Better Know A Blogger: Andra - Unabridged Andra

Meet Andra! Another "new to me" blogger. She gave some really fun answers so read on....and then go visit Andra's blog!

What is your name/blogger name? Hiii Eveyone! I’m Andra! *Waves* Sorry if this is an uber long interview, but I am a total chatterbox, plus I just downed a two-liter of Diet Coke…I’m a tad…well enthusiastic right now I guess you could say…I’m a book loving, technology obsessed, compulsive shoe-buyer with an addiction to both caramel macchiatos and Diet Coke. I’m a student at Central Michigan University, where I’m studying English, Public Relations, and Business …yeah I know, I’m a busy body…What do you expect from a girl who works pretty much 40 hrs a week, takes classes online, and runs a blog?? Lol but that’s just for the summer…then it’s back to school and I’ll be drowning in the death-trap that is Academia.

What is the name of your blog? How did you pick your blog’s name?

My blog is titled Unabridged Andra. It was WAY harder than I thought to come up with a cute name for my blog. It seemed like everything I thought of was taken or sort of implied in some other blogger’s site. I wanted something that sounded cute and original and wasn’t just Andra’s Book Blog… Plus…unabridged is a bookish word, and it appealed to the bibliophile in me.

How long have you been blogging? How do you measure blogging success? I’ve only been blogging for about 3 months. I started in the end of May, right after my birthday. I had been wanting to start one for a while and I just made it my birthday present to myself. I still feel crazy in-over-my-head sometimes, especially with things dealing with coding and HTML, but I’m getting better and I totally love doing this. Most times, I’d rather stay home and blog than go out and party with my friends…which you have to admit is completely out of character for a party-girl college kid like me :D I measure blogging success by the interactions on the site. You can have ten thousand followers and It won’t mean anything if they aren’t chatting with you, commenting on your posts, and tweeting with you. I measure success by the bloggy and follower friends that I actually communicate with and who make my site that much more interesting. Success also seems to be based on if authors will accept requests from you. In the beginning I would typically not get a response from the “big guys” who I emailed asking to appear on the blog, but as my blog grew, I got offers and acceptances (is that the right word??) from the more recognized authors. Also, posting regularly…I like posting at least once a day..sometimes not so much on the weekends when I allow the inner-sorority girl in me out and she goes off into an alcoholic stupor for a few days, but as long as there’s posts coming in a couple of times a week, I feel you are a successful blogger.

What genres/subgenres do you review, and what do you like best about those genres? Oh my, well. I read just about everything. My top three are Paranormal, Dystopian, and Fantasy (both Urban Fantasy and High Fantasy). I just love the creativity that is needed for the world-building and alternate histories that these genres require. Magic and death is SO much more interesting than everyday life. Plus, I am really kind of dark and twisty *evil malicious laugh* The more depression, angst, and heartbreak, the more I just eat it up. However, lately YA contemporary fiction seems to have gotten amazingly better , so it has become my guilty pleasure genre…speaking of…I seriously need to go out and buy Anna and the French Kiss…It’s my new favorite Contemp YA book and I NEED to re-read before Lola and the Boy Next Door comes out…

What are you reading right now? I am reading the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. I know, I know, I totally jumped on that train way too late, but I had a HUGE TBR pile and only recently was able to snag a copy of Darkfever. I’m loving the take on the fae though. I also I like that it’s set in another country. I read too much about boring po-dunk USA towns lol. I’m also almost done getting caught up on the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. OMG I am SO in love with Bones. I am kicking myself for waiting so long to read this series. I have been pretty much eating, sleeping, and breathing Cat and Bones for the last week or so. AND I’M LOVING IT!

Do you use social media? Yes I use social media! I don’t have an official face book page, but I use Twitter. My handle is @Andra_Lyn I LOVE tweeting. It’s my new thing, Tweet…Tweet… TWEET!TWEET!TWEEET!TWEET!!!! Please come follow me and tweet at me so we can talk about bookish things together!

(Andra's reading buddy - Minnie)

What's your favorite place to read?/What are your ideal reading conditions?
My ideal reading conditions are quiet. I can’t stand if there’s music or TV in the background. I just get too distracted and it keeps me from connecting completely with the book. Other than that, I have two favorite conditions. Sunny with a Diet Coke, or rainy, curled up in my fuzzy red blanket, with a coffee of some sort. Machiatto, Latte, Cappucino, I’m really not that picky…but I do like my flavors…hazelnut, mocha, and caramel OM NOM NOM. Here is a pic of my favorite place to read. I usually curl up in the loveseat that I commandeered into my guest bedroom. The lighting just seems so much better there…Plus my hairless cat Minnie likes to hang out with me there.

What are the top 5 books in your TBR (To Be read) pile?
Oh I have way too many…I think I’ll just go with authors cause most of the ones I want to start are series. I need to read: Nalini Singh, Suzanne, McLeod, Kresley Cole, Rhiannon Frater, and Cassandra Clare. I haven’t read ANY of their books, and I’ve heard such good things about them that I seriously have to get my hands on their books immediately.

Obligatory controversial question: Love triangles! Love ‘em or hate ‘em, and why? See, that’s a tough question. Love triangles are the perfect kind of emotional conflict. Every girl wants boys fighting over her, and the competition actually makes you feel really strongly towards one boy or the other. I think that when there is a love triangle just to have one is when the love triangle gets old. If one of the boys has no redeeming qualities and you just want to punch the MC for even THINKING about leaving boy 1 for boy 2, then we have a problem. If done well, like in Twilight, the love triangle adds a great emotional element, if done poorly, I simply chuck the book out my window.

What's the best thing about blogging and reviewing books? Omigosh. Definitely the best thing has been meeting other bookish people. This includes authors, who I usually terrify by my fan-girl-ness, other bloggers, and just plain followers who can get into a good chat on the similarities between Laurell K Hamilton and Gena Showalter, or whether Eric Northman is hotter than Alcide…It’s just great to have a place to talk with people about what we love. Books

Karen: Thanks for stopping by Andra. I love your attitiude and enthusiasm about blogging (and Minnie)....goes off to stalk you on Twitter....