Another Armchair BEA has come and gone. It’s been an exhausting but exhilarating week. Hopefully, you made some new friends, learned some interesting tips, got some insight into the main event in New York, and most importantly had fun.

Please feel free to link up to your individual wrap-up post you may write. We love to go back and look at people’s final thoughts on our no-longer-little event!

First I want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who hosted Armchair BEA, a major undertaking.  

I will definitely be participating next year.  I hope that I will be more involved then, especially with the Twitter aspect.  It was fun finding new blogs and bloggers, the daily agendas and the experience overall.  I didn’t get to visit everyone but I copied/pasted the list and will be stopping by in the future.  I hope to become more involved next year now that I know a little bit more of this event.

It’s Friday! The last day of Armchair BEA. Can you believe it? The week has just flown by. I hope everyone has met some new blogging friends and learned a few things too. Maybe you got ideas for the future of your blog. We hope so. We want book blogging to be around for a long time.

Today’s topic is Ask The Experts. In your post, ask the visitors to your blog for blogging advice. What did you always want to know about blogging but were afraid to ask? Now is the time!

Alternatively, if you’ve been blogging for awhile, you’ve probably learned a thing or two. Whether you stumbled upon a something that makes blogging easier or made a mistake you’d never want anyone to repeat, share your experience and wisdom with others.

Even though I have been part of this community for 2+ years, I do still have questions/concerns.  But first I would like to say that I know I will be at this for many more years since I enjoy every minute of it as I did when I first started due to the following.  I love meeting new people, albeit new bloggers, authors, publishers, publicists, etc.  Also seeing and receiving ARCs, books and/or new authors is like being a kid in a candy store.  Seeing others’ thoughts on books read since I am not surrounded by readers in RL to discuss books read, for me, this is like being part of one very large book club.
What has worked for me:
*Draft up posts way in advance (for both showcases and daily memes). For memes I created a cheat template, create the drafts a month before and then plug in what is needed for that particular day.
*Individual folders for each contact person, winners of giveaways, templates for postings, etc.
*Cataloging books received onto a spreadsheet with date received, from who, if a review is needed and when then update it when book is read, date read, rating.

Now for my concerns:
*Falling behind on requested reviews. I have a very hard time saying NO and tend to accept too many books. My feeling, and not sure if it is wrong, but my thinking is that if it is a good review, it doesn’t matter when it is posted. A favorable review will bring recognition to the book no matter the time frame.
*Finding/writing fresh material for posts. Again, and especially if I get behind in my reviews, is one of the reasons why I participate in daily memes so that I post everyday.
*Social media-FB/Twitter I don’t post and/or tweet unless it is pulled from my blog. Should I be more active with this?

Today at Armchair BEA: Beyond Your Blog

Today is day 3 of Armchair BEA and the topic of discussion is the following:

Today is the day that we discuss networking.  Many of us bloggers network online.  Afterall, Armchair BEA is all about networking online, particularly with other bloggers.  However, how can you get more involved offline and in real life?  Have you ever wondered how some bloggers have established those connections with local bookstores or libraries or even beyond?

For Day 3, we want you to share your positive experiences of using your blog to get involved in your community.  This can involve partnerships with the local literary scene, attending author events and signings, or getting together with bloggers in your area.  We want to hear it all!

Another day in this community and another issue learned.  I, unfortunately, did not know about the above and hoping to gather information on how to partner and network within my community.  I thought, naively, that all networking among us was via internet.  So since I have no experience in this area, would appreciate any tips, where to start, what to do, etc.  I thank you in advance if you are stopping by and leaving comments on this subject.

I have an embarrassing issue to confess to.  The BEA starts today.  How I so wish I could attend one year but due to the difficulty of walking, I know that it is something I probably will never be able to do.  Last year I saw Armchair BEA  around bloggyland but thought that it was just bloggers relaying their experiences while they were actually present at the event.  

Yesterday, via another blog that I visited, sorry can’t remember which one to give them the credit, but they had the link for the Armchair BEA.  I did not realize that I could actually participate virtually so I signed up yesterday and am so excited about being part of this event.  Today’s assignment is getting to know each other.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself:
Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?
My name is Cheryl Masciarelli (pronounced Mash-a-relli, hence the nickname Mash. Have been married for 31 years with 2 phenomenal sons, who both live out of state due to jobs :(.  I have been blogging for 2+ years and am now also a partner in a virtual tour company, Partners In Crime Tours, with Molly, from Reviews By Molly. I stumbled onto a book blog, never knowing they existed and for that matter, didn’t even have a clue at that time, what a blog was. I stalked a few for a month or so and it looked like so much fun that I decided to join the club.

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?
I am currently reading The Bright River by Patrick Somerville, from The Hachette Book Group. Favorite book?  Tough question, since I have to say that this year there have been quite a few that were 5+.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
For those who follow me, there really isn’t one thing as I tend to share my real life experiences on my blog also.

What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?
Favorite? I love everything, the daily memes, guest authors, giveaways, challenges, and most importantly, the people I have met because of my blog and working with authors, publishers and publicists.

Where do you see your blog in five years?
Still here but hopefully that I will learn more about the social media sites and understanding and navigating the platform of wordpress.

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?
It would have to be 2. One when my Mom passed and the other would be about the special angels that took care of her.

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?
Ironically, yesterday plans were made to meet and have dinner with an author. I was contacted a while back to read and review a book, Ragdoll Redeemed by Dawn Novotny and to host a showcase through WOW Tours. The book was phenomenal and really left an impression. Since she wasn’t scheduled for the spotlight until this Thursday, June 7th, I decided to send her a copy of my review so that she wouldn’t have to wait to see it as it was her first tour. We started emailing and clicked. She is a kind, nice, genuine, amazing, strong and down to earth person. We developed a friendship and found we had some similarities in our life through emails. She is attending a conference in the state I reside and we made plans to meet. I can’t wait because I feel that I have known her for years.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?
Meeting other bloggers and forming friendships is first and foremost. The other is sharing thoughts on books read since I am not surrounded by readers in RL.
Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?
Yes. I have read books with the premise and/or genre that I wouldn’t have chosen prior to blogging.

I can’t wait to see what is next in Armchair BEA!

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

This week’s question:
Do you have a reading goal for the year, such as __ books? Why or why not?

My response:
Last year was awful in the number of books that I read.  Due to many personal issues/real life interference, I read a total of 50 books.  This year I signed up for both Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge, which I put 75 books as my goal.  I also signed up for the 100+ books Challenge, which I knew was wishful thinking on my part, but will sign up every year until I make it.  As of today I am at 34 books read.   I need to pick up the pace a bit to make my goal.  But once again, there are a couple of issues I am dealing with but at least I am reading several books a month, whereas last year, there were months where I only read 1 book.  I also need to be more disiplined and spend less time blogging and more time reading, which I hope to do for the second half of 2012.

Good luck with your goals!  Do you keep track of the number of books read?  If so, what is your goal and how many books have you read?

June is being hosted by Alternative Read

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

                   Gina from Hott Books      The Hachette Book Group

                 

                Author                                               Author