Read, Write, Give

Each week I’ll be donating $50 to the charity of a blogger’s choice as part of the “Read, Write, Give” drive. If you’d like to get involved, you can nominate a blogger using the form at the end of the post and also be entered into the competition to win a $200 Amazon gift card.

This week, Susie Kline from Motherhoot is supporting Child Help. You can read more about them after her interview.

I’ve often said that book bloggers are the “Fairy Godmothers and Godfathers” of the literary world – and I really believe it. Therefore, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to interview some of these wonderful bloggers and shed a little light on why they undertake this epic labors of love!

This week’s interview is with Susie Kline, who runs Motherhoot, a wonderful site with a real family focus and excellent and informative posts! Susie previously took part in the For the Love of Love event with a great piece about family.

Interview with Susie Kline: Motherhoot

Susie, thank you so much for joining me once again! Could you please tell us about yourself?

I am a write-at-home mom with three sons, a husband, four cats, and two dogs. It can get a little nuts around here! In other lives I was a graphic designer for eons, then got my master’s degree in clinical psychology. I’ve mostly worked with families, and children, especially child abuse prevention.

Could you please tell us why you started the site and how you’ve built your following?

I’ve been blogging since 2005, but birthed Motherhoot in the summer of 2009. I’ve seen an increase in readership from being on twitter. I love twitter! Also, Triberr has helped tremendously!

You cover several areas in your blogging. What are your favorite topics and why?

For a while I played it safe, avoiding topics that might anger readers. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot more politically inclined stories and I love those! I’m especially passionate about women’s rights and the rights of fat people.

I love the name Motherhoot! How did you come up with it?

Literally, I was sitting at my desk, and the name ‘Motherhoot’ came to me. In an instant I knew it was perfect.

It takes a great deal of time to blog regularly and run features and contests. How do you manage to stay on top of everything?

I write all my posts ahead of time and schedule them. I use a loose editorial calendar, just to keep track of author guest posts and book review requests. Luckily, information is right at our fingertips, so inspiration is never far away. Fortunately, I don’t need to spend a lot of time on writing posts-they come easily!

Congratulations on your new addition, Adele! Can you tell us more about her?

My little crazy dog! She is a replacement for my dog Dylan who was mine and Jim’s first ‘kid.’ He died on a Friday and the next day we went to ‘pet the puppies’ when the local animal rescue people bring animals to PetSmart. I would never have guessed that we would bring home a dog! We passed up the puppies for this timid eight-year old dog, who has turned into the world’s biggest spaz. And she fits in perfectly with our family!

You have some fantastic boards on Pinterest. Can you share your pinning tips?

At first, I was using Pinterest as a way to keep track of things I wanted to do. In fact, my first pin was something about dying yarn. I’m also a knitter! My biggest pinning advice would be to edit your boards once in awhile-I find I get a lot of duplicate pins because things keep striking my fancy!

It’s clear from your pins that you’re a foodie, just like me! Do you have a favorite food or recipe?

I am a foodie who loves to cook, which is a great combination. And Pinterest has given me loads of ideas. Right now it’s summer, so I’m getting into fruits and vegetables. I can’t wait to make stuffed zucchini boats (hollowed out zucchini halves, filled with sauteed onion and garlic, diced zucchini, diced mushrooms, diced tomatoes, bread crumbs, topped with parmesan cheese; bake for 20 minutes and eat) or bread salad (cubed cucumbers, cubed tomatoes, cubed Italian bread, olive oil, pepper; let sit for a few hours, toss and eat). Right now it’s just Jim, Aaron (my youngest son), and I; my eating buddies-the twins-aren’t living at home right now. So my culinary skills are getting little use. Aaron wants spaghetti or fish sticks every night!

Can you tell us about one of your favorite charities? Why are you passionate about them?

I don’t really have one particular charity that I donate to. I give a little to several different ones. Protecting the environment, preventing child abuse, and women’s rights gets my attention every time!

About Susie

Susie KlineSusie Kline is a write-at-home mom and the creator of Motherhoot.

She has a wonderful husband, three sons-19 year old twins and a 13 year old, two dogs, and four cats.

She is a social media personality, a voracious reader, and a steady knitter.

Susie’s post is in support of Child Help

Child HelpFounded in 1959 by Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson, Childhelp® is a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect. Childhelp’s approach focuses on prevention, intervention and treatment. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD®, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam. Childhelp’s programs and services also include residential treatment services (villages); children’s advocacy centers; therapeutic foster care; group homes; child abuse prevention, education and training; and the National Day of Hope®, part of National Child Abuse Prevention Month every April. Several of Childhelp’s programs were firsts, and continue to be studied by professionals worldwide as “models that work.” Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson continue to actively lead the organization and provide its vision, serving as Chairman/CEO and President, respectively.

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