

What would you say is the most rewarding experience of being a book blogger?

Hands down, the community! I love knowing that I always have someone to turn to for great recommendations and to just talk books at any time of the day or night! I love how others get as excited as I do about new releases or old favorites! And, I love knowing that I am not alone in my passion for books and literacy!

Anything else that you want Her Book Self readers to know about you and Tif Talks Books?

I just want to say thank you so much for having me!! The blogger interviews are my favorite part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week and it has been a pleasure getting to "meet" you and I know that I will be back for more! Afterall, I am joining you for your Series in September!!

And, last but not least, I want to encourage everyone to enter my current contest, where the love of classics hits the fashion world in my Wonderful Wonderland Giveaway!

Thanks Tif, and keep up the wonderful work!  And check out the flip side of this interview where Tif interviews me too!