- erynnmangum@gmail.com

An Interview with Rel Mollet and a GIVEAWAY!

Guys, I need to introduce you to my amazing Australian friend, Rel.

I get a ton of emails asking me how to get involved in reviewing books. Rel has been running Relz Reviewz for a while now and she’s now one of the best (not just in my opinion!) book bloggers for the Christian fiction market out there.

Plus, she’s Australian.

I think I might have mentioned that already, but it is very important. 😉

And she’s just about the nicest person I’ve never actually met. Are y’all seeing a trait when it comes to being a writer? How all of your friends are just pictures you see on the internet and signatures on emails??

Anyway, here we go! 🙂

@font-face { font-family: “Wingdings”; }@font-face { font-family: “Cambria”; }@font-face { font-family: “Arial Unicode MS”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Erynn: You blog about books which is SO cool. Tell us how you got started. Rel: I began by writing a few reviews for my local Christian bookstore and started my blog, Relz Reviewz, to have a record of them. I stumbled across the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and began reviewing books for blog tours and subsequently publishers, publicists and authors. I couldn’t have imagined that five years on I would be turning away books due to an overload of books! I used to read. Then I had a baby and even a shopping list seems like reading overload. How long did it take you to build up a blog audience? Honestly, I haven’t really paid much attention to that aspect of my blog. My passion is to share great books and authors with my readers by way of reviews, author interviews and character spotlights and somehow, in doing that, I have been blessed by people reading my thoughts and those of the authors that I highlight on my blog. I’m still amazed that I have an audience at all – LOL! It has steadily built up over the past five years. I love my readers and appreciate every comment I receive. 🙂 I think this is awesome. What genre do you most love to read? Romantic suspense is my favourite ~ high on the suspense with a subtle but meaningful romance. That said, other than sci-fi, I read and enjoy all genres. Any books that just released you’d highly recommend? That’s asking for trouble!! LOL! I’ll try to keep it to a minimum! Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig The Colonel’s Lady by Laura Frantz Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh The Doctor’s Lady by Jody Hedlund Torrent by Lisa T Bergren (Waterfall & Cascade are must reads first!) And…….Sketchy Behavior by one Erynn Mangum!! Aww, now I’m blushing. Thanks Rel! How do you develop contacts with publishers and authors? You need to show publishers and authors you are serious about blogging and reviewing and you are not just in it for a free book! Book blogging is very time intensive and accordingly significant commitment is required. Reviewing books you already have or have borrowed from the library is a good place to start. Publishers and authors need to see that you are writing genuine reviews before they will be willing to send books your way. Join some of the publishers’ book blogger programs and establish your credentials with some well written reviews. Once you have a “folio” of reviews you will be in a better position to approach authors or publishers directly (if that option is available). All this great info!! So, now the most important question of all… What is your favorite hot drink? Hot water with a squeeze of lemon! Strange, I know, but coffee and tea just don’t do it for me ;-D I think the problem is you just need to come here for a bit and I’ll treat you to a Pumpkin Spice Latte. 🙂 For my readers who would like to start their own blog reviewing books, what is the one most important thing they should do? Write honest, well written reviews that are respectful even when offering a criticism of the writing. Do you ever get sick of reading? 🙂
 No, but sometimes it is lovely to just read a book I don’t have to review! It is a more relaxing read 🙂 I bet! You live in Australia, which makes me incredibly jealous. What’s the best thing about living there? Mmmm…..that could be a long list, too! I love that as a culture we don’t take ourselves too seriously, we can laugh at ourselves, fabulous open spaces, beaches and, of course, vegemite! I am on my way to Google “vegemite”. Any additional advice for readers wanting to know more about review blogging? Check out some of the established book review blogs around and see how they do things on their blogs. Think about the focus for your blog ~ do you want to review Christian Fiction or have a YA focus? Write a review policy that reflects your individual requirements. Never, never give away spoilers in a review! Finally, love what you do! Thanks Erynn ~ loved the questions and hope my answers are of some help to your readers :)Thank you so much, Rel!! I hope that those of you who are interested in book blogging learned a lot! So, you guys know the drill now – leave a comment on this post to win an autographed copy of Sketchy Behavior!! And remember, every comment left during Fall Fiction Frenzy enters you to win the Old Navy gift card!Please, guys, only one comment per person. Today’s comment question: If you could buy only one thing for your house or future home, and money was not an issue, what would it be?
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47 thoughts on “An Interview with Rel Mollet and a GIVEAWAY!”

  1. Hi Erynn!!! If I could buy one thing for my future home….. hmmm….. i'd have to go with a pretty dish set! 😉 I love this contest!!!

  2. Hmmm, I think I would get this beautiful four post bed from Anthropologie I have had my eye on for a while!

  3. I'm enjoying the questions, though today's is hard. I don't really NEED anything for my house, but I think I would go for another nice bookshelf because all mine are full to overflowing.

  4. I would have my brother build me a really nice hutch/cupboard to hold nice dishes, but most importantly to display my collector teacups and saucers that used to be my Grandma's. Meanwhile, they are all packed in a box in my closet. 🙁

  5. I don't know if they even make these, but if they did: a great big storage compartment with big drawers and boxes that slide into it (to store kids clothes, toys, blankets etc). It covers a complete wall when clicked together but can also be disassembled to fit parts elsewhere if necessary.

  6. Hmmmm if I could buy one item for my future home I would buy a inground pool! (If I had the money)

  7. Hmmm.. I would buy a gorgeous ruffled quilt cover that I've been eyeing off online!
    Or maybe lots of bookshelves that all match each other!

  8. I would get a really wonderful, comfortable couch that would last a long time – and have some gorgeous reds in it (or perhaps be entirely red. . .!)

  11. I would probably buy the most comfortable couch that would match my house perfectly I just don't know what it would look like

  13. I have really gotten into baking lately, so I would have to say one of the kitchen aid stand mixers. Although if I could track down the hope chest my dad built in high school and allowed a shop to put it on display, but never went back to claim it, I'd buy that in a heartbeat!

    Holly
    oceandreamerfla(at)aol(dot)com

  14. I will probably not have my own house for many years, but I have a weird obsession for appliances; I think they are so cool. So, I would buy a really large industrial size refridgerator.

  15. I love those eclectic dish sets that don't really match but are so interesting they go together….I'd be on the hunt to mix and match 🙂

  16. A big, beautiful handcrafted, unique dining table with 12 chairs and a bench on each end so I could have LOTS of people over for meals and it could hold a growing family for years!

  18. Oh this is such a great question! I've always wanted to have a little library area in my future home, so a few book shelves and a really comfy chair would be perfect 🙂

  20. A tub big enough for a real person. Jets optional.

    I met Ruth Logan Herne at the ACFW conference a few weeks ago. One of the first things she said to me?

    "You're so much bigger than your picture!!!"

    Thanks, Ruthy. Love you too.

    😀

    I really do love her to pieces!

  21. I would buy bookshelves that would be able to cover all four walls of a room and then there would be a built in a desk :)it would be great for me who loves to buy books!

  22. Hey Erynn 🙂 Thanks for letting me visit – it was fun! You said some lovely things about me that I will cherish. Love that I have fantastic friends I've never met either and I'm privileged that one of them is you!

    How's this for my word verification – it was "the aus"!!!

    Hugs xo

  23. Oooh, I would say I would love a new couch or sectional so my fiance and I can snuggle while watching movies or sitting in front of our fireplace 🙂

  24. I would definitely buy a pantry for our kitchen. We could REALLY use one. Second on the list would be an addition built on to be a playroom (but I think that's a little more than what you meant. :))

  27. Does a bedroom set count as one thing? There is one at my local furniture store that I have my eye on. 🙂 If that doesn't count as a single thing, then I'd like a big dresser for my boys' room.

  34. Last year our yellow lab needed unexpected surgery on his leg. We had a garage sale and sold everything we could to help finance it, including our dining room table and chairs. If I could buy anything for my home it would be a set in time for Thanksgiving.

  35. Hmmm…let's see…I guess I'd say a beautiful mantle/fireplace 🙂 I would want a really great looking one…big too…in the living room. This, of course, would be for my dream house 🙂

  36. I have heard a beautiful rumor that there is a way to remodel your shower with a magical substance that does not mildew. Ever. NO MILDEW. I would hunt down this company and hire them to install one of these lovelies immediately!

  37. For my future home, I would love to have one of those fake fireplaces, where they still give off heat but you don't have to have a real fire going. I could see myself sitting by the warmth of the "fire" with a cup of tea and a good book. 🙂

  38. I would buy a "mud room"; a place to take off shoes, hang up coats, and house the washer and dryer separate from my dining room (where all of these activities currently take place) 🙂

  39. An indoor swimming pool. Lol! Does that count? 🙂 I love to swim for fun. But I don't get to do it as often as I'd like because A–I live in New Hampshire, and it's winter for most of the year. B–I work all the time.

  41. If money were no object I would probably buy a chocolate fountain. Can you imagine how fun that would be? There's a good chance I would gain several pounds from consuming mass amounts of chocolate, but it would totally be worth it. lol

  45. Scripture verses painted (or on vinyl wall art) all over my house…. a dream of mine, but I don't have the time or money right now. Sigh.

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