Booklover of the Week presents… YA book blogger The Compulsive Reader!

This week, I’m delighted to welcome one of my favorite teen bloggers. Her Booklover of the Week feature was one of the first I received, and I was so impressed by her mature and positive outlook on the world. She’s one of the most articulate and professional young bloggers I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with. Please help me welcome the awesome…

Tirzah
(aka The Compulsive Reader)

Welcome to You 2.0, Tirzah!

Booklover Basics

Name:   Tirzah

Blog Name:   The Compulsive Reader

Blog URL:   thecompulsivereader.blogspot.com

Country:   USA

Teen or Adult?   Teen

Short Bio:

I’m a high school senior (this fall) from Michigan, and I’ve been blogging for over two years. I love to read, write, and ride my horse. I hope to go to college in New York and eventually work as an editor for YA books.


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?

My dream job is to be an editor of YA fiction (besides published author!) for a major publishing house. I have fallen in love with the YA community—the authors, the books, the readers, and the multitudes of editors and publicists and others who put YA books on the shelves. Through blogging, I’ve made so many great contacts in the industry already, and I am looking forward to going to college in NYC with the hopes that I can gain some internship experience as well before I graduate.

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?

I mentioned that besides being an editor, I’d love to be a published author as well. I love to write almost as much as I love to read. To me, besides being an escape, books are a wonderful source of advice, but sometimes I grapple with issues that aren’t documented in YA fiction available right now, and I want to write those books that confront the issues I deal with in my every day life or I’ve had to deal with in the past. If by writing about those things that I’ve experienced, I could help one person, it would be totally worth it.

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?

My parents, who never once said, “You won’t be able to do that, you can’t possibly imagine we’d let you go to NYC, and it’s just too much,” and for raising me the way they did. My teachers for going above and beyond in order to help me succeed. The multitudes of authors, publicists, and even editors who were always happy to chat, lend some advice, and gave me the opportunity to make my blog the way it is.

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?

I’m excited this summer to be helping a group of 4th-6th graders with creative writing twice a week. Though I’m young, I do know that I’ve learned a lot about writing and I’m excited to share what I know with them because I think it is important to encourage and challenge the younger kids. It’ll make them better writers, and being a good writer is important in life—even if you never take a single English or Creative Writing class after you graduate from college. I wish that there had been a similar writing program when I was their age.


Questions About You, The Book Blogger

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

It was more like the books demanded it of me. My freshman year of high school, I had a substitute teacher who was fantastic—he didn’t teach a single word of the lesson left for us, but instead talked to us about changing the world. It sounds so cheesy, but he was just so engaging, he had our entire class completely enthralled. He told us to start a blog if we wanted an effective way to get our thoughts out into the world, and was the one who introduced me to Blogger blogs. If there was one thing I knew better than anyone in my class, it was YA books, so that’s what I blogged about. The prospect of getting books for review honestly never crossed my mind until I got my first offer. The passion for books and reading was always there, but it was that substitute teacher who really motivated me to do something with my talents and passion. I wish I had thanked him before he passed away.

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

I love, love, love the readers and the discussions we have. Everyone has an opinion, and we’ve had some really great discussions and debates about everything from book cover trends to clichés to what makes a book “edgy”. I love the sharing of ideas that goes on.

However, I do get a little tired of the competition that sometimes occurs, and the way some bloggers are always vying for free books. Certainly getting review copies is a major perk, but I don’t think it’s the most important thing, nor should it be.

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

There’s always something new and exciting. Just when I think, “Oh, not another [insert book type]”, something new comes along that makes me really excited about the creativity and diversity of YA authors.

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

I do like tons of different types of books, but I have to admit, I love humor. If a book has a lot of smart, quirky humor, I’m all over it. I recently finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (not a YA book, but I definitely recommend it to anyone), and I just adored the main character’s sense of humor and the irony in the book. I also love the ridiculousness and the quirkiness of Louise Rennison’s over-the-top heroine, Georgia Nicolson. Her titles may make some parents raise their eyebrows a little (her second book, On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God, for example), but it is just pure, silly fun.

I also am a fan of a good fantasy novel. I grew up enamored with Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness Quartet, so anything to do with magic, action, and clever plots will hook me.

9.   Which books have inspired you most?

When I finished Willow by Julia Hoban, I was floored. I admire her so much for her ability to create such a realistic and moving novel about grief, addiction, and pain, and Willow just overwhelmed me. It gave me a peculiar, restless feeling that made me want to jump up and pace back and forth, and just revel in the plot, the writing. Those books that make me jump up and down and overwhelm me ultimately inspire me to just be better—in everything. I had that feeling after reading The Hunger Games and its sequel Catching Fire, Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, and After by Amy Efaw.

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

Yes! I write nearly anything that comes to mind, really. I have written a few supernatural type books, but I really enjoy writing about things and situations that I observe in my every day life. Hopefully one day, one of those books will be published.

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

Be patient. Nothing happens overnight, or in a week, or even in a month.

Be persistent. If you post at least three-four times per week, you’ll show readers that you’re serious, and there’s a better chance that they’ll come back.

Be respectful. Not all authors or publicists appreciate being hounded for books, interviews, guest posts. Most are more than willing to help out, but you know the old adage, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar”? It’s totally true. Be polite and professional, but know where the line is.

Be positive. This ties in with Be Respectful—you don’t have to like everything, but think of others’ feelings before you publicly proclaim your dislike for a book. Be constructive, and make sure you point out something that an author did right along with what they did wrong. You don’t want to burn all of your bridges. There are some people who feed off the constant snarky attitude and brutal critiques, but mostly, it’s just so tacky.

Be happy. Do this because blogging makes you happy, telling others about great books brings a smile to your face, not because you want free books. If you are passionate about what you are doing, it shows. But if you aren’t, that also shows. Blog because you know that the YA book community is a great one and because you want to be a part of making it better.


Will the Real You 2.0 Please Stand Up?

12.   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. What are three truths and a lie that our blog readers can guess about you?

– I am taking Calculus II and III this fall.
– I am also studying Ancient Greek.
– I’ve never been to a book signing.
– I once hung a sign in front of my high school on the first day that read “Warning: Zombies Ahead. Turn back now!”  **UPDATE: Here’s the lie!**

(Readers: Your guess gets you an entry into the You 2.0 monthly contest for an ARC of The Cinderella Society or a prize dive in the awesome You 2.0 Prize Basket. Guess correctly and you get a bonus entry! I’ll update the post tomorrow to spill the big lie, so get guessing and have fun!)

Thanks to Tirzah for a fabulous interview!

Entry Filed under: Booklover - YA Bloggers,Gratitude