I started this feature here at ASR in order to know your fellow bloggers a little better! If you are interested in being featured please fill out
the form.
My name is Ashley, I’m 29. I live in Hamilton, Ontario (AKA The Hammer, or Steel Town) Canada! I’m the single mom of the most adorable Little Monster ever! I’m a little bit nerdy, a little bit crazy, a little bit edgy, and kind of random, I’m a LEAFS fan, and a useless random fact rememberer, a coffee addict and Oreo fiend plus I’m a multi-tasking Ninja extraordinaire (Thank you ADHD)! I can get bored easily, and when I do I take it out on my hair – it gets a color change! I love books, movies, music, and my family! (cue the collective audience “AWWWWW”)
How long have you been blogging? What made you want to start a book blog?
I started my blog My Two Cents in August of 2012, so I have been blogging for about 5 months now. I wanted to start my blog to share my opinions of books I’ve read, sometimes my life experiences and things I’ve gone through, as well as to talk about important things that matter to me: Like Anti-Bullying awareness and Domestic Abuse Awareness.
What do you do when you’re not blogging or reading?
When I’m not blogging or reading, I’m either being a mom (which include chaperon, taxi, chef, maid, and many other things), and a full time college student. Sometimes I even manage to sneak in some baking, movie watching, and of course some family fun!
What is your favorite part about blogging? Least favorite?
My favorite part about blogging is the community. I love the people who read my posts and interact on Twitter or in the comments. They are pretty cool people! They are welcoming and encouraging, have their own opinions, and are open for discussions. I’ve made a bunch of new friends and followers!
My least favorite part is the post construction; sometimes I can’t think of things to say about a book that hasn’t already been said, or I ramble on and on and my posts end up being ginormous. It’s definitely hard finding a happy middle ground. I’m working on it though.
How did you come up with the name for your blog?
Naming my blog was REALLLLLY hard! I couldn’t think of anything original at first, or anything that stood out. I asked for opinions from friends, even put it out in the Twitter universe to help me think of a name! I sat and stared at my computer screen for over an hour, and I swear I could smell smoke from thinking so hard!
What it boiled down to was thinking of something that kind of went with what I wanted to post about. Opinions and thoughts… So the blog is literally just me putting in My Two Cents.
Do you have any specific book bloggers that inspire you?
My Friend Jaime from
Two Chicks On Books is actually what got me started on the blog idea. I’d read a few of her blog entries, was introduced to another blogger friend of hers – Amanda from
Stuck In YA Books – and after a few weeks of reading their blogs and kind of talking about how it works, and what they post, I tossed out the idea that maybe I should give it a try. They both loved the idea (so did my mom, but she’d encourage me to do almost anything), and so the blog was created. The two of them are pretty dang awesome!
What do you look for in a blog when following? What are your pet peeves?
I like to look for blogs with creativity, something with a catchy banner, organized layouts, no cluttering of sidebars, easy to navigate and to read, as well as the content. I like honest opinions, variety in topics, and blogs open for discussions in the comments a friendly following/community is important.
Pet peeves are blogs with cluttered sidebars, where you can’t find how to follow, or are flooded with random banners and notices. If it’s not organized and professional looking, or hurts my eyes I probably won’t follow. If the topics are to narrow or repetitive (like review on ONLY books about vampires) I probably won’t follow.
What’s your favorite book(s)?
I LOVE the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward, The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and anything by Stephen King.
Favorite author?
I have too many favorite authors to list just one. So honorable mention goes to J.R. Ward, Julie Kagawa, Stephen King, Cassandra Clare, Dean Koontz, and John Grisham.
What is the biggest turn off for you when you’re reading a book?
Weak characters with no character growth, especially female leads/Heroines!
I like characters that are strongly built. Characters that are wishy washy and flip flop on character traits and personality kinda irk me. A character can’t be shy and uncertain of their abilities, then run into battle with certainty. I like it when the author KNOWS their character from beginning to end, clearly shows their strengths and weaknesses, and lets them figure it out and grow within the pages!
What first draws you to a book to make you want to read it?
I will admit, I have bought/read books purely because the cover was pretty, cool, or whatever else. Covers can catch your eye pretty easily – which is kinda their point isn’t it?!
But most of the time, I WILL read a summary, or the praises from bloggers, book lists, Goodreads and such. I’ve got to have my interest piqued. Like when you read the back cover of a book, and your eyebrow arches and you go, “oh really…hmmmm.”
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Honest, Friendly, Fun.
Name a random fact about yourself.
I’m secretly a Ninja! …shhh…
Do you have a job? If so, what do you do?
Full time College Student at the moment. However, I have a Medical Office Administration Diploma, and am working on the Legal Office Administration Diploma.
What did you want to be when you were little? Has that changed?
I have ADHD. I change my mind every other day about what I want to be when I grow up (that’s right, I’m still not grown up)! I’ve wanted to be a princess, a actress, a veterinarian, a singer, a journalist, a poet….. the list goes on and on! Although being an actress is the one that gets said most often.
Randomness
Cats or dogs?
Dogs most definitely….cats and I don’t get along well. I think they’re secretly out to get me…
Favorite animal?
LOVE White Lions. Just…LOVE.
White, dark, or milk chocolate?
ALL THE CHOCOLATES!
Coke or Pepsi?
Coke! Actually, if you want to get technical, Coke Zero.
Favorite TV show?
Castle, The Big Bang Theory, American Horror Story, Just For Laughs.
Favorite movie?
The Twilight Saga. NUFF SAID!
Color?
I like natural earth tones! Sky blues, ocean blues, evergreens, grass green, earthy browns and beiges. And of course fuchsia-ish pink and black combos!
Thanks for being here today, Ashley! It was fantastic getting to know you!
Find Ashley:
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