Reader Corner

Hello and welcome to Reader Corner! 

Ever since my very first book was published a highlight for me has been interacting with readers. I love learning about others and giving them a place to tell us about themselves. If you're interested in joining the fun email me at [email protected] or use the contact link at the top of the page.

Today I'm very excited to have Crystal Marie in Reader Corner. I'm sure many of us know Crystal (and her Many Reviewers) as one of the more active people in our community. Through her review blog she's always been very supportive of authors and the LBGTQ+ community in general.

Today we get to learn a little more about the person behind the reviews!

Welcome Crystal!

​Tell me a little about yourself?
 
My name is Crystal Marie – and I read way too many books.  I read so many that I did end up starting a blog – but this isn’t about the blog this is about me as a reader :)  I got started reading at a young age, and as I have grown older I still enjoy reading.
 
What are your hobbies?
 
Besides reading, I also crochet, play with my dogs, marathon Netflix shows. (Yes, Netflix I do want to continue watching after 3 episodes!)  I also try out a bunch of those “Facebook recipes” that go around.

I like to test out the recipes on Facebook too. I've found some good ones.

Do you have pets, and if so tell me about them? This is my favorite question!
 
Yeah… I have a few dogs LOL.  At my house, I have 3 dogs.  Issac, Christopher, and Charlie.  My parents (who I live literally 50 feet from) have 7 dogs:  Irene, Jaynee, Poncho, Harold Martin, Gideon, Sallie, Bettie. (And yes, in case you’re wondering, I did count that on my fingers. It’s so hard to keep them all straight!)
 
So I have 3 pictures for you here!  The first is the “Group Shot” of the “Original” Misfits! (We call them all that because each of them has a little thing that’s wrong with them all.  BTW, 8 out of 10 of the Misfits are rescues.  They were all rescued for various reasons!)  Anywho – we have the Original Misfits in the group shot.  The big blonde on the couch is Christopher – he’s the newest rescue that we saved right before Christmas.  The black one is Harold Martin who is our old man :)

Why were you drawn to this genre?
 
I quite literally found this genre by mistake.  I had just gotten my kindle and was doing a massive 1-click spree (don’t judge me!) of freebies and 99 cent books. And I had grabbed Bailey Bradford’s “Rescued” on sale. And I just started reading it, and I couldn’t stop. So I devoured that series, and a few others of hers and then spread my wings out to other books in the genre.
 
Why do you like this genre?
 
I like this genre, and other genres, for a fresh change. I’m not one of the readers that only sticks to 1 genre specifically, I do bounce around a bit. So it’s always nice to start reading a MM book after a break and its like reading the genre again for the first time.
 
What are your reading habits?
 
I have reading “days”. Where I will do literally nothing but read all day.  But usually I read before bed, and when I’m working on the weekends.  I used to read constantly, but then I realized (And I’m one of those people too!) That I was reading so much? I was missing the real world. I wasn’t doing anything but reading, and as much as I love reading, that wasn’t healthy for me.  So I started where I gave myself strict timelines to read, and that I had to also do other things throughout the day as well.
 
Do you prefer paperback, hard cover or eBooks?
 
That depends when I’m reading.  I usually do eBooks, but I do also have a vast amount of paperbacks as well.
 
If you’re an eBook lover tell me about your favorite devices? Tricks and recommendations welcomed!
 
So I used to have a kindle fire, a friend of mine had bought me one many moons ago.  And I stuck with the Fires.  And then I had gotten my iPad bout 2 years ago, and so I read on that.  But honestly its such a hassle with an iPad (even the mini that I have) because its so big and heavy.  I didn’t want to go back to a Fire because I wanted something that was literally JUST for reading.  So I saved up my money and was able to get a Paperwhite. Which I do love for reading.  Don’t get me wrong, the Paperwhite has its issues that I don’t like (It seems like it takes forever to download books on it) but I do still love how its small enough it fits in my purse, and that I can read on it outside.
 
What’s your favorite TV show and/or movie?
 
Favorite “Now” TV Show would be Blacklist.  Flippin’ love that show!  Right now on Netflix though I’m marathoning Midsommer Murders.  So far I’m liking the show!
 
What music do you listen to? Rec’s welcomed!
 
Oh I’m a country girl to the core.  Or 80s and 90s rock music.  That’s about it for me!
 
Why did you decide to do this interview?
 
Well, I was on Facebook and I saw where my awesome host Elizabeth had posted about looking for people to take the interview.  So I decided to take part in it. Usually I’m interviewed about the blog itself, so it was nice to be able to just be “me” in this interview!
 
Do you ever go to conventions to meet authors? Do you like to interact with authors on social media?
 
I’ve been a couple conventions, but (as bad as this sounds) as a reader I can’t afford to go to a bunch of them.  Especially with it all coming out of pocket, I have to weigh the pros and cons, and sadly most of the time it’s not worth it money wise for me to go.  Something always comes up that does take priority to attending conventions.

I do interact a lot on Facebook with authors. Which I do think is great.  Especially for those of us who can’t afford to go the conventions, we can still enjoy talking with the authors and getting to know them.
 
What other types of books/magazines do you read?
 
I read a bunch of genres of books.  MF, FF, MM – pretty much any genre out there I do read from. I like keeping my options open.
 
What are your favorite flowers?
 
Daisy’s are my all time favorite flowers 😃