My Bookstagram Tips + Tricks

I have had many Instagram messages asking me if I have a post like this…so here we are! I would like to say I have some magical formula on how I grew my bookstagram account (Books + Instagram = Bookstagram) but alas, I do not. And honestly my account isn’t all that large compared to some out there but one of the things I’m going to talk about is just working hard no matter the followers… but more on that later!

Photo taken by me and can be found on my Instagram @TheLibrarianFiles

I really want to focus on the tips and tricks I’ve discovered and learned from other people to help other Bookstagrammer’s who are just getting started or looking for fun ways to switch up how you do things on your accounts!

So, First Things First!
As I’ve already said, ‘Bookstagram’ is simply Instagram Accounts dedicated to books and run by bookworms from all over the world! It’s such an amazing community to be a part of and is the sole reason my TBR (‘To Be Read’) List is spiralling out of control!

Now! On to some tips and tricks I’ve learned in no particular order…

 

1. You’ve gotta do it because you love what you do

This applies to anything in life. If you love what you do or, in this case, take photos of that should always be your main priority and I find that when I focus too much on likes and follows I lose my drive, passion, and excitement for what I do.

 

2. ENGAGE! ENGAGE! ENGAGE!

for me when following other accounts, whether they respond to comments left and are a decent human being honestly says a lot if I’m going to keep looking at a page and going back to it and following posts. So don’t be a petty human and think you are above everyone else. Just have fun with it! I promise bookstagram is an amazing place and you will definitely make some friends on the way. So just engage with people in your posts. A good way to do that is to put a question of the day in your caption that people can answer. Like ask people what their favourite book is, why they like a certain book/series, their favourite fandom merchandise. Even ask a favourite holiday or season. Cause bookstagrammer’s are people too 😛

 

3. Comment Loop Groups are your Best Friend

The IG algorithm SUCKS sometimes. It’s horrible. So comment loop groups are an awesome way to keep up with your friends and other bookstagrammer’s page by spreading the love to their posts and them to yours all while kicking the algorithm in the butt a little bit

 

4. Instagram Stories? 10/10 would recommend

Instagram stories is such a fun way to connect with your followers! You can film un-boxings of your orders, book hauls, every day life videos, ask questions/post polls, show off your amazing book/fandom merch, shoutout all your friends accounts and SO much more! It’s a fun and more personal way to connect and invite your followers into your real life a bit! ( Stories Tips: Use hashtags in your stories as well as your posts! People will find your stories more)

 

5. Create your own style. Do what you love!

This is your baby. Your thing! Be creative. Come up with a theme or general look if you want. For me, I started off using just a plain white background (I’ve recently switched to a wooden panelling background) and if you look, my photos are pretty simple. I use very few props and items but for some people, they use lots of props and items! For me, I find that, because I don’t currently have as much time as I would like in a week to take photos I go the more simple route so I can get photos taken but something that is practical for me is also what I love! Like, I have seen some photos where people have multiple books in their photos and multiple props and I love them but that just isn’t for me! So find out what your theme/style is and go for it! Experiment with it. But also don’t constrain yourself to one kind of photo.

Decided you don’t like the background you are using? Change it up! Be you!

Want to go from shelfie photos to flatlays? Go for it!

Only want to post photos using the same 5 books and nothing more? Go for it!

Remember, this is supposed to be fun! Don’t work yourself up and stress yourself out!

 

6. Hashtags!

So you might be sitting there thinking ‘Duh. Of course I would use hashtags’ but seriously. This is super important if you want to get your photos out there! There are some accounts on Instagram that have either feature hashtags or feature accounts! This is an awesome way to get your photos out there. Use that hashtag in every photo. You also want to make sure you find some hashtags that work for you. For me, I have created my own hashtag to track my photos using my username and then a second one with my username with the word ‘reads’ at the end. (e.g @thelibrarianfiles @thelibrarianfilesreads )

My advice for hashtags, is to make sure you use the same or similar hashtags for all your photos and then, on top of those hashtags, you add more based on the theme/book(s) featured in your photo! This sounds confusing but it’s not. Let me give you an example here using one of my posts as an example:

So, my usual hashtags that I have found work for me, (you have to find what works for you! But feel free to swipe my technique 😛 ) are listed there in the caption, and then as you can see I added some hashtags based on the book features in the photo! It’s really just that simple. Just find what works for you (might take a few posts to find what works best for you) and go for it! But hashtags are super important if you want to get your photos out there.

 

And those are some of the tips and tricks I’ve discovered! Did I miss anything? Is there anything else you want more information on? Comment, Send me a message (through my contact page), or find me on social media! I love helping people pursue bookstagram and doing what they love!

Thanks for tuning in! If you liked this post and want to see more like this let me know!

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About The Blogger – A New Post Series!

Hello Readers!

As promised, here is the post I mentioned in my previous post about Writing Groups. Lots of craziness has been going on in my life (not all bad craziness! Just…Craziness) and a lot of it is linking to upcoming events and all that so I figured I might as well start posting about all this stuff cause I just want to share with everyone. I’ve been wanting to do some more personal about me type posts and all that but just never got to it but I figured, I eventually am gonna run out of things to say about writing that isn’t so repetitive AND I don’t want you all to be bored! Cause that just won’t do.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

SO here I am! Doing some posts about the goings on in my life. These probably won’t be an all the time thing but I thought it would still be fun to do every once in a while none-the-less.

Today’s post is gonna kinda be filling you in (and apologizing greatly) on the reasons for my absence on the blog lately. I’m excited to get going on this so get going on this, I shall!

(Note: All the fun and exciting stuff is near the bottom… like if you want to see my grad dress then stick around 😉 )

 

SOCIAL MEDIA STUFFS:

*unashamed self promo here*

Instagram!

SO. For those of you who don’t know. I have a bookish Instagram account (a.k.a Bookstagram) and it just recently reached 530+ followers! It’s pretty darn exciting and I’m hoping to be able to do some giveaways and such very soon. But yeah. Thats pretty exciting. You can find the link to my account on the sidebar or just search my username if you wanna see what kind of cool (ish) pictures I take.  (@TheLibrarianFiles)

I’ve taken a few recently that I absolutely adore so yeah.

Youtube!! 

So recently I began posting videos on youtube and what not all relating to books and writing and I’m enjoying it tremendously! I so far am not doing weekly videos and they are more popping up when I have the chance to film a video (and not sit there for 20 minutes talking to the camera when it stopped recording…cause yeah that happened and I had to re-film the last half of the video) BUT I’m gonna be switching it up and hopefully getting some vlogs of some upcoming events I’m going to! Which events? Well keep reading and you will find out.

But YES. I’m LOVING it and if you wanna check out my Youtube you totally should…and then give me video suggestions…cause I need help XD

The Librarian Files on Youtube

 

WRITING STUFFS:

Ok! So basically all my self promo thing is done. Well kinda sorta. If there is any of that in this section I promise this will be IT ok?

The Hope Movement Book – Some of you may or may not know about the Hope Movement. Its a website run by my friend Natalie and I and we use this blog to encourage those going through hard times and give them a sense of hope and we have decided to bump it up a bit and are writing a Non-Fiction book! That’s the only real details I have right now but we hope to have it complete by June or July and get it out into the world. But that is the writing I’ve been doing as of late as I’m working on school until Graduation in June!

The Fandom Studio is a blog I started with a few friends and basically its all things books/movies/TV and Fandoms. Nuff’ said.

 

 

READING STUFFS:

So as for reading, I’ve been doing a decent amount of work on it and my TBR pile grew over Easter Weekend cause I bought about 5-7 new books then. I can’t wait to get reading as I’ve got lots of exciting new books but before I move on to the shiny books, my friend gave me a huge stack of books to borrow almost a year ago after a weekend conference and I haven’t even started on it yet! O.O and he claims he is giving me more when I see him next. So I’ve suddenly dived into a panic because if he gives me anymore books I’m going to drown in the huge pile.

Think I’m being dramatic?

Yeah well, I’m not. (Both the Purple and Blue books in the middle of the stack were given to me by my Gram btw. But the others are from my friend)

On the plus side, this should help me blow thorough my Goodreads Challenge this year!

So far out of said challenge, I’ve read 6 out of 50 books…So I got a lot left to go but I’m getting there!

 

LIFE STUFFS:

Swing Dance 

I can’t recall if I’ve really mentioned much of my newest obsession on here or not. I did do a post about it on The Fandom Studio blog but I believe thats it. But anyways! I discovered a local Swing Dance group in November and went to one of their big dances they do once a month. I showed up not knowing what to do at all but then I was taught the basics by some people there and I was soon on my way. In January I joined their Monday night classes and have basically gone every Monday since. Its an absolute blast and the second weekend in March I spent a WHOLE weekend at a workshop learning Lindy Hop and it was beautiful. One of my favourite things I’ve done this year. (My Grad retreat was also a blast! If y’all wanna hear about that, let me know and I’ll write a post on that one) I’ve so far brought a bunch of my friends and my one sister with me to the classes and I’ve pulled a few people into this obsession with me…and I intend to make all my friends come dancing with me at LEAST once. Really thats all it should take to make them love it as well.

Upcoming Craziness of June 2016

Okay! So June is going to be a crazy busy month and I’m BEYOND excited for it. What craziness is going down, you might ask?

Well to start, the last weekend of May (I know that isn’t June but it all ties in so just go with it) I’m going to YC Alberta for the 4th time in a row. That is a conference I never tire of and I can’t wait because not only do I get to spend the entire weekend learning more about and praising God, but its also a time to get to spend with my friends. It’s an amazing and fun filled weekend that is the BEST way to kick off summer! (Or almost summer because Finals and stuff is still afterwards) THIS is one of the things myself and also my friend Morgan will be Vlogging for our youtube channels but yeah. Its going to be GREAT. So to kick off everything there is that.

THEN…

June 2nd I’m gonna be running around like a crazy lady because I’ll be picking my best friend from the airport in Calgary (an hour and a half from where I live) because my best friend is also my Grad Date/Escort (whatever you wanna call it haha) so I kinda need him 😛 and from there I will take my grad dress to the store I purchased it from and get it steamed so my skirt doesn’t turn into some weird, stiff, cupcake floof thing… THEN I will also need to be doing a final check to make sure I have EVERYTHING for Grad all ready to go for the next morning….cause if I forgot my dress at home I would laugh and then start to weep. You think that wouldn’t be possible but knowing me and my brain I wouldn’t put it past myself to forget something vital. Maybe not my dress but… you get the point.

Which reminds me.  *pauses the post*

LETS TAKE A BREAK SO I CAN SHOW YOU MY DRESS AND SHOES AND HAIR STYLE I HAVE ALL PICKED OUT AND ALL THAT.

MINE CHOSEN HAIRSTYLE

I have a backup hairstyle in case my hair isn’t long enough. because I’m prepared.

MINE SHOES

AND FINALLY!!! MINE DRESS

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

OKAY SO NOW THAT IM DONE BEING EXCITED AND SQUEALING BACK TO THE CRAZINESS OF JUNE THING.

So fast forward to the early morning of June 3rd. Not only do I turn 19 that wonderful day but I have to drag myself and my friend (he’s a little bitter about it) out of bed and we are on the road to the Calgary area for my Grad…but we have to leave at 5am so I can go get my hair done for when the salon opens. Then the whole day will proceed and by the end of the day I will be a graduated person. (Who has yet to finish some of her exams.) and I’m beyond excited! That is going to be a wonderful day! Though I am slightly terrified because my friend Morgan (who is an absolute doll by the way! I love her to bits! ❤ )found out my 19th birthday is on Graduation Day and I’m afraid she’s gonna do something or whatever cause she is known as the Queen of Birthdays… I’m trying to decide if she is just scaring me or not. I’m not really sure….

BUT WIAT! WE’RE NOT DONE!

After graduation I will still have some studying to do and my friend will be here till the middle of that following week…. Then my friend goes home then two days later I’m going to stay at my friends place for a few days for HIS grad!! I’m super excited for that as well. Its gonna be great.

Then, even though I’ll be graduated by then….I will still have yet to complete my Diploma Exams which are like the middle of the month. The whole thing is like ‘Let Celebrate being done school!! — Oh wait! Jokes on you suckers! Cause if you fail your diplomas I’ll see you again next semester…”

Riiiiiiiight… Funny how that works…

But OH WELL I GUESS. What ya gonna do, right?

 

What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately

Alrighty. Lets see if I can get this write without being too vague or sounding like I’m complaining about all my problems cause that really isn’t my goal here.

Okay. So basically God has been teaching me a LOT of things lately so I’ll kinda just list off what they are and why (if there is even a clear ‘Why’ to it)

The Power of Prayer and just how IMPORTANT prayer is.

Patience

Peace

To Trust Him – This is a big one for me that kinda links all the things I listed together. I stress a LOT and am one of those people that will often talk out my problems to others and get their council and thinking out loud helps me sort out things. So lately this quote has been jumping in my head that says. “Have you prayed about it as much as you’ve talked about it?” and sometimes I just get this prompting from God like ‘Adriana, you gave your problems over to me so stop taking them back. Let me deal with this. I’ve got this. Trust Me.“

Does that mean I can’t talk about my problems? Absolutely NOT. But God is just showing me that I just need to stop and pray about it more and trust that He has got it. With that God is also showing me Peace and Patience in that I need to have Peace and try not to stress. and also Patience because I’m the kind of person who just wants things fixed right here, right now…and thats not always what God has in mind.

My Favourite Music Right Now AND My Song of the Year

So this year, I kind of have a song for the year and that song is called ‘Verge’ by Owl City (feat. Aloe Blacc).

Not only is the music video amazing but I LOVE the lyrics!

I ain’t too sure what I believe in
But I believe in what I see
and when I close my eyes
I see my whole life ahead of me
These are our hours (These are our hours)
This is our time (This is our time)
This is our time
These are our hours (These are our hours)
Out on the verge (Out on the verge)
Out on the verge of the rest of our lives (The rest of our lives)

Out on the verge of the rest of our lives tonight
Top of the world and we’re dressed to the nines tonight
Edge of the earth and we’re touching the sky tonight
Out on the verge of the rest of our lives

From now on
There’s no looking back
Full steam ahead
On this one way track
From this day forward
I will make promise
To be true to myself
And always be honest
For the rest of my life
I will do what’s right
I will do what’s right
When I step out on the

Out on the verge of the rest of our lives tonight
Top of the world and we’re dressed to the nines tonight
Edge of the earth and we’re touching the sky tonight
Out on the verge of the rest of our lives (The rest of our lives)

The rest of our lives
Edge of the earth and we’re touching the sky tonight
Out on the verge of the rest of our lives

Its one of my favourite songs right now. Why I’m not sure but its kinda like an empowering ‘YEAH YOU CAN DO THIS’ kind of song and I LOVE it to pieces. Also, I mean how can you NOT love Owl City? I mean really.

Aside from that song. I have a LOT of worship songs I’m in love with right now but I will have to say my top favourites right now are:

Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli

Good Good Father by Chris Tomlin

Beautiful Things by Gungor

Jesus, Healer by Bluetree

I mean there are a LOT more but right now, those are my favourites. I just love the words. So powerful and filled with meaning and they just speak to me and I love them!

If you want a HUGE playlist of Worship Music to listen to, I got your back! So feel free to go listen to it HERE or leave it be. Whatever you wanna do. But its there if you want. The songs I just listed are also there if you have never heard them and wanna listen to them or whatever.

SO. Thats my post. Usually these kinds of posts won’t be freakishly long or they will be done sporadically in different parts as things unfold but I have so much to look forward to so I wanted to talk about it all here and now!

Thanks for popping by! Until Next Time

Adriana G.

Castle of Sighs Blog Tour! Book Review + Quote Stop

Hello Readers!

Welcome to the blog tour for Jennifer Murgia’s Castle of Sighs! In today’s post I’m gonna share some info about Jennifer’s new upcoming novel, my own mini review, some other praise for the novel, a giveaway, AND more bog tour related stuff. It’s cool and you are gonna want to stick around for this.

~Adriana G.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK
Castle of Sighs
Author: Jennifer Murgia
Release Date: September 15th, 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

 

SYNOPSIS:
In this sequel to FOREST OF WHISPERS, Some secrets cannot be kept—in life or in death. Months have passed since Rune has heard a single whisper from her long-dead mother, the great witch of Bavaria. But the absence of one evil has only made room for another.
After rightfully inheriting her ancestral home, Pyrmont Castle, Rune settles into a quiet life taking care of two orphans left in the wake of the terrible witch hunt that claimed dozens of lives in the nearby village. As the days grow colder, the castle’s secrets beckon and Rune finds herself roaming where no one has set foot in a long time. In the bowels of the fortress is a locked room full of memories that hang like cobwebs—shelves stacked with jars, strange specimens, putrid liquids, and scrolls of spells. Rune is undeniably drawn to what she finds there, and she begins to dabble in the possibilities of magic, hoping to find a cure for the strangeness overwhelming the castle.
As secrets unspool, the delicate thread of Rune’s world is threatened when she realizes the key may lie in the dark forest she once called home and the boy she thought she knew
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

 

ADRIANA GABRIELLE’S REVIEW

What a wonderfully chilling sequel to Forest of Whispers!!

This book gave me a crazy case of paranoia related feels and many chills. There were many times I would actually glance over my shoulder just because the chills I got from this book are simply unreal. If you want a good Halloween read with witches and ghosts, this is your book.
I’m still just as in love with the characters as I was in book one. One element I loved in this story wasn’t the creepiness of the story but the stronger element of mystery. I liked how even though not always in the spotlight that sense of mystery remained in the novel and I feel it just added to the creepiness and suspense of the whole witches, plagues, ghosts and other horrors much more than with Forest of Whispers. I applaud Jennifer Murgia for another chilling, brilliantly written sequel.

 

QUOTE STOP!

PRAISE FOR FOREST OF WHISPERS
“Murgia’s dual narration makes this historical fantasy a compelling read. The plot-driven text quickly moves the story forward, and the vivid descriptions of 17th-century southwestern Germany pull readers in . . .  the pacing and narrative are absorbing. A solid novel for fans of historical fantasy that are looking for a fast-paced, action-filled tale.” ~ SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

“FOREST OF WHISPERS drew me in from the very first page! Rune is a capable and empathetic heroine who had me rooting for her from the start. Fans of witch and rune-lore will enjoy this darkly woven tale.” ~Amalie Howard, author of critically acclaimed Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kids’ INDIE NEXT title.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Murgia writes moody fiction for teens—from paranormal fantasy (Angel Star, Lemniscate, The Bliss), to contemporary gut-punchers (Between These Lines). Her latest, Forest of Whispers, a 17th century historical mystery (about witches!) was a School Library Journal Fall 2014 HOT TITLE, and a 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Literature Award Winner. Look for the sequel,​Castle of Sighs, to hit shelves 9.15.15 from Spencer Hill Press. In 2012, Jennifer Co-Founded YA FEST with YA author/friend, Cyn Balog. She coordinates this unique annual festival, bringing teens and fellow Young Adult authors together at her hometown library in Easton, PA.
WEBSITE | EMAIL | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST

Publicity inquiries: brooke@spencerhillpress.com

 

GIVEAWAY
1 Winner will get a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card + Kep Necklance

Must be 13+ To Enter | Open Internationally

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3cb06a6e363/

 

 

Tour Schedule
October 12th: A Leisure Moment ~ QUOTE STOP
A Dream Within A Dream ~ REVIEW
October 13th: The Librarian Files ~ REVIEW + QUOTE STOP  <— THAT’S HERE! 😀
October 14th: Me, My Shelf and I ~ QUOTE STOP
October 15th: Her Book Thoughts ~ REVIEW + QUOTE STOP
October 16th: Books Are Metal ~ QUOTE STOP
Zach’s YA Reviews ~ REVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Interview || Heather Manning

Hello Readers!

I’m so excited to have author Heather Manning join me on my blog today for an interview! Heather is an amazing person and her novels are outstanding! So lets do this thing!

Hello Heather, and Welcome! Could you tell us a bit about your books? 

Hi! Thanks for having me! Here’s a little about my first novel, Swept to Sea:Lady Eden Trenton never wanted to leave her privileged existence in London—until her father invites a dangerous suitor into her life. Left with few options, Eden devises the best reprieve she can: escape. Chasing freedom, she stows away aboard a pirate ship, praying she will gain her independence in the colonies before she is discovered by the nefarious crew.

Captain Caspian Archer has spent the last five years hardening his heart and searching to exact revenge for the event that tore his life to shreds. When he catches word that his enemy is residing in Jamaica, Caspian steers his ship toward the colonies in all haste. His plans soon change, however, when he discovers the young beauty hiding in his ship’s hold.

Cut from the only lives they have known, Caspian and Eden are pulled together as each pursues a fresh hope upon the sea.

 

Now, my second novel, (sequel to Swept to Sea) Carried Home:
The Caribbean is no place for a society lady of London, yet after a daring quest to save a friend, Lady Ivy Shaw finds herself trapped far from home. Now, driven with worry for her young brother, she is determined to return to England in all haste. So, when a new acquaintance offers to sail her to her brother’s side, she jumps at the offer, scarcely caring that the man is a privateer.

Captain Gage Thompson is just learning how to be a captain. He sailed for years under the command of his longtime friend, Caspian Archer, but serving a captain and being a captain are, as he soon discovers, two very different roles. While struggling to gain the respect of his newfound crew, he now faces the distraction of beautiful Lady Shaw. He finds himself entranced by her and promises to give her passage home.
After a brief stop in Port Royal, Ivy and Gage discover an abandoned child. They both decide to bring her with them on their voyage to England. But problems soon arise in the form of hurricanes and enemy pirates, and Ivy and Gage find themselves scrambling to not only care for a lonely child, but also gain command of a motley crew.
Will love bud between Ivy and Gage as they journey home?

 

 
What inspired you to write both Swept to Sea and Carried Home? 

I wanted to write a trilogy about three best friends, and I wanted to throw some pirates in. Really, my idea came about kind of randomly. I enjoy writing about a variety of characters, so I was pleased to write my sequel, Carried Home, which stars two minor characters from Swept to Sea, Ivy and Gage.

 
So, since I’m more of a plotter I have to ask, did you write an outline before writing the novels? Or are you a pantser?

I write a very loose outline before writing my novels. Actually, with Swept to Sea, I don’t think I really had much of an outline, but with Carried Home I had a limited outline. So I guess I am somewhat in between.

 
Awesome. In between is always cool too 😛 Now, tell me what was the hardest part of writing your novels?

For Carried Home, my biggest obstacle was being an already published author. It felt a little weird first, because I was “done” and then kept writing another book. Knowing that people I know and people I’ve never met had read my book and formed opinions about it really made me feel stuck.
But I powered through that strange feeling, got my second book published, and I am glad to say that that feeling is gone as I’m writing book number three!

 
Is it bad I already can’t wait for book three? and I havent even read the second book yet haha 😛 How long did it take you (from first draft to final draft) to finish Carried Home?

I think it took me a little over a year to write Carried Home. (I’m not counting outlining and planning.)

 
Okay, so since I’ve read the first book, I’ve been dying to know, what is one way you relate to your main characters?

Hmmm. I relate to Eden from Swept to Sea in a few ways, I guess. Most of it was subconsciously. Eden looks a lot like me, and she has very brave qualities, yet tends to be a little timid. And I think that’s a lot like me.

 
I always find it kind of cool when a character subconciously becomes somewhat like the author. What was one of your favourite scenes to write in either of the books?

Oh! Such a tough question. One of my favorites in Carried Home is towards the beginning, when Ivy and Gage encounter a child being abandoned by her mother. They both want to take her in, but really have no idea what to do with her. I think this scene was one of the first to show us exactly who Gage and Ivy are.

 

 

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Carried Home’s theme seems to deal with matters of worry, control, and poor self-opinion. Ivy tends to worry about things she cannot control and forgets to put her trust in God. Gage seems to doubt his abilities to be a capable, successful captain and I think all of these issues can somewhat be applied to normal people’s lives. There are days when people have trouble with worry or they don’t think they are good enough.

 
Did you learn anything from writing either Swept To Sea or Carried Home and what was it?

While writing Carried Home, I learned once again how difficult it is to write a novel. When you haven’t written a bare first draft in a while, you tend to forget just how difficult and just how amazingly fun it is.

 

 

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Oh, goodness, I don’t know! Truly, there are so many amazing authors out there and I would adore having almost any of them as a mentor.

 

 

What is one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members?

Friends! I am a member of a great young writer’s community, Go Teen Writers, and I was supported by many new and now close writer friends there. They made me always feel like I can keep on writing!

 
Go Teen Writers is quite fantastic! I have to agree with you there 🙂 So, last but not least, do you have any advice for other writers out there who are looking into publishing or just writing a story in general?

I advice other writers to always write and always read! Those are the only ways you can improve what you do. Also, if you are serious about getting published, I recommend attending a writer’s conference. At a writer’s conference, you are able to meet lots of professionals, attend workshops to improve your craft, and even pitch your work to industry professionals. This is how I met my publisher and got my work published.

 
Oh. And, if you don’t mind. Where can we, as readers, stalk-uh I mean ‘find’ you online?

Blog: http://heathermauthor.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathermauthor
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/heatherm-author
Instagram: https://instagram.com/heatherm_author/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherM_Author
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HeatherMAuthor/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heather-Manning/e/B00GXOWFMS/

 

 

Bestselling author Heather Manning is a young lady who loves to read–and write. After she won several writing competitions, her first book was professionally published and quickly became an Amazon Bestseller. She is an active member of her local ACFW chapter and lives in Kansas City, Missouri where she attends high school, sees plays, devours donuts, and acts in community theatre. You can find Heather on her blog: heathermauthor.blogspot.com.