Blogiversary: Kat Black interviews me plus giveaway for a signed copy of Melting Ms Frost

Today, as part of the excellent Shaz’s Book Blog Third Anniversary celebrations, we get the opportunity to turn the spotlight on our lovely hostess. Reviewer, book addict and cake consumer, Sharon has agreed to give us an exclusive glimpse of the woman behind the blog.

First off, congratulations on three fabulous years of book blogging, Sharon, and thanks for inviting me to the party and allowing me to interview you, it’s a nice place to be. Let’s get things warmed up with a quick fire round:

Summer or winter? Winter
Coffee or cocktails? Coffee
Ebooks or print books? Still prefer print books but am reading mainly eBooks now
Downton Abbey or Game of Thrones? Downton Abbey
Saturday sushi or Sunday roast? Sunday Roast
Tennis or football? Tennis
Beyonce or Bublé? Bublé
James Bond or Jack Bauer? Neither
Cake or cake? Cake all the time ;-) 

How would you best sum yourself up for us in a single sentence? 
Urghh hate these sort of questions!!  I’m boring really as all I do is work or read!

Tell us a bit about your reading life. Have books been a lifelong passion?
Yes, books have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  

As a child I loved Beatrix Potter, as an early teen I was addicted to the Sweet Valley High books then my earliest romance reads came via Danielle Steel.

Which three books would you say have had the most impact on you throughout your life?
My all-time favourite book is Little Women followed closely by Pride and Prejudice, I just love re-reading these classics whenever I’m having a rough time.

Tough to make a third choice as there have been a couple of true-life stories that really made me appreciate that even though I have my own health issues they are nothing in comparison to what others have to deal with on a daily basis.  I think I will go with author Emma Hannigan’s book Talk to the Headscarf.

If you could be magically transported into the role of any fictional character, who would you choose to be and why?
Elizabeth Bennet so that I could marry Mr Darcy ;-)

If you could magically transport any fictional character into your real life date, who would you choose and why?
I’m happily single and don’t have a partner but as above I’d definitely love to date Mr Darcy!

What possessed inspired you to start a book blog?
My friend knew that I was always reading so suggested that I set up the blog as a record of the books I read.   It was also a way to try and take my mind off a few health issues I had at the time.

Has the experience of blogging met, exceeded or turned your initial expectations upside down?
Blogging has totally turned my world upside down but in a good way.  Like most experiences there are highs and lows but on the whole my experience has been a positive one.      

How long on average does it take you to read a book? How many books do you get through in a week?
It depends… some books I can fly through and read in a day (if I have the time to read) but on a normal working week it normally takes me approx. 2 days to read a book so normally read 3 to 4 books a week.

Has reading to review changed the way in which you enjoy books?
Sadly yes, sometimes it is a real struggle especially when I’m sent a book to review that I wouldn’t normally pick up to read as I do try to read all the books I’m sent. 

How long does it take you to write up each review?
Ages as although I’ve always been a good reader the same can not be said for me as a writer (took me 2 attempts to pass my English ‘O’ level!).  I normally write a first draft and then it can be amended numerous times before it is uploaded and sometimes even then I’m not 100% happy with it.   

Where on earth do you find the time?
I don’t have a personal life LOL

While the internet is such a wonderful vehicle for bringing bloggers, readers, authors and publishers together in a fabulous book community,  there’s still a certain element of the lawless, Wild West Frontier about it, with the occasional cyber bandit intent on riding through town and shooting things up. What have been your best and worst experiences as a blogger?
My best experiences are definitely the interaction with authors, publishers, bloggers and fellow bookworms and through blogging I have made some great online friends.  

I’ve also been lucky enough to meet a few authors, publicists and bloggers at a few events this year.  Although I was invited to a few last year I didn’t go to any of them but I made a resolution this year to at least go to 1 and I’ve now been to 7 ;-)   

I’ve been quite lucky that I’ve not had many negative experiences whilst blogging, the one that affected me the most was from someone anonymous leaving nasty comments based on my looks and size and nothing whatsoever to do with my book reviews!  

Sadly jealousy also rears its ugly head now and then that does make you sometimes afraid to share the great books you’ve received on social media…   

Thanks for sharing a bit of yourself with us, Sharon, and thanks for all the time, effort and love you put in to running such a great blog. Here’s to the next three years!

Kat Black lives in the South of England and writes contemporary women’s fiction. Find out more at www.katblack-author.com

Melting Ms Frost is available now: 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Melting-Ms-Frost-Kat-Black/dp/0007540760 and the sequel, Playing With Fire, is coming soon!

When Aidan Flynn walks into Cluny’s Restaurant, he can’t take his eyes off his new boss, Annabel Frost. With his heart set on winning her over, Aidan can think of nothing but getting beneath her cold exterior. Known as one of the toughest women in the business, Annabel is impervious to Aidan’s many charms. His compelling grey gaze and persuasive Irish lilt do anything but captivate her. But Aidan senses there’s more to Annabel than meets the eye. And he’s not going to stop until he reveals all…

Kat has very generously offered to give away a signed copy of Melting Ms Frost to a follower, thank you Kat x Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. a Rafflecopter giveaway