​I could probably talk about covers all day. The way they go with the trends and which I like best. And it has been a real quandary for me too, recently, having branched out into self-pubbing.
    I had the opportunity to design my own covers and personally believe they go well with the stories and my style. I wanted them to be pretty and romantic and English as my books are English romantic reads. BUT this does mean they do not fit with the norm for my genre – a risk in anyone’s books. No half-naked ripped guys here, I’m afraid. No drawn cover with some relevance to food. No. Hmmm. And has that lost me valuable sales? It probably has.
   The dilemma.
   When I walk into a book shop and look at the covers, it’s the colourful romantic ones that draw me in, so I guess I’m creating these covers for me. Maybe I’m not your typical romance reader, but I'm probably not your typical romance writer either and there have to be others like me out there, surely? So niche may be my fated position; I can live with that.
   Recently I asked a group on Facebook about my first cover and it was amazing the variation of the replies I got. Lots of people didn’t like the photography style (like mine), yet they are the ones that appeal to me most. In my defence, it did seem to be split. I wonder if this is a genre thing or it's universal.  I rarely even pick up a drawn cover. Not to say that the book inside isn’t fantastic, but judging a book by its cover??? GUILTY! I can’t help it. I decide just from looking at it if I’m likely to want to read it or not. Then the blurb and then the first few paragraphs. Doesn’t everyone? If I’m on-line, the reviews don’t bother me much, as I like to make up my own mind, but maybe that’s just me being cussed. ;-)

​Hi, introduce yourself. What’s your name and where (abouts) do you live?
Hi I’m Jane Hunt and I currently live in Derbyshire England, in an old mining village called Pleasley.
I was on holiday near there last summer!

How long have you been blogging and what is the name of your blog?
I started my blog in March 2013, about a year after I started writing full time. My blog was originally called First Steps and then changed to Jane Hunt Writer First Steps. My motivation to blog was to share my writing journey but as I‘m an avid reader, I also posted book reviews and these are now my blog’s main focus.

How do you fit all this reading into your life?
I love to read, it’s my favourite pastime, it helps me relax and escape the day to day world for a little while. I now always review the books I read and so reading is part of my everyday work schedule, providing me with blogging material. I usually read for a couple of hours early in the morning, I get up around half five most days.
What!?!
I love to read when the house is quiet, it’s important me time.
*faints*

What keeps you blogging?
I enjoy blogging and that is the main reason why I do it. I love writing book reviews and sharing my writing journey with my blog followers.

What is your favourite genre?
I don’t confine myself to reading or writing in one genre. I love to read all types of romance, particularly romantic comedy and historical romance. Equally, I enjoy women’s fiction, mystery /thrillers new and young adult and paranormal stories.

Are you an e-reader or a paperback girl?
I prefer to read stories on my kindle.
Me too. :-)

​Who would you cast as the male lead for a romantic movie of your life? (Artistic license expected!)
I’ve been with my husband for thirty five years, so I would have to cast him as my romantic lead but I also love Richard Gere and Colin Firth, so they would be my ‘fictional’ leading men.
Ta-dah!




Do you have a favourite classic?
Several; An Officer and a Gentleman, Pride and Prejudice (Starring Colin Firth of course,) Pretty Woman and The Holiday are my top favourites.
Oh, great choices!

What are you reading at the moment?
Currently (May 12th) - I’m reading a new adult romance called ‘Breaking Down Sydney’, by Brittney Coon. A teen /young adult story -‘Flawed’, by Cecelia Ahern and ‘The Thing’, a romantic comedy, by Kathleen Gerard. I read quickly and usually devour four to five books a week. 
Wow. Well thank you so much for finding the time to come on here too and if you want to find out more about Jane, her blog, or her writing, then follow the link above, or any of these:
Jane Hunt Writer Website
Jane Hunt Writer Book Reviews Facebook Page
Twitter
Jane Hunt on Goodreads

Good morning and welcome back to my follw the star series and today I have a new star to place on your horizon. Please, introduce yourself. What’s your name and where do you come from?
Hello, I'm Sharon and I live in the quaint city of Salisbury which is a big town really rather than a bustling city.
I've been there!

How long have you been blogging and what is the name of your blog? 
I still can't believe it but I've been blogging at Shaz's Book Blog now for almost 4.5 years
That's pretty long in my experience. You must have seen some changes.

And how do you fit all this reading into your life? (marriage/kids/job)
I don't have a life... kidding.  I'm a 40 something singleton and don't have kids so when I get home from work my time is my own.  I've always preferred reading to watching TV so most days it's rare if my TV gets switched on, instead I'd rather curl up and read (when i'm not writing reviews or doing blog admin).
  
What keeps you blogging?
I love the whole sense of being part of a community and of course, discovering lots of fantastic books through recommendations from other bloggers or via publishers/authors through social media.  
 
What is your favourite genre?
Over the years i've tried most genres.  In my teens it was all about crime, police procedurals, law, even reading true story books about serial killers!  Then I went through a romance phase so devoured books by authors such as Danielle Steele.  Nowadays I like variety so tend to mix it up reading rom coms, contemporary, crime/thrillers but I still don't like reading horror/fantasy/sci-fi!  
I did the real crime thing around then too, and am now mostly set on the romance genre, although I do read the occasional women's fiction or biography too.

Are you an e-reader or a paperback girl?
I'm 50/50 now.  If you'd asked me 5 years ago I would have said paperbacks always but my brother gave me a Kindle for my 40th birthday which I now always have in my handbag to read whenever I have breaks at work, or if I'm going on a train journey anywhere.  But as a means of relaxing in the evening I love nothing more than curling up with a physical book.

Who would you cast as the male lead for a romantic movie of your life? (artistic license expected!)
Ooo I think it would have to be the gorgeous specimen of a man that is Idris Elba.  I can but dream especially seeing as my romance history is a little tragic...
Oh I do like him. Let me see... yes, I think we need a nice big shot of him.


 

​Do you have a favourite classic?
My all-time favourite book is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Great story
I've lost count the number of times I've read this book over the years, it's one of the few books I've re-read. 

And what are you reading at the moment?
I'm currently reading a debut by Victoria Walters, The Second Love of My Life.
What a great title. Well that's Sharon, everyone. Thanks for coming, Petal. And if you would like to hear more from her, click on over to her place on the link below, or alternatively, look her up on social media. Enjoy!

Blog: http://shazsbookblog.blogspot.co.uk
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ShazsBookBlog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShazsBookBlog

​And we're back. Welcome, take a seat. I have another wonderful blogger for you to meet. Please, introduce yourself. What’s your name and where do you come from?
I’m Alison Williams and I live in Hampshire in the south of England.
An English rose, like me!
​
How long have you been blogging and what is the name of your blog? 
I’ve been blogging since 2013 at  
​Alison Williams Writing
​
How do you fit all this reading into your life? 
I absolutely love to read and always have. I work as a freelance editor so my day job also involves reading all day! I read whenever I get the chance - in the bath, waiting in the car when picking up the kids (well, they’re 20 and 17 so not really kids) from parties and friends’ houses, on occasional train journeys and when I’m on holiday. And I make sure that every single day I have at least twenty minutes of reading time before I go to bed (preferably accompanied by a nice glass of red wine!).
Sounds heavenly!

What keeps you blogging?
The response from other readers and writers - from anyone who finds something I’ve written interesting enough to take the time to comment. My blog is also the place where writers can find out about my editing services - so my blog is also part of my business. But it’s the interaction that really keeps me going. I posted a piece on my reaction to the death of David Bowie and the response I got was amazing - so many lovely comments and so many people telling me how they felt too. It was wonderful - very comforting. I think a blog that is about reading, writing, books, creativity of any kind really helps you to connect with like-minded people. And I do have friends that I’ve met through blogging that have become friends in ‘real’ life too.

What is your favourite genre?
That’s a very difficult one. I do love historical fiction - but of a particular type. I love Hilary Mantel, particularly ‘A Place of Greater Safety’. But I don’t have an absolute favourite genre - I just enjoy reading intelligent, well-written novels that have something to say, and that can keep me turning the page. I love to read a book that makes me think - I wish I’d written that.

Are you an e-reader or a paperback girl?
I was one of those people that resisted e-readers for ages, convinced that nothing could replace a ‘proper’ book. But my husband bought me a Kindle for my birthday about three years ago and I absolutely adore it. I mentioned that I read on holiday - I read A LOT on holiday and in the past my suitcase would be jam-packed with books. Now I’ll take one or two paperbacks and the Kindle. Much, much easier, and much less danger of exceeding the baggage allowance!
​I'll say. I destroyed my back in my early twenties by lugging loads of books to and from university.

​Who would you cast as the male lead for a romantic movie of your life? (artistic license expected!)
Oh gosh - I have so many candidates for this. Johnny Depp, Tom Hardy or Ryan Gosling? It’s got to be Johnny because I’ve adored him for so long! Any chance of all three? There’s absolutely no reason for any of these choices other than the fact that I fancy them all.

I won't fight you for your taste in men, fortunately, but I do know where you're coming from. I have a whole army on my computer. (Confessions of a romance novelist!) :-D
​​
Do you have a favourite classic?
Without doubt ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte. Just an absolute masterpiece. And so brilliant considering the life she had - where did all that passion come from? And I am in no way influenced by Tom Hardy playing Heathcliff in the TV series of the book (but I do advise everyone to watch it!).
Hey, I've watched many adaptations of that. How have I missed this one???

And finally, what are you reading at the moment?
I’m just finishing ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’ by Azar Nafisi. It’s a memoir about a university lecturer in Iran who secretly gathers a group of female students at her house every week to read and discuss forbidden western classics. It’s absolutely fabulous - these young girls, their freedoms slowly diminishing, find a space to speak freely about their experiences and be themselves and to express their feelings and frustrations at the limitations being placed upon their lives through the books they study. It’s a real testament to the power that reading can have. I’ve read Nafisi’s other memoir ‘Things I’ve Been Silent About’ and both give such an insight into a country and a world we have such preconceived ideas about. I highly recommend both books.

Thank you for answering all my questions, Alison, and I look forward to chatting on the ether!
You can find Alison on her blog, or reach her on social media:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alisonwilliamswriting
Twitter: @AlisonW_Editor

It's my weddng anniversary this week and because of that, it seemed fitting to interview this lady. She knows why...
   
With me today is a lovely woman from across the sea, Welcome, Anniek, tell us all about you.
​​My name is Anniek and I live in the Netherlands. I am 35 years old and live with my husband, my beautiful 2-year old son and our sweet Labrador dog.

How long have you been blogging and what is the name of your blog? 
I have been blogging I guess since one year (more or less) but it feels like I have never done anything else. First I started with reviewing for Suze's blog Librarian Lavender but since this year we have started a new journey together. We have created our blog: With Love For Books. 
What a nice thing to do share a site. :-) 
And here it is: http://www.withloveforbooks.com

How do you fit all this reading into your life? (marriage/kids/job)
I must say I have a very busy life. Since my son was born I changed my full-time job into a part-time one. I still work 29 hours per week divided into 3 days at the office and one afternoon per week at home whenever I can fit it in. My son is a little fire cracker. He really is a genius (talking like a proud and prejudiced mommy). When do I read.....well like every minute when I have the chance. My son sleeps in the afternoon so those hours are completely devoted to reading. In the evenings and before I go to sleep or when I am waiting somewhere. 
Oh, I remember the days of toddlers and naps. They're a lot of work, but very cute.

What keeps you blogging?
Books are my passion. Always have been and always will be. Since I started blogging I have met so many great people. Bloggers and writers. I got to know writers who I had probably never known about if it wasn't for our blog. I love sharing my passion with other people and to talk about books I love.

What is your favourite genre?
My favourite genre is horror / paranormal / romance but ever since I started blogging I have expanded my interest area. I enjoy many genres now but if I have to make a choice without thinking about it I will always go back to my first love and that would be horror /paranormal / romance.
​
Are you an e-reader or a paperback girl?
Paperback girl all the way! Nothing beats the feeling of a real book.

Who would you cast as the male lead for a romantic movie of your life? (artistic license expected!)
I can think of so many gorgeous men but the first one that comes to mind is Gabriel Macht. He is known for his role as Harvey Spectre in the TV-series Suits. He is just...Yummy! 
Ooo! haven't heard of him...
If he would be unavailable I would also be very contend with James Bay. I know that I would turn into mush if he would start singing for me. 
I'm so out of touch. Let me see...

Do you have a favourite classic?
In movies my favourite classic is: Night of the Living Dead. I have seen this movie literally dozens of times. I can say every line out loud without thinking. If you are a Zombie fan like I am and you haven't seen this movie. Stop with whatever you are doing and go watch.
Oh no! Cowardy-custard here. ;-)
Where books are concerned I must say anything from Shakespeare. I don't think that there is a single person in this world who hasn't heard, read or seen anything that comes from Shakespeare. I love his poems and his stories. Also Stephen King comes into my mind. The first book I ever read from his hand is Christine. I have been hooked ever since. Most people know Carrie which is also a true classic but Christine has a special place since she was the first.

What are you reading at the moment?
I am reading Claimed by Earth by Delwyn Jenkins. This is book two in an amazing series which I would highly recommend to everyone! ​

Thank you so much for taking the time to come on here today, Anniek. And if you want to read some of the lovely reviews Anniek has written, click the link above and head on over to her website. :-)