A little while ago, I stumbled on a post by a new book blogger, introducing herself, who had just joined the Twitterverse. So, naturally, I gave her post a boost within the wonderful, and super supportive writing community.
The profile belonged to the lovely Bex. She is a self confessed bookworm, and decided to start a blog, sharing her thoughts on the books she reads. Bex is new to book blogging and I asked her if she would be happy to contribute a guest post, about her journey to blogging.
I was honoued when she recently asked me to write a guest post for her blog, describing the inspiration behind my most recent release titled 'Making March'.
Guest Post
Meet the blogger:
I feel extremely privileged to have been offered the chance to write a guest post on the lovely Hayley Walsh's website. I started chatting to Hayley via twitter (an amazing community for writers and bloggers) She was kind enough to share my blog with her followers and welcome me to the writing world! As a newbie to the writing scene this meant so much to me. I started blogging very recently (established my website in November 2020 in fact) and have been humbled by the kindness and support I have been shown by those on social media!!
My blog
For those who may not have read my blog I write reviews about books I have read. My favourite genres are romantic comedy (chick-lit), crime thrillers, modern fiction, and Young Adult. These are the books I find myself being drawn to time and time again although I am happy to try new genres, and am partial to a bit of fantastical vampire fiction! (Which is accompanied by a lot of eye rolling from my husband.... not more vampires!)
I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. I genuinely cannot think of a time I didn't have a book in my hands (neither can my friends and family). I was that child who walked to school with her nose in a book - thankfully the potholes were not as bad back then. I love that feeling of being totally immersed in a fictional world and rooting for (or loathing completely) a character. Becoming absorbed in the lives and details of the story, getting to know characters inside and out; as if they are your own friends. The anticipation of not knowing what will happen next and the suspense as you turn over every page, followed by the sense of loss when you get to the end of an amazing story and realise that the characters will no longer feature in every waking moment of your thoughts. A great book is bitter sweet when you come to the end. Those that leave you genuinely glowing with happiness or desperate to read more are hard to find but unforgettable when you do!!
I decided to start my blog as I wanted to share my thoughts of books with like minded people. I always pass my books on to friends or family- I sometimes leave them in secret spots around the country as a book fairy 🧚♀️ (to be explained in a future post for those who don't know what that is) or I partake in book swaps online (isn't social media just amazing?) I'm not one to hoard all my books once read, firstly my TBR is totally out of hand and I need the space. Secondly I love to share the joy, if I find a book I loved, I absolutely have to pass it on to be enjoyed by someone else. My heart breaks at the thought of a book sat gathering dust on a shelf not being read, can you imagine how sad it would feel? It doesn't bear thinking about!
My love for all things books I genuinely don't think I could pick a favourite book or author. I have read so many amazing books over the years by amazing writers and I am always ready to embark on a new relationship with an author recommended by someone or stumbled across by pure accident. A lot of my reads are impulse choices, reading a recommendation in a magazine, spotting an interesting book in a charity shop, or watching the hype on social media. Whatever I choose to read though, I give myself whole heartedly to the experience and slot it away in my memory bank to be recalled fondly in future. Call me old fashioned but I much prefer the experience of reading a physical book. The look, smell and feel of a book transport me to another world and its a feeling I just can't replicate when reading an ebook. Don't get me wrong there is a place for a kindle, holidays especially as otherwise I have to forfeit clothes in order to squeeze in 'just one more book'. It's also great on the bus when you don't want your fellow passengers to know what your are reading and unintentionally share a spoiler with you. True story that has happened! I am not one to read more than one book at a time. I like to focus on one story and give it all my attention. I don't feel I could do a book the proper justice if I shared my reading time across more than one. Non book related facts about me: I grew up in Birmingham and moved to Yorkshire for university where I completed a degree in film studies - I never left and after 20 years here I definitely feel like a true Northerner!
When not reading, I enjoy knitting or dabbling in other creative activities - I love sewing and making things from scratch.
I am re-teaching myself to play the guitar (I used to play as a teen and always regretted stopping)
I LOVE to dance and sing like a loon around the kitchen - much to my family's amusement!
I secretly would love to write a novel and have it published. It's something I've always wondered about - whether I could do it. The blog is a step in the right direction for now.
I hope this post has given you a little more insight into the girl behind the blog. If you want to find out more then hop across to my website where you can find a selection of book reviews with some more on the way (including an upcoming review of Hayley's new book 'Making March'. I look forward to sharing my views with you all. Merry Christmas to everyone, I hope you have some lovely festive plans to be excited about! I'll probably be found curled up on my sofa with my blanket, a glass of gin, mince pies, my current read, and a very large smile on my face. A big thank you to Bex for sharing a little piece of herself with us. If you would like to check out her blog, click on the links below