Booklover of the Week presents… YA book blogger The Page Flipper!

Welcome to the inaugural post of the Booklover of the Week feature!

Since gratitude is a big part of the You 2.0 life, I decided to show my gratitude by saying thanks to some of the people who are as passionate about YA and middle grades books as we are as authors. Some Booklovers are agents, who cheer their authors on and help them succeed in their writing careers. Some Booklovers are editors, without whom books simply wouldn’t get made! Some Booklovers are booksellers who have that magical ability to match the right book to the right person at the right time. And some Booklovers are book bloggers who introduce us to a wide range of books we might never have known about otherwise.

To all of them–for all that and more–I say:

“Rock on, Booklovers. Rock on!”

To kick off the Booklover of the Week series, I thought it would be fun to feature the first three YA book bloggers I ever began following. Kristi (The Story Siren), James (Book Chic), and today’s fabulous guest…

Chelsea
(aka The Page Flipper)

In true You 2.0 style, I’ve broken the Booklover of the Week feature down into two separate sections. Each Booklover will be sharing their You 2.0 stories about pursuing their dreams, changing their world, gratitude and paying it forward. Then they’ll be talking about why they love the YA and middle grades genres and why they love what they do.

And since participation always makes for a fun feature, every Booklover will be sharing three truths and a lie that you’ll be able to guess about. (And remember, your guess gets you an entry into the monthly contest!)

So without further ado, please join me in welcoming the ever fabulous Chelsea!

Booklover Basics

Name:   Chelsea

Blog Name:   The Page Flipper

Blog URL:   thepageflipper.blogspot.com

Country:   USA

Teen or Adult?   Teen! 17, to be exact.

Short Bio:

I love reading, obviously, but I love to write, too; I aspire to be an author, even if it’s an obscure one. I’m a huge movie and tv buff, too, so I can talk for hours about most forms of entertainment (except sports, bleck). There are a lot of other quirks about me, but that’s the basic stuff. Nice to meet yah.


Questions About You 2.0

The You 2.0 blog is about becoming everything you’re meant to be. It’s about pursuing your dreams, changing your world, showing gratitude and paying it forward. Here’s a chance for our Booklovers to share what You 2.0 means to them.

1.   PURSUING YOUR DREAMS: Everyone has the ability to be extraordinary, they just have to embrace what makes them unique and special and pursue their dreams with passion and confidence! Tell us a little about a dream you’ve achieved or are pursuing right now. If you’ve achieved it already, how does it feel to know you’ve made your dream a reality?

When I was younger, I wanted to be an artist – the painting/drawing kind. Bad idea. When I finally realized my cats looked like deformed lumps of dog crap, and my trees like crooked toothpicks, I moved to the reading/writing pursuit. I mean, I was always there. I used to carry a huge stack of books with me in a milk crate before I could even read. I would just lug them around and flip through them, running my hands over the pages. But I never really set my sights on being an author until the past few years, when I realized it’s actually possible. Having a book blog has helped that a lot, because I have more access to information and publishing and everything. Being an author really is my biggest dream, and I hope I’ll be able to accomplish it one day! Meanwhile, I’ll keep reading and writing. And staying away from paint.

2.   CHANGING YOUR WORLD: Changing the world doesn’t have to mean finding a cure for cancer or creating lasting world peace (though it definitely can!). It just means finding a way that you can make the world a little better off for having lived here, whether it’s making a difference to one person or a million, to the earth, to animals… whatever is important to you. What is one way you would personally like to make the world a better place?

There are so many ways I could answer this. But I’d like to make the world suck less. Like, anything I can do to make someone happy, even for a margin of one day, I’d love to do. It’s not going to change the whole world, but if I can change a couple people’s worlds, then I’ll be happy.

3.   GRATITUDE: Gratitude is a huge part of the You 2.0 life. Taking a moment to count our blessings is the best way to remember what’s truly important (especially when life is hectic and crazy!). What are you grateful for?

I am so unbelievably grateful for the internet. I know that sounds totally materialistic and selfish, but it’s true. I wouldn’t be able to connect as much with other readers, authors – or be in the place I am now. I love reviewing. And writing. And talking about books. All of which the internet provides. And, of course, I’m grateful for readers and writers. More than anything. Oh, and for my cat, Kringer. He rocks. (I guess I should mention my family and friends here, right? There they are.)

4.   PAYING IT FORWARD: If everyone took a moment to pay it forward, even just once, the world would be changed in ways we can’t even imagine. What is one thing you’ve done (or plan to do) to “pay it forward” in some way?

A fellow reviewer (Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag) and I put together the Leave a Mark auctions last year and raised over $800 for First Book, an organization that provides low-income families with books. We both get free books for reviewing, so it’s kind of our way of paying it forward to others who don’t have that privilege.

Note from Kay:  I SO love this! Can’t wait to participate.


Questions About You, The Book Blogger

5.   Why did you decide to start blogging about books?

Well, I can’t shut up about the books I read – duct tape and physical violence may be the only things that can stop me, once I get started. And none of my family or friends are interested (their eyes just glaze over), so I decided I would put my opinion somewhere where people would actually like to hear it. Bookish people rock.

6.   What do you love most (and least) about being a YA book blogger?

I love, like in question 5, talking about books. The YA blogging community is so huge and fun, and it’s just great to get to know everyone and chat about our reads. The least I like is how overwhelming it can get. With life and school (and everything else), it’s hard to always keep up with the books I get, or post as often as I’d like to. Really need to learn how to stop time sometime soon.

7.   What do you love most about the YA and middle grades genres right now?

Oh boy. I love everything YA. There are just so many sub-genres and so much to choose from. I love how it’s getting more popular, and more and more writers are joining in. I think YA has so much to offer. Where else can you find books about killer unicorns or road trips with lawn gnomes?

8.   What makes you fall in love with a book?

The characters. I think the plot of a book is always important, but it’s not going to matter if your characters aren’t developed well. If I find a character I can identify with, it makes all the difference. Or even one I can drool over (Jace, Finn, etc). There are personalities, like Holden Caulfield or Scout or Dumbledore (just to name some popular ones), that come alive, out of the pages. That’s what gets me.

9.   Which books have inspired you most?

Inspiration. To write? Anything by Laurie Halse Anderson. Although sometimes it works in reverse, because I know I’ll never come anywhere close to her expertise in writing. She also inspired me to read YA, which you can read about here. I’m totally in awe of her.

10.   Are you also a writer yourself? If so, what do you like to write?

Yes! I love writing, and I try to do some every day. I love when I can get lost in something I write, and it just flows. I like to write anything, really – I’m working on a kind of paranormal book now, but I like to write short stories and essays, too. Really depends what mood I’m in, but it’s usually fiction.

11.   What advice would you give to other avid readers who want to launch their own book blog?

Go for it! Just keep at it, and don’t focus on “free books” – if that’s what you’re starting a blog for, just give it up. Reviewing needs to be fun for you or it’ll get old fast. So try and just keep an open mind – review to get your opinion out there, but don’t worry about anything else, like being formal or being too shy to post your thoughts. Just do it and enjoy it! The perks, like free books and talking to authors, will come later. For now, just get started, have fun, and be patient. There’s a whole community out there, and we’d love to have you.


Will the Real You 2.0 Please Stand Up?

Note from Kay: I know this isn’t everyone’s favorite thing, but I love the game Three Truths and a Lie because there are so many unexpected and interesting things about people that we never get a chance to learn about them.

12.   What are three truths and a lie that our blog readers can guess about you?
(Readers: Your guess gets you one more entry into the monthly contest! I’ll update the post tomorrow to spill our Booklover’s lie. Have fun!)

– I have a cat that can say “hello.”
– I swam with dolphins on a family trip to Florida.   **UPDATE: Here’s the lie!**
– I once got a piece of metal lodged in my right eye.
– I’m a vegetarian.

Thanks to Chelsea for kicking off the Booklover of the Week series with a fabulous interview!

Entry Filed under: Booklover - YA Bloggers, Gratitude