Book Blogger Month: Q&A with Luisa Plaja

  To start off Book Blogger Month, the lovely Luisa Plaja has answered some questions about Chicklish, reading and blogging.  Luisa is such a wonderful author and I would like to take this chance to thank her for... EVERYTHING!  Thank you for showing me how much fun reviewing is by letting me join Chicklish; thank you for helping me realise my passion for reading again; thank you for sending me books to review for Chicklish and A Reading Daydreamer; thank you for being so encouraging when I said I wanted to start a book blog; thank you for being my first follower, for commenting on nearly all of my posts and for supporting me right from the start... I really appreciate everything you do! 

Sorry about the long thank-yous!  If you are still reading, please sit back and enjoy the wonderful answers Luisa has given us!

Hi Luisa, welcome to A Reading Daydreamer!

Hi Beverley, thank you for having me here!

Why did you decide to start a blog that focussed on reviews for teenage and YA novels?

I wanted to talk about the novels I most love reading! Chicklish was co-founded by me and other avid readers of books for teenagers, one of whom is Keris Stainton (author of Della Says OMG! and Jessie Hearts NYC). We started the blog before either of us had novels published. Keris and I were talking one day about a publishing professional who said that YA/teen fiction would probably never be as big in the UK as it was becoming in the States. We asked each other, "But why not?", and we decided to try to do something about it by telling other readers about great British teen fiction.

How did you come up with the name Chicklish?

Keris and I brainstormed together by email. The blog originally focused on 'teen chick lit', which is a term that's sometimes used for YA comedy romance and coming-of-age fiction aimed at girls. We wanted the title to be 'something like chick lit'... but not. We also wanted it to be original and sound like fun.

For anyone who is yet to discover the amazing-ness of Chicklish, how would you describe it?

Oh, thank you! Chicklish is a blog that's regularly updated with book-related contributions from readers, including young people and adult fans of teen/YA fiction. We feature book news, reviews and author interviews, and the main focus is on fiction aimed at teenagers. Chicklish was founded in 2006 and it's run by me, Luisa Plaja, with help from Alexandra Fouracres and hosting and help from Keris Stainton.

You are also the author of several successful novels, how do you balance your reading, reviewing and writing time?

It can be tricky! Well, the reading part isn't - I'm a huge fan of teen fiction and I really enjoy reading as much as I possibly can. The reviewing is much harder. I always have a large backlog of reviews to write, and I'm really grateful for the fantastic help I get from other readers with keeping the site alive. Lately, I've tried to set aside a few hours a week for writing reviews, and the rest of the time I focus on writing my own books.

Are there any books you are looking forward to read in 2012?

Too many to list! And just when I think I have my reading pile under control, publishers bring out more fabulous books! Not that I'd have it any other way...

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own book blog?

Definitely do it! If you want to test the waters by reviewing at Chicklish first, you'd be very welcome - quite a few teen book bloggers have started out this way. Just write to me and I'll try to find a book that suits your reading tastes. Other than that, have a look at some other book blogs and take the plunge! I have written some general book-blogging advice on the Booktrust site, so you could check that out, too. http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/teenagers/writing-tips/tips-for-starting-a-book-blog/

What do you think about the book blogging community?

I love it - it's friendly, supportive and wonderful!

Thank you Luisa!

Thank YOU!

Thanks again to Luisa!  So that's the first post for Book Blogger Month, come again to see more great posts and interviews...