Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Blogger Interview: Happy Indulgence

Hey, guys! July is coming to an end and August is just around the corner. Where did July go? O______O This summer has totally flown by and while it's actually not that awesome, I have an awesome thing to show you all today. Remember how I said that July is wonderful since 3 blogger interviews? Well, scratch that, because let's make it 4! I'll try to do at least 3 next month so that this huge list of people I have with your names would somewhat lessen and I'll get to introduce you all to each other :)

Anyhow, today I'm bringing the lovely Jeann over from Happy Indulgence. She's such an inspiration to me: her reviews and content is always very professional and classy, yet she always manages to get her point straight across and make me excited about all kinds of books. She's also a gamer, so if you play any games? Make sure to follow her blog since her new feature provides you with all kinds of gamer information. Plus, you'd make great friends with this friendly girl :) Want to know more about her? I'm not going to hold you here any longer. Everyone, meet Jeann! Jeann, meet everyone! :)


Profile

Name: Jeann
Age: 26
Origin: Asian
Blog name: Happy Indulgence
URL: http://www.happyindulgencebooks.com
Blog’s age: 2 years
Favorite book of all time: This is a hard one, I'd have to say The Book Thief.



Interview

Siiri: Introduce yourselves in 140 characters or less.
Jeann: I'm a book blogger, gamer, marketing professional and geek. I like to indulge in things that make me happy, which is why I started Happy Indulgence.

Siiri: Lol! That could very well have been a professional geek btw ;) Why did you start blogging? Have you changed a lot throughout it? What kind of advice would you have for people who are thinking about picking up blogging? Do you have any blogging inspirations who you look up to?
Jeann: I started blogging as a way to share my passion with other readers outside of Goodreads, and to have my own space that I could call my own. My blog has definitely changed a lot from the early days where I posted heaps of indie reviews. These days my blog is filled with discussion posts, features, book hauls, event/series recaps and of course, book reviews. Check out my post on what I've learnt over 2 years of blogging with my tips and advice for new and existing bloggers.

Siiri: I loved that post! It was so true and I feel like [almost] everyone can identify with what you said. Are you an organized reader? Tell us a little bit about your blogging habits.
Jeann: I try and be an organized reader and reviewer but sometimes I just want to read new releases or books that I've been wanting to read for ages. I use a Goodreads thread to list out all the books that I'm planning to read for the month, including review reads, blog tours, challenges, etc. This helps me stay on track, otherwise I pretty much pick up what I feel like from my TBR shelf.
When it comes to my blogging habits, I usually type up my review a few days after reading a book when my thoughts have settled. On the weekends, I schedule all the posts for the coming week and do the blog visits and commenting rounds. I try and reply to comments during the week and I've found it to be helpful replying through my phone on the bus or when I've got a spare moment.

Siiri: Haaa! I usually pretty much pick up whatever I want. I really look up to people who manage to schedule their reading down to a T and deal with lots and lots of arcs. Yess, Jeann! Multitasking ftw ;) What is your favorite and least favorite thing about blogging?
Jeann: My favourite thing is definitely meeting and making friends with so many amazing book lovers out there like me across the world. Least favourite has to be the drama that comes with the community. Why can't we all just get along?

Siiri: Yeah, but drama is inevitable. Everywhere you go, there are bound to be people who just don’t mix well together and with so many opinionated people, it’s hard to not clash heads every now and then. But true! We’re all a big family so the good times always make up for the few darker moments :) How many books do you own and do you categorize them in some ways on your shelf?
Jeann: Hundreds, I have three very full bookshelves with one that is double stacked. I like to categorise them by size, then author, then series and colour. It drives me crazy that some of the series are different sizes (I'm looking at you City of Bones). I recently splurged on an A format of Daughter of Smoke and Bone just so I could get it to match the others in the series.

Siiri: Oh gosh! I hate double stacking! UGHHHH. Series in different sizes, yes! *eyes UK versions of Divergent books* So annoying. You can’t put them together on a shelf for them to look pretty. And if you can! Well, kudos for you for making it happen, people! What are your favorite genres and who are some of your favorite authors?
Jeann: YA isn't a genre but I prefer reading books from that category. I love paranormal fiction, dystopians, urban fantasies, contemporaries and psychological thrillers. Some of my favourite authors are Rachel Caine, Marissa Meyer, David Estes, Colleen Hoover and Richelle Mead.

Siiri: Yet to read anything by Rachel or David, but Colleen, Marissa and Richelle are most def on my must-read list. Alright, so I’m a big shipper and I almost always ship a pairing in a book I’m reading. Do you have any OTPs? :D If so, why do you like these pairings so much? What makes them special?
Jeann: I love Rose and Dimitri from the VA series and how they balance each other out so well. Rose is feisty, strong and smart but sometimes she lets her emotions get in the way of logic, and that's where Dimitri comes in. These two have a really strong bond and they just 'get' each other being a guardian and all. I love how they are both strong, sexy, great fighters and protectors and throughout their journey they never let their love get in the way of duty.

Siiri: ROSE AND DIMITRI!!! I love them too :) If you could have dinner with 5 authors/characters, dead or alive, who would the be and what would you ask each of them (without spoilers, of course)?
Jeann:
Veronica Roth – How did you feel after the backlash from Allegiant?
Jane Austen – Did you think your books would still be relevant 200 years into the future?
Richelle Mead – Was the VA movie what you imagined it to be (truthfully)?
Suzanne Collins – Will you be writing any more YA books in the horizon?
J.K. Rowling – Did you preplan the Harry Potter series? How does it feel now that it's over?

Siiri: HAHAHAHA! That truthfully is seriously.. lawl! I’d ask the same. And I love the authors and questions you chose! And Jane Austen, man! She’s just an inspiration and people aren’t just loving her books, they’re writing retellings based on them. That’s remarkable and I’m pretty sure she’d be satisfied by all this inspiration she has created with her books. Where can we find you when you’re not reading or blogging?
Jeann: I'm either at work, playing tabletop board games with friends or photographing the food that I'm eating.

This or that

Blogger or Wordpress? Wordpress, it's so customisable and there's a plugin for everything!
Facebook or Twitter? Facebook to catch up with friends and Twitter to fangirl and talk about my interests.
Physical books or e-books? Definitely physical books, nothing beats the feel of sitting down reading a physical book and turning the pages.
Contemporary or fantasy? I've always preferred fantasy because reading is an escape for me, but contemporary is great to relax with and relate to.
Music or no music? (while reading) No music, I can't concentrate with it on.
Triangle or no triangle? See I've always said that love triangles are really annoying because there's always one clear winner and the 2nd guy is always an interference, but then look at the Throne of Glass series, where a love triangle was done well. I think I'd still prefer no triangle most the time.
Insta-love or slow-burn? Slow-burn all the way. Insta-love is just a convenient tool to skip to the mushy part of a relationship, while leaving readers behind.
Cliff hanger or no cliff hanger? No cliffhanger, although I've accepted the fact that series these days are filled with them :(

3 random facts about you would be… 


  • I love travelling and have visited the US, Japan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia
  • My blog has helped me land a few marketing jobs by demonstrating my digital and social media
  • I'm a serial tea drinker

Siiri: I can definitely agree with you on the fantasy and contemporary thing, though I have to say that contemporary is my jazz. I just love it so. Fantasy definitely lets you escape far, far away though! Ha! Insta just doesn't seem to sit well with anyone, so I'm surprised that people actually write it still. But hey! Whatever floats your boat, yeah? Eeep! I love travelling so much. I've been lucky enough to visit to loads of countries in Europe with my family, but not outside. Most definitely want to visit New Zealand and Japan one day. Yeah? Was marketing your major in uni too? That's so neat, Jeann!

And that's a wrap. I loved having you here today, Jeann. Thank you so much for tackling all of these questions *hugs* So what about you guys? Did you have anything in common with Jeann? Do you use Goodreads to track your reading material? Any Rose and Dimitri fans out there? *eyes Rashika* Are you pro-fantasy and against cliff hangers? Let Jeann know and leave her some well-deserved love :) Thanks for reading, everyone! x

29 comments:

  1. Awww thanks so much for featuring me on your blog Siiri, I had a lot of fun answering the interview questions! I'm totally flattered that you asked hehe. I totally agree that drama is inevitable everywhere you go and it's totally just how you deal with it. I JUST LOVE ROSE AND DIMITRI omgg. I had no idea Rashika loves them too! Shipping couples is great, it's not often a couple makes me want to ship them HARD but sometimes yes!

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  2. Woot! Woot! YAY FOR JEANN XD. This was such a cool interview and omg, may I come to the dinner party with the authors dead or alive? Because those are epic questions and I want answers ASAP. I also love our bookshelves, Jeann! So many books! So much awesome! Ha....drama and books like go hand in hand a bit, don't they? I haven't seen too much of the woah just stahp drama that's gone down, but the bits I have been involved in have been seriously headdesk worthy. People can be strange little poppets.

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    1. Oh thanks Cait, I wish we could have a dinner party with authors, how awesome would that be? I wish we could get the answers lol! Haha yes, I'm quite proud of my shelves.

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  3. It would be very interested to see what older authors think about the fact that their work is still so popular! And imagine the shock they will get when they see how much the world has changed. You've visited so many places already! I must admit I'm a bit jealous, because I'd love to see more of the world and I don't have the money for it right now.

    Great interview girls :D

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    1. I know right, I bet they didn't expect it to be a classic 200 years into the future! I'm so lucky that in Australia I'm relatively close to Asia, it's hard to go to the big places like US or UK though. Thank you!

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  4. Yay, Jeann! It was so awesome to know you better! I love blogger interviews; there's always a trivia here or two about the people you regularly talk to on Twitter or anywhere really that you haven't known yet. I'm so jealous that you were able to visit Japan! That's like one of my "must-visit" in the future destinations. Malaysia must have been amazing, too. Someday I'll catch up to you! ;D

    Faye at The Social Potato Reviews

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    1. I know, it was really fun to do and I love reading other interviews as well! Japan was so amazing, I just loved olden day Japan. Philippines is on the list!

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  5. HAHAHAHAHAHAH Siiri, Ilysm <333

    When Jeann mentioned Rose and Dimitri and I basically flailed. I ship those two so hard and they're like one of my top ships because of how much they complement each other. They aren't opposites but neither are they completely similar. They are just.. their own persons with similar goals. Okay must get a hold on myself before I go into extreme fan-girling mode.

    I ADORE the book community but I completely agree with you guys, the drama just makes it a huge pain in the arse (i felt like saying arse.. it sounds so FANCEH)

    I know what you mean, Jeann. Ever since I started taking blogging a lot more seriously, I've had to plan things out a lot more and the organized freak in me needs to follow things to a T but that doesn't always happen *sigh*.

    *high fives* TEA FOR LIFE! Life for tea!! :DDDDDD

    Fantastic interview, Ladies <3

    Rashika @ The Social Potato

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    1. Oh my gosh Rose and Dimitri are my favourite <3 they are totally perfect for each other.

      It's so right with the blogging, I mean we always feel like we need to stick to a plan or schedule but the rebel in you just wants to read whatever you want right?

      TEA IS THE BEST!

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  6. Two of my favourite bloggers coming together = AWESOMESAUCE.

    I'm so bloody jealous of those bookshelves. YOU HAVE SO MANY. I literally have no space left in my room for more shelves so I don't know what I'm going to do #mylifeissohard ;)

    Agree on the tea. Not hot tea though, iced-tea all the way! I'm a total iced-tea junkie. Especially Thai iced-tea omg *drools*

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    1. Awww Allie I was flattered when I got interviewed hehe! Oh I've been in the same situation, it was mostly eBooks back then. OMG Thai iced tea sounds delicious and I want it now. My only problem with iced tea is I don't have the patience to wait for it to cool and coming back to it the next day!

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  7. Lovely interview, it was great getting to know Jeann more. I love her upbeat attitude and interaction. While coffee is my drug of choice I am glad she is caffeinating with tea.

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    1. Awww thank you so much Kimba, that is lovely of you to say! I lol'd at the caffeinating with tea ;)

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  8. It was a lot of fun getting to know, Jeann! I already adore her blog, so it was nice to get to know her as more than her blog. :)
    I love that you love Richelle Mead, Jeann! She's one of my fav as well.
    And yes, I would definitely ask her a similar question to if I ever had the chance to meet her. That movie was a MESS and I was surprised by how much they ruined it. I still shudder when I think of it!
    And your shelves are gorgeous! :)

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    1. Thanks Nick, oh gosh, I just watched VA recently and it made me sad :(

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  9. Oh yes Jeann, some of my bookshelves are double stacked as well! I need more shelves. And more rooms in the house in which to put shelves. That's the bigger problem really ;-) And YES to your answer about love triangles! Sometimes, on very rare occasions, they're done very well and I think enhance the story rather than detract from it, but on the whole I wouldn't mind if fewer love triangles existed in YA fiction:)

    Another fantastic interview, LOVE this feature so much!

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    1. I totally agree with you Jenny, the more bookshelves the better! Someday I will have my own personal library room :) I totally agree with the love triangles!

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  10. Yay Jeann!! Great interview, ladies!! I always love getting to know you all a little bit better. And yay for slow burn romances. They're the best. :)

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    1. Thanks Lisa, they certainly are the best and Richelle Mead does them so well!

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  11. I TOTALLY WANT RM to answer that question! We should make that a thing :)
    Anyhow Jeann is someone I have met not so long ago and we'll I'm still on stalking bases with her (I'm harmless ;)) but I'm sure I'll get to know her better in the future and that we'll discuss more. I loved this interview and Rose and Dimka totally kick ass. I think it'll take a lot of time for us to find a couple to ship that much! :)
    Great interview, ladies ;)

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    1. Hehe oh Tanja I'm so glad that we are blogger friends (especially now that we are on GR together LOL)! Rose and Dimka are the best :)

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  12. Aww ladies this was a fab interview! I am definitely with you on the serial tea drinking Jeann, I find that I just can't get on with the day without my cuppa! And how amazing are your bookshelves? I have started double stacking now too and seriously I just hate it, I definitely need another bookshelf or two or just my own library!

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    1. Hehe I am totally addicted to my tea and have a few cups a day of all different types! I know, the double stacking makes me cry inside.

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  13. This is such a great interview, Siiri! I must day I do love those shelves; so pretty to look at but, yeah, UK versions kind of frustrate me!! I have ToG in US version but CoM in UK because I wanted the paperback that was inly available in UK version. Sigh. HA, that would be exactly what I would ask to Suzanne Collins!

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  14. Awww a review with Jeann! Yay [:

    I'm also the worst at organizing my reading. Sometimes I just dive into a ARC that's not released in AGEESSSS, just because I'm so intrigued and want to read it so badly. I tend to go and read a lot of ARCs, less so other books just because I feel more obligation to read them ya know?? Which I suppose could be a bad thing too, but that's another discussion for another day :P Wow, Jeann! You have a lot of books, which are surprisingly organized for the large amount. Kudos to you girl! I really am possibly the least organized person ever. Those 5 authors you chose for the dinner were great options Jeann. I would certainly love to talk to J.K. Rowling about Harry Potter and totally not beg her to write more stories in that universe. Yeah...totally [;

    I also love to travel c: Been to only the US, Italy and places around Canada though haha.

    Lovely interview, Siiri! It was great learning more about Jeann

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    1. Hehe thanks Larissa! I'm exactly the same with my reading, if something turns up on my door that I'm intrigued at, more times than not I tend to read them first instead of the ones sitting on my shelf! Terrible I know, but at least we have goodreads. I try and organise them the best I can, but the double stacking makes me cry inside. Travelling is the best, you have been to all the places that I want to go!

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  15. Hi Jeann! You have so many books! I'd go crazy if my books don't match as well. I also need to read Richelle Mead series cause I feel like I'm definitely missing out with all these shippings. :D I can't read with music and I appreciate slow-burn romance too.

    I would hate double-stacking as well if I have a shelf, you guys. And I have to agree blogging drama is something that I don't look forward to. It's a good thing I'm usually under a rock whenever one erupts. XD

    I am glad to know more about you, Jeann! You have a really lovely blog. :)

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    1. Thanks Sarah, I hope you will pick up Richelle Mead, her books are so awesome and great at the slow burn and character development. I need more bookshelves to avoid double stacking lol!

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  16. I'm jealous of how organized you are, Jeann! Your monthly Goodreads shelves sound amazing - but not something I could pull off consistently. I'm more like Siiri reading what I want, though I try to plan. I also LOVE that list of authors you want to meet and that you included questions! I agree with all of those and really want the answers to them. Maybe Siiri can start planning dinner parties next ;). Today is my 2 year blogosversary and I didn't post anything. Fail. But this year, I'm embracing not stressing out about blogging, or else it's not fun. If I don't have a post, then I won't freak out. But I would like to do something for this event. It will just be late. I think I need to read your post on what you've learned in 2 years!

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