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Monday, February 16, 2015

Reader Interview: Lea

 
Today, I decided to try something new. Instead of doing an author interview, which are popular on blog tours and other occasions, I decided to do reader interviews. I will choose someone who I know to be a reader and interview them, as you will see, on what they believe makes up a good book and highlight some of their favorite books. The purpose is to learn a little about other readers, be exposed to some new books and genres, and show differing or specific opinions to both readers and authors on what makes up a good book.

The first person who will be interviewed is a fried of mine named Lea. He volunteered to be the first. So, without further ado, please welcome Lea.


Interview

Emily: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Lea: I am currently a college student at Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane, Washington. I like to play video games, write, watch TV, and obviously, read books. I hope to one day be a published author, but for now, I am just a lowly college student.

Emily: Are you a writer, published or unpublished, as well as a reader?

Lea: Yes, I have been working on a story for the past 4-5 years. I hope to eventually get it published, but at the moment, it is nowhere near ready for that.

Emily: About how many books do you read in a year?

Lea: Depends on how much free time I have. I recently counted my book count for 2014 and it came out to 35 books over the course of the year. However, several of them were shorter books that I read to my younger brothers. Depending on how into the book I get I can usually read a Harry Potter 5 size book in just under a week.

Emily: What is your favorite genre? Why?                                     Harry Potter

Lea: My favorite genre is probably fantasy or science fiction. I like these types of books because they let me see into the world of another person who has a more adventurous life than I do. Reading about the battles between good and evil, stories of personal growth, and even learning that not all villains are villains.

Emily: Fantasy is one of my favorites as well. What is one of your favorite books or series? Why?

Lea: This is a hard question, because that changes so often. Usually whatever book series I am currently reading. In terms of adventures that I have returned to over and over, however, that honor goes to the Harry Potter series, with the Percy Jackson books following close behind.

Emily: The books that are reread over and over again, certainly deserve some recognition as favorites. What do you think makes a book great?

Lea: I think that the characters are always the best. Your book may not have the best story, but if you can make your audience fall in love with your characters, you have succeeded in your job as an story teller.

Emily: Definitely. What do you think makes a book terrible?

Lea: Same basic answer as the previous question. If your characters are terrible, it's hard to follow a story, no matter how good it is. Also, if all your characters are stereotypical, that can harm your story in a way you didn't intend as well.

Emily: What do you think authors (yourself, your favorites, or authors in general) could do to make their books better?

Lea: This is another difficult question. I know for myself I need to work on description. I always have a picture in my minds eye, but translating that into words to show another person what I see is hard. As for other writers, just keep reading your work, or having others read it for you to get opinions. Don't be afraid of criticism because it will always be there, and most of the time will help you improve.

Thank you, Lea for sharing your thoughts and insight on books.

So, readers, any thoughts? Questions for me or Lea? What do you think makes a book great?
What do you think about this reader interview idea? Any thoughts as to how to make it better? Want to be interviewed?

 
Sources
Interview image: http://www.clker.com/cliparts/q/y/D/k/w/S/interview-hi.png
Harry Potter Books image: https://whatsontheshelf.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/harry-potter-series.jpg
Percy Jackson Books image: http://mychocolatemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/percy-jackson.jpeg

4 comments:

  1. I for one enjoyed this, and think it is a splendid idea. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. I have a few other people willing to do interviews that I will post In the coming weeks.

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  2. I really enjoyed this interview! I love fantasy myself thanks to Anne Elisabeth Stengl's novels! :)

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    Replies
    1. I am glad you liked it. I enjoyed it myself and look forward to doing more. Anne Elisabeth's books are some of my favorites!

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