Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Interview: Jenny from Supernatural Snark

When I first started blogging, I remember looking up to Valerie from Stuck in Books, Mollie from Tough Critic Book Reviews, Tara from Tater's Tall Tails and many others. Jenny from Supernatural Snark was one of the people whom I looked up to. She manages her blog so well and in addition to writing great reviews and being the Master of Interviews, she is also a really great person and fun to talk to. Of course it was my honour to interview this friendly girl who always makes me laugh and smile with her comments. In this interview you'll learn why she decided to start blogging, how she deals with negative reviews and reading slumps AND which characters Jenny would love to trade places with ;-) Ladies and gents, I give you Jenny :)

Q: How, when and why did you start blogging?
A: I started blogging in June of 2010, so I’m going on three years now. I’d been reading like a crazy person for about a year before I started the blog, relying heavily on blogs I’d found for recommendations, so I thought why not give starting my own blog a try? I know how much I valued the opinions of the bloggers I’d been visiting daily, so I really liked the idea of turning new readers onto books I loved.

Q: How has being a blogger changed your outlook on books? 
A: Blogging has absolutely changed the way I read books! I don’t think it’s a conscious thing necessarily, but I definitely read review books more critically because I know I’m going to have to write about what worked for me and what didn’t when it’s all over. With “fun” books, I just sit back and enjoy the ride without making a mental note of any flaws or moments of brillianceJ

Q: How do you prepare for writing a review?
A: I actually don’t really prepare at all. I know I said I read review books differently, and I do, those differences just don’t manifest themselves in the form of anything in particular. I don’t take notes, I don’t highlight favorite quotes or mark important passages, I just sort of read more carefully and commit certain feelings I experience while reading to memory so I can put them on paper later. Every once in a while something will jump out at me and I’ll jot it down, but that’s usually pretty rare. I’m a boring reader!

We’re so different here. I always highlight and bookmark my favorite parts/quotes when reading an ebook, but not so much with physical ones. I try to write a summary of my thoughts in a journal my friend bought me for my 20th birthday :-) It’s a cute one with a butterfly on it and it’d be shame not to use it. I write about 5-10 reviews at a time and sometimes it’s hard to remember what my exact thoughts were so yeah.. I do prepare a little ;-)

Q: Sometimes I have these huge reading slumps, e.g. I can read for two weeks straight and then it may be hard for me to pick something up or even find something original, compelling and intriguing to read for a week after or even longer. Do you have reading slumps and how do you cope with them?
A: Oh yes. The longer I continue to blog, the more frequently the slumps and funks seem to come. I think it’s pretty par for the course when you read 4-5 books a week every week though, you’re bound to burn yourself out eventually. Usually when this happens to me I step away from my review pile and read several books in a row just for pure enjoyment. No pressure to have an opinion at the ready. No blank Word document staring me in the face. No reading schedule, just me, the story, and the characters.
Personally, it’s usually not so much that I don’t want to read the books in my TBR pile, but more that I don’t want to write the reviews for them. I’d say I get tired of writing reviews way more often than I do of actually reading the books, but they pretty much go hand in hand with a book review blogJ

Q: If you could change places with a character from any book just for a day, who would it be and why?
A: Oh man. Busting out the hard questions now aren’t you? I read both YA books and adult, so I’m going to split this into two separate answers:
YA – I would switch places with a pair of Anna’s I think. Send me into Sweet Evil so I can get my hands on Kaidan Rowe, and then I’d also like to vacation in Anna and the French Kiss with Etienne. This way I’ll have a bad boy and a good boy to keep me entertained ;-)
Adult – I would switch places with Mac from the Fever series in a heartbeat. Yes, her world is brutal and dark and painful, but she has Jericho Barrons. That’s all that needs to be said really.

Haven’t read Fever yet :-( but I’d loooooveee to! Oh, man! I’d change places with Anna from Sweet Evil any time, just tell me when and where and I’ll be there. Anything for Kaidan Rowe ;)

Q: If you could re-write an ending of any book then which book would you choose and why?
A: I don’t have any one book specifically that comes to mind, but in general, I would rewrite the endings of books that are left wide open. I’m a reader that likes all her questions answered and all the details of what the future holds for the characters in place by the time I reach the last page of the last book in a series, and when we’re left to fend for ourselves a bit and fill in the blanks, I get really frustrated.

Me, too! Me, too!! *waves hands frantically*

Q: I know we can’t always give a raving review to every book out there, so my question is how do you deal with negative reviews? Do you feel especially bad if it’s a favorite author of yours?
A: Luckily, I haven’t run into the situation where I’ve greatly disliked a book by a favorite author, but I know if I did, I would definitely feel guilty despite knowing there’s nothing to feel guilty about. I do post negative reviews, but I always start out the review by listing the things that worked for me, and then conclude with what, specifically, bothered me about the story or characters. We all have different things that hit our hot buttons or make us happy, so I try to go into detail in a negative review about what exactly the problems were for me in particular, because those same things may not be problematic for someone else.

Q: I find the posts where you post about interactions with your husband so hilarious and I wonder how he tolerates your addiction to books. Is he supportive? How does he treat your book boyfriends? I know Cassandra Clare’s husband e.g. has nothing against her obsession with Mr. Robert Downey Jr. and is rather hilarious about it actually.
A: Thank you! Yes, he is extremely supportive in an “I don’t really care what you do as long as you’re happy, but tell me about it as little as possible” type of way. The latter part of that statement never works out for him though. I feel it necessary to run things by him ALL THE TIME, but he’s become mostly immune to my general ridiculousness. Secretly, I think I amuse him, though he would never admit it out loud ;-)

Q:If you were to be out of civilization for let’s say two weeks, which would be the five books you would take with you? (There are requirements, though, so don’t think you’re getting off the hook that easily ;) One of them has to be: 1) fantasy; 2) contemporary; 3) adult; 4) smexy; 5) a favorite book of all time.)
A: I’m not a huge fantasy reader, so this one is tricky. I’m going to say Graceling by Kristin Cashore simply because I haven’t read it yet, and if I’m going to be all by my lonesome away from people I should take along something new to read, right? Right.
Pushing the Limits/Dare You To – LOVE Katie McGarry
The entirety of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and the Fever series. Brothers + Barrons = I’M NEVER RETURNING TO CIVILIZATION.
See above, the Brothers and Barrons (and Ryodan!) deserve multiple spots on this list.
I can’t even. I LOVE ALL THE BOOKS!

Q:Where can we find you when you are not reading or blogging?
A: Working. I’m lucky enough to be able to work from home, something that allows me a little more flexibility when it comes to reading and blogging. It’s nice during my slow months (I design wedding stationery, so my work is highly seasonal) to be able to get ahead on reviews so when my busy months hit I don’t fall behind on the blog.



This or that

Black or white? Black
Salsa or tango? Neither, I’m rhythmically challenged.
Summer or winter? Winter
Roses or tulips? Roses
Phone call or in person? In person
Mountains or oceans? Mountains
Reading or blogging? Reading
A hero or a villain? A deliciously damaged hero
Fantasy or contemporary? Um. Paranormal?
New adult or young adult? Both

Meet Jenny

That's me. And Griffin. I'm a graphic designer and wedding stationer who runs a business from home creating custom wedding invitations for brides who want something unique to them. I also happen to be a severe book addict. It's a good thing I work for myself as there is many a night I stay up way too late devouring books and, as a result, sometimes I don't always wake up at a work-appropriate hour the next morning. Oops.

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

3 comments:

  1. OH Jenny I am right there with you on preferring winter over summer! Oh and on switching places with Anna, let me get my hands on Kai too please!

    Great little feature Siiri, love that you are getting to interview someone who has really driven you in your blogging!

    ReplyDelete
  2. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME SIIRI! I was hugely flattered to be asked and I'm so excited we found our way to one another over the expanse of the internet. I look forward to your posts and your comments every day:) *massive hugs*

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fun interview! I love that Jenny's husband is so supportive of her reading obsession and of the book guys. My husband thinks me being like that is hilarious.
    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete