Armchair BEA – Day 2: Author Interaction and More Than Just Words

AUTHOR INTERACTION

Let’s talk interacting with authors IRL (in real life) or online. This is your opportunity to talk about your favorite author readings that you have attended. Or, you can feature your favorite author fan moment (i.e., an author sent you a tweet or commented on your blog). Maybe you even want to share how your interactions have changed since becoming a blogger or share your own tips that you have learned along the way when interacting with authors as a blogger. 

Melissa: The only authors I typically get to interact with are the self-published, especially those who avoid blog tours and seek out reviews themselves.  I’d like to say I’ve discovered some sort of pattern of communication, but for the most part authors don’t seem to be that interested in much more than superficial chat, at least in my opinion. Chrissy typically handles author interviews and the like, so I’m sure she has much more to say about this than I do, but I’ll tell you this: in the past two years, I’ve only had a handful of authors seek me out after I’ve posted their review. Most of them want to share a selection of their favorite insults, but a few – a rare few actually ask for constructive criticism. I appreciate both – it’s how I know I’m maintaining my integrity as a reviewer – but I’m especially fond of (proud of?) writers who understand that everything is always a work-in-progress, even if it’s the sixth edition.

Chrissy: Unfortunately, I have yet to be able to attend any signings or readings. I hope to do so soon! However, my book group has had the opportunity to meet with the author (Katie Schell) and main character (Ock Soon Lee) of Love Beyond Measure. That was an amazing experience. And we will be doing a Skype discussion with another author next month.

Since I started blogging, I have been following and interacting with authors on Facebook, Twitter, and the blog. Doing interviews has been a lot of fun. Just chatting with them online is awesome. I have a few that I call friends now. I love it when authors take the time to comment on my review or spotlight feature of their book. It shows that they appreciate all of the work, time, and effort that it took to prepare that post.

MORE THAN JUST WORDS

There are so many mediums that feature more than just words and enhance a story in a multitude of ways. Examples may include graphic novels and comics, audiobooks, or even multimedia novels. On this day, we will be talking about those books and formats that move beyond just the words and use other ways to experience a story. Which books stand out to you in these different formats? 

My sister “reads” almost exclusively via Audible, whereas I prefer either e-books or paper.  We typically aren’t in sync with the books we’re reading, but not long ago we were both neck-deep in The Mistborn Series at the same time.  I’m not a fan of audio books (I like to re-read bits and pieces, and I find it easier to flip a page than use a rewind button), but I’m all for nice long chats with people who are reading the same thing I am, and I don’t care a bit how they accomplish it.  Well, I didn’t *think* I cared . . .

Here’s the thing: audiobooks come with character voices and (usually) author-approved pronunciations.   I won’t give anything away, but let’s just say it’s pretty easy to figure out who the unnamed narrator is when he’s using the same voice as one of the other characters . . .  So, half-way through the series when I tried to have a fun discussion about who we thought the elusive narrator was and why, my dear sister ruined everything with a simple, “Oh, you mean ________?”  <sigh>  We may also have had a heated (and I mean HEATED) discussion about the correct pronunciation of “feruchemy.”   According to the audio book, we’re supposed to place the emphasis on the “chemy” part, but I vehemently disagree.  feruCHEMY?  Really?  Why, audio book, WHY?!? (Chrissy here: I can attest to the fact that it was a VERY HEATED conversation. Funny, to me. Not so much to them. LOL)