Celebrating Bloggers blog hop

Celebrating Bloggers comes to an end with a Read, Write, Give interview. I’ve been interviewing bloggers each week on the blog to find out more about their passions, their pet peeves, and the charities they love to support. This is something I plan to continue with going forward as it has been wonderful to get to know these incredible men and women a little more!

Thank you so much to everyone for taking part in Celebrating Bloggers this week!

Celebrating Bloggers with Read, Write, Give

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, Jeannette Whitus from Walking on Bookshelves is supporting the Austin’s Children Centre. 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 Jeanette Whitus, who runs Walking on Bookshelves!

Interview with Jeanette Whitus: Walking on Bookshelves

Could you please tell us about yourself?

Walking on BookshelvesWell I live in Texas. I’m married and have two daughters 11 & 8. They keep me very busy. I work full time and blog as much as I can. I have a degree in business from Texas Tech.

Could you please tell us why you started the site and how you’ve built your following? What other projects are you working on?

I started the site after being a reviewer on my friend Catie’s blog for about a year. She helped me so much! I wouldn’t have made it through even the first month without her. I built my following by hosting giveaways, trading follows with other bloggers and basically asking anyone who’d listen to check out my blog. Currently I’m working on my first book with another author, Ednah Walters. I love her books and she loved my fan fic. so we decided to collaborate together.

Feet seem to have a lot of prominence on your blog i.e. ‘Walking on Bookshelves’ and books are rated with pairs of feet. How did you come to choose this theme? 

When I was thinking about starting a blog I knew the name needed to be catchy and original. I was thinking about how books make me happy and the song Walking on Sunshine came on. I thought, I’d rather walk on bookshelves. Boom! Plus it sounded like walking on eggshells so it was catchy. Since I love to get pedicures the whole feet thing just seemed to fall into place.

When reviewing, do you often find real gems? What, for you, says a book is a gem?

I try to read at least one book by an Indie author a week. I have some of the best books! Cindy C. Bennett is one of my top five favorite authors. Her characters are so pragmatic and three dimensional. That’s what makes a book a gem to me. If I can relate to the characters and their reactions to what is happening to them is realistic. If a book stays in my thoughts weeks or months after I’ve read it also makes it a treasure to me.

You must get hundreds, if not thousands, of review requests every month. How do you handle all the requests?

I really don’t get that many requests, lol. I might get around 20 or so. I basically read the synopsis. If it’s a book I think I’d like I’ll review it. Of course I have signed up for several book tours so those keep me busy. I decided when I started blogging that I wouldn’t let it ruin the joy of reading for me. So, I read one book for someone then one book for me. I review them all though.

What, for you, is the most important quality in a book? 

That I can connect to the characters and their story. Some fantastic stories have been robbed because of flat characters.

Do you review self-published books? Why or why not?

Absolutely! Some of the best books are self-published. I like that authors have more control over their work.

Do you feel there is a stigma against self-published writers? If so, do you feel it’s deserved? Why or why not?

I feel like they don’t get the recognition they deserve. I know there are a few SP writers that have behaved so badly about bad reviews that they’ve scared some readers away and that’s sad.

Are there things authors do that make you say, wait, don’t do that? OR maybe that turn you off altogether?

Of course. I don’t really like it when characters fall in love instantly. I’m not a big fan of weak female characters. I like a girl who can keep up with the guys.

Please nominate a charity and explain why you have chosen them?

The Austin Children’s Shelter. I chose them because it’s near where I live and it helps children who come from abused or neglected homes.

About Jeanette

Jeannette runs the book blog Walking on Bookshelves, as well as working full time. She lives in Texas and is married with two daughters. Jeannette also has a degree in Business.

You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Goodreads.

Jeannette’s post is in support of the Austin’s Children Centre

Austin Children’s Shelter (ACS) provides a safe home and supportive services for children, youth and young adults from birth to 22 who have experienced significant loss, trauma, abuse and/or neglect in their lives. Most children at the Austin Children’s Shelter have been removed from their homes by Child Protective Services because of severe abuse or neglect.

Donate to the Austin’s Children Centre

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