Feature and Follow Friday #200

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

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Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

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How To Become a Featured Blog?

We pick our featured blogs randomly each week from the blogs who participated the week before.

Please be sure to feature your e-mail address clearly on your blog. Either on the main blog, on a Contact page, or on an About Me page. If I can't find your email easily, I will choose a different blog to feature.

Our Feature - Bookswarm

1. When did you start blogging?

I started blogging back in June 2010 (wow, I can't believe it's been almost four years! Good times.)

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

There's so much good that comes from book blogging. I get to read fantastic books and talk about them with like-minded bibliophiles. I have the opportunity to talk to and interview authors; to meet the fabulous people who produce the books; and to work with the wonderful publicists who promote the books. It's been an amazing experience, one I wouldn't trade for anything.

3. What type of books do you mainly blog about?

I'm a pretty eclectic blogger with focus on urban fantasy, fantasy, paranormal romance, science fiction, and romance (both adult and young adult for all categories).

4. What are your favorite books?

Gah, that's like asking which of my dogs is my favorite or which character on Game of Thrones is going to die next! How 'bout some recent favorites? Some 2013-14 five-star books include Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh (paranormal romance), Written in Red by Anne Bishop (urban fantasy), Dirty Magic by Jayne Wells (urban fantasy), and The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski (YA Fantasy). Also, I just finished The Winter King by C.L. Wilson (fantasy romance, out this July) and loved it. Plus, anything by Tessa Dare (historical romance), Ann Aguirre (scifi/fantasy), Jim Butcher (urban fantasy) and Katie McGarry (YA romance) immediately go on my TBR shelf.

5. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

The very best thing has been meeting other bloggers and people just as passionate (if not more) about books as I am. I've been lucky enough to meet some of my long-time bloggy friends IRL, which has been absolutely fantastic. But even just interacting with people online via blogs and Twitter has been amazing. The blogging community is filled with some truly wonderful individuals, if you put yourself out there.

Question of the Week: What living author or authors would you like to have dinner with? (Try to think beyond JK Rowling)

*First thing:  A reminder that if you want to be chosen as the Feature for #FF, please have your email address somewhere on your blog. I know there are other ways to contact people including Twitter and contact forms, but I've set up my #FF system in such a way that I need an email address. So for better or worse, that's the requirement for now.

John Green is an easy answer. I love Vlogbrothers and he seems like such a cool guy. Aside from him, I think it would be really cool to chat history with Robin LaFevers (who wrote Grave Mercy). Maggie Stiefvater has been cool every time I've met her. I'd love to meet Miranda Kenneally. She writes such good contemporary YA romance novels. Also, Neil Gaiman is also charismatic and fascinating. I don't know that he and I would be best buddies, but it would be super cool to chat with him on a one on one level.

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Now for the Follow Fun!

With GFC going the way of the dodo bird for many bloggers, there is no better time to start following blogs via RSS feed. If you use a reader, it would be great if you followed my RSS directly.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

We have a new button, so update your blogs if you are used to doing this meme!

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
8. If you're new to the Follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Next Week's Question:

What are your non-book guilty pleasures? Like TV shows, food, websites, hobbies, etc.

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