Happy Second Birthday!
I can't believe that another year has already gone by! My second blogging anniversary was on Monday, but I wanted to do a post to properly celebrate. I can't wait to share some things about me, blogging, and what's coming next for Reading, Writing, and Me. Last year, I wrote the anniversary post about the things I learned, and I think all of those things still ring true.
This year, I'm going to start with an interview with myself since my focus this year is to promote and interview as many authors as I can!
I love being a part of a community. While reading has always been a major part of my life, it was a solitary activity. I used it as a way to escape, but, in the end, it's provided me a new place to connect. I have so much fun interacting with authors and other readers here and on social media. It's provided me with an endless resource to find books, and it's amazing to work with authors that I've admired for so long!
What's The Hardest Part About Blogging?
While I love Bookstagram and social media, it's definitely the hardest platforms to grow. I've learned a lot, and growing my reach and connection on those areas are my major goals this year. Instagram with it's algorithms and culture makes it hard to expand, but I'm working finding new ways to utilize it.
What's Your Favorite Bookstagram Pictures You've Taken?
There have been a couple that have made me do a little happy dance. Thinking of pretty, inventive, and relevant book pictures is hard, but I love working on them. I've put the pictures throughout the article. Let me know in the comments which are your favorites!
What Are Your Favorite Books You've Gotten To Review?
My favorite story about finding books is about Erin Hahn's You'd Be Mine. I was going through NetGalley, and I thought, "I guess I'll try this out." It's now one of my favorite books ever (and I get to chat with Erin next week!). Two other books I found in unconventional ways are This Is Not A Test and To Kill A Kingdom. I found This Is Not A Test on a list of books about mental illness. Mentions of zombies had me a little weary, but it is an amazing book! I found TKAK at a Book Con. I don't read a ton of fantasy, but, after Allie Christo started describing it, I knew I had to have this Little Mermaid retelling. 
What Are Your Tips For Those Starting Out?
I have a lot of tips in my one year anniversary post. Beyond that, my biggest tips would be 1) use your library and 2) don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Libraries kept me with new books to read for a long time. I still love my library, but it's an especially great resource before you have access to ARCs. Definitely don't feel like you need to be able to buy books to start your blog or bookstagram.
Also, try new types of posts or photos. The biggest thing that's helped me is realizing that trying things doesn't mean that they have to be forever, and, if you reach out to someone, the worst they can say is no. Within a reasonable degree, taking a leap of faith has a lot of chances to pay off.
What Do You Want To Learn In The Future?
When I finish my classes for senior year, I'll be diving into everything I want to explore in my gap year! A lot of those things are skills I can hopefully apply to the blog. The first two areas I want to learn about first are digital art and graphic design. I'm making no promises, since I might totally crash and burn, but I'm hoping to find cool ways to integrate these things into interesting blog posts! Beyond that, I'll be working on new and even more frequent content here and on social media.
How Do You Read So Many Books?
I spend a lot of time doing it! I also do read a bit faster than average, which, I'm not going to lie, definitely helps, but if your a slower reader and really busy, you can still read tons of books. I read in every spare moment between school, writing, and working on the blog. When I get up, I read before breakfast and then I sneak in some reading time before lunch and then again in the evening. When I have free time, I ask myself "Could I be reading?" Sometimes, the answer is no, and I'll unwind to a podcast or YouTube after a long day of school, but I treat it like a job, because, now, it kind of is. I don't watch much TV or see many movies so I apply that time to reading because that's honestly what I tend to enjoy more.
What Other Bloggers/Bookstagrammers Do You Love To Follow?
My favorite fellow blogger is Vicky of Vicky Who Reads. Beyond being a wonderful person, she has awesome book reviews and her Twitter thread is always on point. I love connecting with other teens making their voice heard in the YA world since it's a genre for teens dominated by adults.
What's Coming Up on the Blog For The Year?
Tons of new things (I hope!) I already have a schedule full of interviews with amazing authors through the fall including Kathleen Glasgow, Jen Dugan, L.D. Crichton, and so many more throughout the summer! I would love to keep growing my Into YA section and guest posts. If you are an author or know one who might be interested, please reach out at readingwritingandme@gmail.com!
In addition to this, I'm hoping to maybe add a fourth day to the schedule some weeks. Let me know in the comments if you'd like to see more discussion posts! I also have a couple ideas I'm not quite ready to announce yet, but keep watching this space and @readingwritingandme on Instagram and @readwriteandme on Twitter to hear about these. Also, please use these channels to reach out and tell me what you want to see more or less of. With more time on my hands, I'll be looking to make this year the best year yet, and I'm hoping you'll all enjoy and keep sharing the blog.
Most of all, I want to thank all of you for supporting, contributing, and following me for these last two years. I never really thought I'd have much of an audience. I just wanted to talk about book, but seeing it grow, and meeting all of you has turned it into something that's so much more! I've had a blast, and I can't wait to see what's to come!
Mentioned In The Post...
Into YA
Happy First Birthday
Links of Interest:
Five Feet Apart Movie: Review Here
Five Feet Apart Review: Review Here
Into YA with Lilli Vale: Here
Small Town Hearts: Review Here
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