Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Have Been Your Most Fulfilling Blogger/Author Interactions So Far?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters throw in for good measure). While Heidi is on an extended hiatus, there are five of us who are hosting it and providing the questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen at That's What I'm Talking About, Karen at For What It's Worth, Linda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Roberta at Offbeat YA. This week's question is...

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR MOST FULFILLING BLOGGER/AUTHOR INTERACTIONS SO FAR?

Let's tell uplifting stories and celebrate authors who love and respect bloggers, for a change - shall we? Here are the three authors I've been talking to/working with most often since I started blogging in 2012. In strict chronological order...

B.C. Johnson

When I was still a newbie in the blogging world (first months of 2013), I messaged Deadgirl author B.C. (Bobby) Johnson on Goodreads to ask him a question about the book (which I had read and loved recently, and I was planning to review). He replied right away, very friendly. So I replied back, thanking him and whatnot, and in a third message (I was asking how I could give his book more exposure, since it was going to be reissued by a new pub house and have sequels) I gave him the most backhanded compliment ever (brace for my pointing out TYPOS/SMALL MISTAKES to him! Please notice that I won't actually include that part of my message though - and keep in mind that the original book had been printed by a very small publisher...):

Since Deadgirl is in the process of being reprinted, do you think it would sound hugely impolite on my part if I pointed out to you a couple of things I noticed? [...] I was surprised to find an example of that in a book so well-written...because yes, it is :). I do hope I didn't offend you in any way by what I said. In that case, I apologize.

(...also..."BY what I said"??? while pointing out typos? 😧 🤣).

So I hit "Send" and immediately was like "GAH! I've managed to alienate my very first author" 😂. Thank goodness Bobby was a great sport about it, and later he would even ask me if I was up for proof/beta-reading his next (indie) project called Riven. We've had a wonderful blogger/author relationship ever since. It's not like we are "friends", but we support and respect each other a lot - and by the way...can I bring the Deadgirl series to your attention (again)? Real life got in the way lately, but Bobby's working on the fourth and final book, and here's hoping it can come out in 2022! Also, give him a follow on Twitter. He's a really nice fellow (and nerds out a lot if you're into that sort of thing 😉).

Erin Callahan

Later in 2013, future The Art of Escaping author Erin Callahan read my entry in the Making Connections group on Goodreads, and decided to contact me about a YA series she was writing with her friend Troy H. Gardner (titled Mad World). Her review inquiry was super-detailed, not to mention, she mentioned a few things that clearly showed she had taken the time to read my review policy! I agreed to review the first installments in the Mad World series, and not only she didn't take offense for my 3.5 star rating...she actually thought my reviews were insightful, which ended up with us developing a solid collaboration (I've beta-read for her - for Troy also - and still am) and ultimately becoming quite close. I was one of the first people she came to when she was still trying to sell her first solo YA standalone in 2015 (the aforementioned The Art of Escaping), and I did my best to help her with it until the book finally hit the shelves. Erin even sent me a physical copy from across the ocean, with a lovely dedication to boot (I mean, in the acknowledgment section!) and complete disregard for the cost of sending stuff from the US to Europe. I don't like to use the word "friend" when it comes to authors, because I strive for unbiasedness, but heaven knows Erin's earned it. Here is her Twitter, if you feel like supporting her - she isn't very active, but never fails to like or retweet anything she cares for or deems of value.

Josh Winning

Josh is a friend of Erin and Troy's, and found me via that connection. He offered me his book Vicious Rumer for review, and later his Sentinel trilogy. Like Erin, not only he didn't take offense when I rated VR 3 stars (while Sentinel was a 4), but would later ask me if I was up for beta-reading his then current WIP, which was to find its way to the shelves in 2022 under the title The Shadow Glass. I can't even begin to tell you how uplifting it is for a blogger when an author not only respects your reviews, but actually thinks you can help with their books EXACTLY because you've been nitpicking them, the hell with the rating. Josh is another lovely individual who deserves all the support you can give him...also, if you follow him on Twitter, you get Penny pics galore (Penny being his cat) - a nice bonus, isn't it? 😉By the way, Josh created a group on Twitter to celebrate his book launch, but you don't need to have read The Shadow Glass to participate (though you can request it on NG and EW)...you only need to be a fan of the '80s. There are movie nights on Friday, prizes and giveaways, plus you get to chat with a bunch of lovely fellows! Oh, and while you're at it, don't forget to mark your calendars for The Shadow Glass! (out in March).

Well, that's it for now. Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to participate in the meme on a regular or semi-regular basis, and get emailed the prompt list? Just head over here and fill in Jen's form! (Of course, you can jump in anytime you like - you are under no obligation to actually do all the posts, or even most of them, just because you signed up, and you can remove yourself from the list at any time). And if you're interested in participating in a more casual manner, or only in commenting, here is the TMST prompt list for the rest of January and the month of February:

• January 25th: What do you do when that pesky review makes you work for it? (a question I submitted)
• February 1st: Share some of your favorite books written by Black authors or featuring Black characters
• February 8th: What’s the chore you resent having to do the most? (a question I submitted)
• February 15th: Share your favorite romance moments: movie, book, story, etc.
• February 22nd: Has a book by your favourite author ever disappointed you badly? (a question I submitted)

I'll be back on January 25th...yeah, I'm actually going to answer two of my own questions in a row this time 😂. Not a given - I had to skip a few here and there in the past...

Now tell me something...what are the most precious, rewarding interactions you have had with authors?