Armchair BEA Day 2

Author Interaction

Before I started blogging at the beginning of this year, I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I was one of those people who thought that authors were untouchable - so awesome and someone you couldn't talk to. Since I started blogging I've realized how completely wrong that is! Authors are people just like us, they just have an incredibly amazing talent with words. Most of them even enjoy getting to know their readers (at least some of them, it would be really hard to know them all) and all of the ones I have been fortunate enough to interact with have been so kind and wonderful. I've learned that I don't need to get quite so nervous when I'm contacted by an author or publicist, though I've still never contacted one of them first (and possibly never will), and have never met one in person. I have come to love participating in blog tours, conducting interviews, reading and reviewing their books, meeting debut authors, etc.

I will admit that there are some authors, whose books I have already read, that I would possibly be afraid to interact with because I liked their book so much! I'm sure I'd be fine after I calmed down from the initial surprise and shock though!

Some of my favorite interactions with authors have been the interviewing, the emails:), the comments on my blog or likes on Goodreads. I also must admit that I get all happy when an author follows me in some way on my blog! I probably get a little to excited over all of those at times!

What are some of your views and experiences with interacting with authors? Any advise?

More Than Just Words

I'm pretty sure that we've all hear the expression - A picture is worth a thousand words. It may be cliche at times, but I have to admit that it's true! A picture can mean so many different things it's all about perspective and how you look at it.

Where am I going with this? Well some books have pictures, some have audio, multimedia, etc. These are all unique book experiences that can play a huge part in how we, the readers, see the book. 

I, personally have never listened to an audio book before, I always prefer to read the actual book, so let's talk about pictures and such. While the books I read usually don't have pictures in them, pictures can be a very nice touch. They help the reader see everything in their mind in a clearer way, or see something that the reader has never really seen before. For many books the cover is a great example of a picture worth a thousand words! Everyone may perceive it in different ways when they first see it, then have a new view of it after they read the book- it's all in perspective. I also like the list of songs, the diary entry, or the drawing,  occasionally found in some books. They add something unique and fun to the book and usually have a significant meaning or reason for being there.

What do you think about books being more than just words?