Saturday, December 15, 2012

Blogger Spotlight: Interview With A Paranormal Book Fan


Our 12 Nights of Christmas Event is underway, and we're kicking things off with an interview with Suzanne from Paranormal Book Fan. So sit back, read on, and help us welcome her, and stay tuned because this is only the beginning ;)


Neyra: Hi Suzanne & Welcome!

Ana: *waves animatedly from Neyra's side*

Neyra: lol... Thanks for stopping by the DarkShores Lounge. We know the holidays can get pretty hectic this time around, so we appreciate you taking the time to sit with us and talk about our favorite subject: Books! ^-^

Ana: Right, thank you! :] So Suzanne, tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

Suzanne: Hi Neyra and Ana, and thank you for having me as part of your 12 Nights of Christmas feature :) Well, let's see, I'm a housewife and mother to 3 boys aged 12, 8 and 5. I love reading, listening to music and spending time online. My favorite books of the moment are YA paranormal, with some romance of course. I discovered this genre about two years ago when I read the Twilight series, and since then, I can't get enough of it. Soon after I discovered Goodreads which I quickly became addicted to, and not long after that, blogging, which brings me to where I am today :)

Neyra: You're welcome ^-^ Oh wow, Busy Bee!

Ana: Aww 3 boys huh? I'll bet they're a handful! ... Speaking of Twilight, think fast: Edward or Jacob" (lol sorry I had to Neyra.. She opened that right up for me) lol

Neyra: *facepalm*

Suzanne: I don't even have to think.......Team Edward!

Neyra: *sigh..says quietly*.. I'd be all over Edward if he had fangs..

Ana: Oh laaaawd....

Neyra: *coughs* moving on xD ...You mentioned you're a housewife and mother with 3 boys.. what I'd like to know is, how on Earth do you find time for books? I can barely find a spare hour, and I don't' have children or a husband.

Suzanne: It's not easy Neyra. I read in bed. And I actually read a lot in the car, waiting for the kids to come out of school, while their soccer training, I bring my book everywhere. I've had to cut down on blogging too, so I'm trying to post about four times a week now. If I happen to be reading an excellent book that I really can't put down, it could happen that very little housework will get done that day lol.

Neyra: xD Nice Suzanne! Lol

Ana: *chuckles to self* very little housework gets done here when I'm reading a good book as well. What was one of those books that pushed aside all your housework chores aside?

Suzanne: There's a lot lol, but my most recent was Falling to Ash by Karen Mahoney. It was just SO GOOD. It's about Moth who's a vampire, and there's a swoon-worthy vampire hunter. Throw in a Maker, the Family and a rogue vampire and you have an awesome story :)

Neyra: *grumbles* -___- why is it always about vampires? Where are all my sex demons and naughty angels? smh LOL xD

Ana: *jumps up and down* yaaay vampires!!! (Take THAT, Neyra) I haven't heard of this book, but it sounds awesome. ^_^

Suzanne: I hadn't heard of it either Ana until it landed at my door. Definitely one for you to check out. And Neyra, if you're looking for sexy demons and naughty angels, you need look no further than Beg for Mercy by Shannon Dermott, such a fantabulous series, and it's only 99¢ on Amazon. It is AMAZING. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Ana: Neyra's really nit-picky about vampy books *sigh* But don't mind if I jump in and look for Beg for Mercy with her! ^_^ Thanks for the rec's.

Neyra: *nods* Mhm, can't stand me the same cliched story about vamps -___- Anyways though, I'll definitely be taking into consideration Beg for Mercy, thanks Suzanne! ;] Now, you mentioned earlier that you mostly read YA but toss in a few romance novels here and there. I hope you don't mind me prying, but how steamy do these novels get? *rubs palms together* Is it Erotica or just Contemporary Romance? :D

Suzanne: Aw, sorry to disappoint Neyra, I meant paranormal with romance thrown in. I don't read much contemporary and no erotica, so very little steam in my reading :/

Neyra: Oh pooo :( *sobs* 

Ana: *gasp* oh my gosh... OH! MY! GOSH! lol. That's okay Suzanne, there are some great Paranormal books out there with less romance. We're just some romance loving feens. So, let's move on...Christmas is just around the corner, have you been a good girl and made it to Santa's good list? You know, he checks it's twice ;)

Suzanne: Oh I'm sure I have, but of course, as a mom, I have other Christmas lists to be worrying about before I get to mine.

Neyra: Oh I have been a very good girl too Suzanne! Yay us ^-^

Ana: *mutters under breath* uh huh Neyra ;) --Oh, I'm sure y'all will have a wonderful Christmas. Is there a book at the top of your wishlist?

Suzanne: Oh I'll have a big list, I haven't bought any books for a while as I've had so many review books to get through. But, one I really want comes out on Christmas Eve. Crimson Frost, the 4th book in the Mythos Academy series, hopefully Santa can get that one in time lol. I'm hoping to get a lot of reading in over the holidays :)

Neyra: Ugh. We sure can relate, the rest of the year for me is looking pretty hectic. I've heard of that series, and recently read your review ^-^ I still gotta catch up to you.. hopefully by then I have and we can compare notes ^_^ which means, we gotta stay being on Santa's Nice list! xD lol

Ana: ooh I haven't heard of that one.. geeez. I'm behind on everything! Maybe Santa will work his Christmas magic and get it to you in a timely fashion :) While we're still talking about the holidays, what do you look forward to the most on holidays?

Suzanne: Just being able to relax and have some family time. And I also tend to get a little more reading in :)

Ana: Aww that's great :) R&R + Family time.. definitely sounds like an amazing holiday :)

Neyra: Right. The holidays seem to me to be the times when you get to enjoy your family more :) Unfortunately, that also means less reading for me :/ LOL With the holidays just around the corner, we're also saying goodbye to the year, was there a book in 2012 that became your absolute favorite, it tops the rest?

Suzanne: God that's a hard one. There were so many. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, Waiting for Mercy by Shannon DermottUnraveling by Elizabeth Norris and so many more, I couldn't just pick one.

Neyra: Oooh I loved Pushing the Limits! *sigh* Noah♥ And I'm hearing good things about Throne of Glass, the others I haven't heard of. Definitely tough to choose just one book though w/ so many great books out there

Ana: I haven't read the others yet, but I loved Pushing the Limits ^_^ Suzanne, are you a cover-whore like Neyra & myself?"

Suzanne: No, not really, though I do sometimes judge a book by its cover, especially if it's not one I'm familiar with.

Ana: *hangs head in shame*

Neyra: *Gasp* :O *Pats Ana* There, there it's okay hon. *Turns to Suzanne*. Hm, yeah I like my buddy here usually go for the pretty cover books xD LOL. Tsk tsk, I know What about your favorite authors? With so many great books out there, sometimes it's hard to choose, but is there one that stands out above the rest?

Suzanne: One of my all-time favorite authors is Shannon Dermott. She's an indie author and she wrote the Cambion series which I think, by now, everyone knows I love. She also released two new books this year, Through the Lens, a contemporary novel and Remember, the first in a new paranormal series. I'm also (im)patiently waiting the release of Angel of Mercy, the 3rd book in the Cambion series.

Neyra: I've heard of that series, sounds interesting but idk if i'd enjoy it.. ? o.O it'll have to go on my considering pile ^-^ lol

Ana: I haven't heard of that one. But I do like contemporary and paranormal *writes this down* ... Going in my considering pile as well :) Tell us Suzanne, what was your highest and lowest peaks of blogging this year?

Suzanne: Well I only started blogging in November 2011 and I wasn't really sure what I was doing so I didn't pay too much attention. It was only around January or February that I really got into it and started making some blogger friends, so I guess that would be the high point. Making friends and being able to discuss the books I enjoyed with people with similar tastes. I have no one around me who's interested in the type of books I like. And my low point came around August when I just got fed up with the amount of work involved in keeping the blog. So I just cut down my number of posts and don't try to kill myself getting around to lots of blogs every day and commenting. I had felt I was never getting any time to read.

Neyra: Oh I know that feeling. I can't seem to think up ONE single person around me that loves reading, and they always look shocked when I tell them I read books containing.. *le gasp* SEX!! oh.my.god! :x Seriously though, lol. and yeah, I definitely understand what you mean about being fed up. This is supposed to be fun, but sometimes it seems like job #3 I doubt that's ever any bloggers goal. I for one am glad you didn't throw in the towel though, too much you would have been missed ^-^

Ana: Oh right, blogging is really fun. But the day it becomes like a job.... hell, I might just stop altogether. What was the best advice a fellow blogger has given to you?

Suzanne: Well I've only ever had direct advice from a blogger friend about blog tours. Other than that, I just read the advice for new bloggers on a couple of blogs. But the best thing that I probably picked up was that the more you comment on other's blogs, the more comments you'll receive. And, not just a copy and paste comment or a one liner; but something that shows that you have bothered to read what the blogger has posted. So that's what I try to do.

Neyra: Oh, yeah that one's tough. As new bloggers we think, I'll post something, people will read it, they'll love it, and BAM! insta-comments >.< But that's not the case, patience is a virtue when it comes to socializing, but sometimes being the first to break the ice helps in attracting others to your blog, and actually READING what the blogger has to say helps a lot too ^_^ Is there any other advice YOU would give your fellow bloggers?

Ana: I definitely agree with both you. It’s an awesome feeling when you have comments, especially comments that you can tell the reader actually has read what you had to say. lol @ Neyra breaking the ice... uh huh.. go ahead girl, break the ice ;)

Suzanne: Hmm, I don't think it's good if the page takes too long to load, also it should be easy to read with not too many distractions in side bars on either side. Also, easy on the eyes. I was reading a review on a blog one night and by the time I finished my eyes were blurry and I couldn't read anymore. But these are probably pet peeves of mine more than anything else lol

Neyra: Welll daaamn *hangs head in shame* now I feel like my page is overkill LOL

Ana: Lol. *pats Neyra on the back* there, there, I like your page. So, Suzanne. Did you have a set goal for how many books you wanted to read this year? If so, did you reach that goal? Surpass it? Or fall just a biiiiiiiiiiit short?

Suzanne: NO!! Definitely not Neyra, I love your page. I'm talking about something more flashy, that distracts your eye away from what you're actually there to read lol. But no, yours is awesome. I had a goal of 120 books for this year, and going by my Reading Challenge on Goodreads, I've read 143 so far, yay :)

Neyra: lol Thanks Suzanne! Ohh seriously?? o.O Yay Congratulations!! ^-^ My goal was 150 and I've read only 85 booo! lol

Ana: o.O pretty big goals! *looks at goals.....* yeeeah. lol. Before you started blogging, was there a way you kept track of the books you've read or wanted desperately to read?

Suzanne: No not really. Before I discovered Goodreads, I wouldn't have had a tbr, I would have just kept track of a few books at a time in my head.

Neyra: o.O really? oh hell, my poor brain couldn't handle too much info, so I resort to scrap paper xD LOL did you go by authors too? I know that for me, no matter how many books I want to read and have on ANY of my lists I have a few auto-buy authors who've taken up my "Need-To-Read-Before-Anything-Else" piles ^-^

Ana: wow. I'm the exact opposite. And I'm with you on that Neyra, my poor brain!! Lol.

Suzanne: See, I was always a reader, but never as addicted as I am now. I would have read women's lit, crime books, auto/biographies etc., so I always had something on the go, but when I'd finish I'd just go to the store or library and get something else without giving it much forethought. But I would never have read anything paranormal because I would have thought them to be something I wouldn't be into, even though I had read the Harry Potter series many times and they were my favorite books ever, I didn't really associate them with the genre for some reason. When Twilight came out first I thought it was the most ridiculous looking movie ever and RP was rotten how could anyone think he was hot lol. Anyway, my son wanted to watch them so I got Twilight and New Moon for him and put them on, not planning to watch them just being in the room. But I was glued to the screen and by the end of the movies, I thought RP was just the hottest thing ever lol. So the next day I went straight out and bought all the books and read them all in five days. And then I read them again. And so, a new genre was born for me and I never looked back. At first when looking for something to read, I would do a search for books online and that's how I eventually discovered GR and so began my tbr. So while I have come across much better books than Twilight since, I think I'll always have a soft spot for it (don't shoot me lol)

Neyra: LOL I wont shoot you, though I can't really say the same for Dr Sparkles over there xD lol

Ana: Dr. *throws glitter at Neyra* Sparkles, my ass!

Neyra: *Glares at Ana & dust off glitter* I was talking about EDWARD!! *mutters obscenitites.. turns to face Suzanne* ..But wow, see I was the opposite of you, I've always been into the paranormal books, only recently have I ventured out into contemporary, realistic fiction... of course I always have to read smut w/ my paranormals, just that now I'm more about the contemporary smut & such kind of books as well ;) I love it! And yeah, Goodreads has definitely saved & ruined my sanity all at the same time.. forever allowing me to add books to my list when I've barely made a dent xD LOL

Ana: *puts down gun* No shooting of twi-hard fans... got it. I too loved Twilight when it first came out. But like you said, a lot of better books have been read since then.

Neyra: Mhm, I was guilty of loving the Fallen series, smh >.< But yeah definitely better books are out there, and so many more to discover! ^-^ Suzanne, thank you very, very much for taking the time to join us. We know the holidays are always busy and meant for families, so your time is definitely appreciated!

Ana: It was a pleasure having you here with us at the DarkShores Lounge, Suzanne. Our door is always open to you :) Happy Holidays *hugs Suzanne*

Suzanne: Thank you both for having me. I hope you have a great time over the holidays and get some nice pressies :) *hugs Neyra* *hugs Ana*

Neyra: We hope you have a great Holiday as well Suzanne! *Turns to Ana as Suzanne leaves the lounge* Was it just me, or did she mention FOUR favorite books for this year? Looks like it's giveaway time, Ana" ;)

Ana: *looking at Neyra with a smirk on my lips* oh she mentioned four alright ;) *rubs hands together* Giveaway! woot woot 


Because it's the season for giving, WE are giving away a copy of ONE of Suzanne's favorite books of 2012, and here they are for you to choose from:



How to enter:
Fill out the rafflecopter below to enter.
MUST be BOTH a follower of Beach Bum Reads
and Darkest Addictions to be eligible to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to all who enter!


10 comments:

  1. That was an awesome interview. Man do I agree about going to blogs and there are like 9,000 things in the sidebar!! I can't read from dark backgrounds either lol. How can you be TEAM EDWARD??? HAVE YOU SEE JACOB'S ABS?? Lol j/k... but seriously, have you seen them? Great interview ladies!

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  2. haah Autum! I'm totally Team Edward for the books, and maybe Team Jacob for the movie. Anyway, 120 books?? That's a lot!! I got done w/ my 100 and I thought that was an accomplishment. Next year my goals gna be like 50 lol with my new job and stuff!
    And I really need to go change my disqus name. OK gna go do that now!

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  3. Oooo Jennifer Estep is on my list of authors to check out this year. I've heard so many good things!


    Loving the banner ladies!

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  4. Team Edward! Great interview and i'll definitely be checking out her books!

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  5. I loved the interview and I've checked out Suzanne's blog. Very nice. :D

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  6. Thanks for stopping by <3 Good luck with the giveaway!


    Ana♥

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  7. :o Team Eddypus? reall? lol.. NOOOOOOOOOOO!! haha.. Thanks for stopping by! good luck with the giveaway :)


    Ana♥

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  8. J. Estep is def on my TBR list. Can't wait to pick up one of her books ^_^


    Thanks girly <3


    Ana♥

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  9. Thanks :) -- lol yes, Jacobs abs are ogle worthy ;) But.. still a bit young .. no likey that. lol...


    Ana♥

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  10. I'm sure she's read more than 120 since we interviewed her a good month or two before this interview went live :O lol. 50? hey, that's a big number too xD


    Ana♥

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