Sizzling July Interview with Amara!

Welcome to the kickoff of my Sizzling July Interview series! For the whole month of July I will be interviewing some Sizzling Hot authors but to start us off, I am interviewing a Sizzling Hot blogger! Many of you may already know Amara but if you don't well… you are just missing out! So, let's get this Sizzling month started!

Welcome to My Twisted & Kinky World!

Thanks for having me darlin’! *whispers* I have never been interviewed before. I haz a nervous…

I am soooo excited to have you here with me today *happy dance*

Now, I have never interviewed a blogger before but I am sure this will be fun, fun, fun!

Let's start off by telling everyone a little bit about you!

Ok. :D Uh… *whispers* Like what…?  Hmmmm. *scratches head* …*shrugs*…I don’t know.  I’m just a grrl who loves to read and blog about books and cool authors who want to come play blog with me. I taught myself how to make jewelry this year, so now I’m doing a LOT of that aaaand… that’s about it. Oh, photography. I like to do that too. :D

What made you decide to be a blogger?

pfft. Sucky books. A few years ago I’d rediscovered romance/erotica books and starting devouring them. I’d go out and about, reading reviews and blogs and whatnot before buying anything.  Then hit the store and buy, buy, buy, only to find out… they sucked. When I went out and bought a bunch from a really popular series that everyone LOVED, cracked one open and discovered furry beast shifter sex, I was all… what the … O.O. I wondered, out of all the things I’d read, why had no one mentioned a dog was doin’ this chick and *shrugs* figured … fine. I’ll do it myself; I’ll be the one to warn people. So I started a blog. J

A dog doin' a chick, huh? You would think that would have been mentioned somewhere. *shakes head*

When did you start blogging?

Uh… Hm. Not sure. I think it was about 2, maybe 3 years ago.

How did you decide to blog about male/male romance books?

*laughs* I dunno. Why not? Actually, I didn’t decide. It just sorta happened. I blame Aleksandr Voinov actually. I was happy as a little clam reading M/F for the hawt dudes in them (as long as they weren’t having furry dog type sex and the annoying heroines didn’t make me throw my book across the room) until I discovered that guy. I had stumbled into a Black Dagger Brotherhood forum, looking for info on those hotties but…everyone was talking about this Special Forces book of M/M OMG-ness instead.

Funny, that was where I first learned of Aleks too!

They said… “Whatever you do, do NOT read this book as your first M/M”. I was so clueless, I didn’t even know M/M was a genre. And me being me…I took the challenge, loaded that baby and dove right in. Next thing I knew, about 10 days of hardcore, OMFG!, type  reading had gone by and an obsession was born. I never looked back.

Oh girl, I was the same way! Killed that series in about 5 days. Sleep just was not an option! I have even re-read it 4 or 5 times, too!

Strictly M/M now. That book, especially Voinov’s character in it, converted me 100%.  Shortly after, I’d met Aleks’ over on Goodreads and he became my first blog … everything. First author I’d ever talked to, first blog follower, first interview, first giveaway and… on and on. If not for that book, I’d have not obsessed like I did, and if not for him, my blog would most likely gone in a different direction; I don’t think I’d have had the nerve to talk to authors, let alone hang out and play blog with them. *shrugs* Knowing me, I’d have gotten bored and probably quit, moved on to something else. Sooooo… its totes his fault. ;)

What are the biggest challenges you have?

*laughs* finding time to read. Before I started my blog, I read almost a book a day. Now I’m lucky to read a book every few weeks. *blushes* It’s not easy to blog about books when you can’t find the time to read them.

I know you have several websites, so how much time a week do you spend blogging?

 LOTS. *laughs* I dunno. Several, many, hours. I obsess on things, so it takes me forever to do up a post. Although, I spend less time on things these days; my poor blogs are rather neglected, at least compared to the every day, hard core blogging I used to do.

How far out in advance do you do your interviews for your blog?

As far out as I can. The more time the better. I try to get them back to me no less than a week before they are scheduled to post, although it doesn’t always work out that way.

Are there any perks for being a blogger?

*shrugs* I do it for fun, but yeah. I love hanging out with my favorite authors, that’s still one of the coolest parts for me, and I’m on lists for ARCs, so I get books before the general public. If I want them and can manage to actually write my reviews that is. *whispers* I kinda suck at that part.

I beg to differ on that! You haven't steered us wrong yet, girl!

What was your all time favorite blog to do?

My favorite… blog? Or blog post? Out of all my blogs, the Place will always be my favorite. My favorite blog post … hm. Hard to say. My first interview with Aleksandr Voinov and Barbara Sheridan was awfully fun, so maybe that… *gasp* no, wait… my interview with Vadim Krasnorada! He’s my fave character. *scratches head* wait, I never posted that one. Oh! I know… it was my interview with Kendras from Scorpion… yeah, I think that one… *GASP* No! Wait!… My Buck Angel interview! That was fan-friggin-tastic to get to do…

*sigh* I have no idea. Too many to choose from.

Picking one is never easy but I have to admit, I love the character interviews you do!

Do you try to send a message to your readers when you blog?

No. I blog what I want, when I want. If I try to worry about sending messages, or blogging for any other reason than what tickles my fancy at any given time, I drive myself batty.

Oh we can't have that now!

Do you blog full time or do you have a 'day job' as well?

*laughs* it sure used to feel like I did. But no. I have a day job. *sigh* I am the care-taker of Tweedleville. It’s my job to try and keep the Tweedle Twins, Dee & Dum, from running amuck. Easier said than done.

Amuck, Amuck, Amuck… Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

What current projects are you working on?

These days… jewelry. That is pretty much all I do anymore. I’m rather obsessed with making my shinies. I have a bit of a shinies addiction. I’ve recently started tying my jewelry into my uber book love and started making shiny book bling. :D Recently made a pendant for Lee Brazil’s book The Man Trap. Did a whole series of pendants for Megan Derr’s The Lost Gods series, and a chainmaille for Rachel Haimowitz & Cat Grants release Power Play: Awakening. Book inspired jewelry is kinda rockin’ mah socks at the moment. :D

It amazes me that no one has thought of this sooner. Book bling that is related to the actual book, rocks!

What is the toughest criticism you have ever received? How did you handle it?

Hmm. Criticism…? I dunno. I don’t know that I’ve been “criticized”. Attacked, yes, does that count? Been several of those. Everything from… I’m not qualified to write reviews to how it’s wrong to have favorite authors like I do. I have this one treasure that likes to attack me on occasion, she’ll come at me every once in awhile out of the clear blue, because …I dunno, she’s bored I think.  She likes to come at me with things like… I am clearly illiterate because I read M/M, I liked a book with dubcon in it so I need therapy for my secret rape fantasies, and I talk wrong because I type ‘thou’ and I’m clearly not Shakespeare, just to name a few.  She’s a fun one. *rolls eyes*

Does that count?

Gotta luv those type of peeps…

How did I handle it? *laugh* I tried as nicely as I could to tell her to fukkoff while being as civil as I could manage at the time. *smiles sweetly*

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? If so, what?

Uhhhh… I don’t know. Yeah, I suppose. I’d have definitely stayed away from some people.  *laughs* I have great 20/20 hindsight.

That's always the way with hindsight!

Someday I’ll figure out how to read people better. I hope. I think I’d try to have more balance than I did in the beginning, instead of going so balls out and hitting big burnout like I did. Balance is good, burnout …not so much.

I hear that!

Do you have any advice for aspiring bloggers?

Blog what you want, when you want, keep it fun for yourself and don’t let the people of suck get you down.

Is there anything else you would like to say to your readers and fans?

Um… *looks nervous*… I dunno. Not really. You pretty well covered it all I think. Good job darlin’. J

*blushes slightly* Thanks girl, that praise means a lot coming from you!

Thanks for dropping by My Twisted & Kinky World!

My pleasure luv. This was fun! Thanks for having me. *hugs*


*Waves goodbye to Amara!*

Where you can find Amara online…

Amara's Place
http://amaras-place.blogspot.com/

f.Inguz Artisan Jewelry

f.Inguz Artisan Jewelry

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmaraDevonte

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AmaraDevonte

Don't forget to check out these other Sizzling July Interviews!

Amara - July 1-3

Evan J. Xaiver - July 4-6

S.L. Armstrong - July 7-9

Brita Addams - July 10-12

Leigh Ellwood - July 13-15

Blaine Arden - July 16-18

Leigh Jarrett- July 19-24

A.D. Cooper - July 22-24

Giselle London - July 25-27

Rachel Haimowitz - July 28-30
Aleksandr Voinov - July 31-Aug. 3

Don't forget to stop by my Smashwords for the Summer/Winter Sale! Selected Titles are up to 50% Off!