The Rules:

Thank the person who nominated you and include their link
Give a brief explanation of how your blog began
Give some advice to new bloggers
Name ten nominees and include their links
Tag your nominees on Twitter to let them know

Thank you so much for nominating me for this award, Nick of Out of This World SFF Reviews.

It is super sweet to receive this recognition. Thank you for taking the time to pick this little site, it means a lot to me.

My blog is less than a year old and it continues to be a learning experience. I feel there are improvements to be made and they will happen over time. I hope my love for reading, sharing books and spreading the joy of the written word shines through and catches on.

Trying to be brief, this is my reading to blogging journey in a nut-shell:

I began advocating for books in my 20’s. Born to non-reader/non-booklover muggles in Germany, it was not something that became from nurture. An aunt gifted me with reading materials when I was thirteen years old and from that moment on, I was hooked. For the next five summers, reading voraciously is what I did.

Reading continued throughout the years, less at some times or phases to balance out studies and life. Work and travel took over and reading was the best way to center myself and destress. The first novel I read in English was “The Firm” by John Grisham. Once I had that English language down, my reading took another milestone and direction.

“Remember, at band-camp…”

No, but the looks I received when quoting text or sharing about things I read among non-reader friends was capture worthy! To this day I am surrounded by non-readers.

Three years ago I discovered Goodreads. By that time I was already using Over Drive and audiobooks. Adjusting to some changes in my life, I began to run and I went through one audio book after another in no time. GR became a favorite of mine. Finally, I had a way of cataloging my books AND, I found a tribe of like-minded people. Very gently I began dipping my toes into writing reviews. Naturally, this evolved into the idea of a blog and reviewing for NetGalley.

Through Novel Time and Distance established in March 2018. For my part, I was new to all of it. Blogging, Social Media and the technicalities. My plan for the near future is to spruce it up and change some things. Hopefully by next year.

The things I learned thus far and a few tips:

- Listen to yourself. If reading is your true calling and you want to share the love, do it, give it a voice, advocate and enjoy.

- Make it what you want it to be. Your colors, your style, your words. It is easy to get caught in looking over the fence and admire gorgeous blogs…but only you can do you.

- Your blog will evolve. The entire process is a journey. Your reading may change, your style may change. Stay open minded to adjustments and be patient.

- Find your balance. I have had some sleepless nights over thinking about my blog, reviews, content and Social Media presence. As much as I’d like it to be my all…it is a hobby and not a job I receive compensation for. Therefore, keep it real and give yourself breaks. (If I could do this for a living, it’d be sweet. The saying “When you love your job it does not feel like work” certainly fits here!)

- NetGalley: I made the rookie mistake and requested too many books. Some of my requests / wishes were granted many weeks later and filled up almost an entire year of reading. Give yourself some breathing room for mood reading or group reads. As far as I can tell, I am not the first to have made this mistake ;)

- Encourage and support others. The book blogging community is amazing. It’s not a competition. Every reading journey, book approvals, ARCs, opinions, blogs etc. will be different. United by reading, individual by content. And that is ok. Refrain from measuring your “success” by comparing.