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2011-02-21

My Friend: Chachic

I took a photo of my friend, Hazel, also known as Chachic. She's a bookworm and blogger.
I've known her since my college days and currently work with her at a research firm.


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Q. For many bloggers, blogging doesn’t pay the bills, at least not all the bills. So tell us a little about yourself. What else do you have going on in life?
Blogging definitely doesn’t pay bills for me because I don’t generate any kind of income from my blog. I do it all for fun and to connect with fellow book lovers all over the world. Like I usually say, I don’t have enough real life friends who read for fun so it’s always a good thing to be able to talk about something you love to those who understand it.
My blog is a hobby of sorts (although sometimes it feels more than that) because I still have a day job and I try to spend as much time as I can with family and friends. I love to eat so I usually eat out during weekends. :D
Q. How do you manage your blog and daily life?
Thankfully, my day job only requires me to work 8 hours a day. I usually don’t have to work overtime so I can read and blog when I get home after work. And on weekends when I don’t have any plans.
Q. What turned you onto blogging? Don’t be shy.
I think I first discovered the book blogosphere back in late 2009. I was so excited to find out that there were other people out there who got excited about the same books that I read so I started following some blogs and before I knew it, I started my own. Book bloggers are really friendly and they welcome newcomers with open arms.
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Q. After the book has arrived at your house, how long does it take you to post a review? And could you tell us about your review process?
Oh wow, I don’t think this question is applicable to me since I have around 170 books in my to-be-read pile. I don’t get to read the books that I buy right away. Although I’m pretty casual when it comes to the review process – just read a book and write a review, that’s it for me.
Q. Have publishers or the like try to contact you.
Yep, I’ve received a few review copies although I’ve never received ARCs (Advanced Review Copies). In general, I wait for people to contact me for reviews instead of the other way around. I’ve also won some books through giveaways. I have a Kindle and I don’t mind reviewing ebooks so that will probably make things easier for publishers or authors who wish to send review copies. Not a lot of people are willing to spend for international shipping.


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Q. Some bloggers believe in short reviews while others believe in a more extended reviews. What are your thoughts on the subject?
I think my reviews are in between? They’re not short and they’re not long either. I don’t mind reading those kinds of reviews as long as I can get a feel of whether the book blogger liked a book or not.
Q. What genre do you prefer to review and why?
I read all sorts of books but mostly genre fiction and my favorites are fantasy and young adult fiction. Hmm… it’s pretty hard to answer the question “why?” but I can make it simple and just say that’s what I enjoy reading.
Q. How do readers affect the content of your blog?
I can’t say that my readers really affect the content of my blog but I do reply to all comments and I like coming up with discussion posts.
Q. As a blogger you must have set some goals for your blog. What has been successful so far and why do you think it has been successful.
Honestly, when I started my blog, my only goal was to have fun and to connect with other readers in the blogosphere. Now, I guess I’d love to expand that goal by being more active in online book blogger activities. I also manage the site Filipino Book Bloggers (URL: http://filipinobookbloggers.wordpress.com/) and I think it would be great if more bloggers joined the group. We try to have meet ups every other month and maybe when there’s enough interest, we can make it a monthly thing.
Lighting Round:
1. Your blog address is http://chachic.wordpress.com

2. What is the next book you are reviewing? I’m currently reading Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner so I’ll probably review that next.  
3. How long have you been doing this blogging thing? I started my blog January last year so I’ve been blogging for a little over a year now.
4. Name one living author you would love to interview? Megan Whalen Turner, author of one of my favorite series ever – the Queen’s Thief series.

13 comments:

Chachic said...

Yay, post is up! Thank you so much for taking pictures of me pictures with my books. It's like having a pictorial at a studio only better because it's a bookish sort of pictorial. I ♥ it. :)

Anonymous said...

Very nice pictures! I don't know Chachic in real life but the pictures seem so natural, she didn't pose for them - she was just having fun while you took them.

And it's nice to read about Chachic and her blog. We have been connected as bloggers for some time now - maybe since last summer?

Unknown said...

you should see the outtakes...
we were laughing the whole time!!
Chachic's great!

Holly said...

Ugh, my comment got eaten twice. Fun photos! You've captured her well. Outtakes? I want to see some. :)

Unknown said...

Let's ask her!
But what I really wanted to do was to have her wear a pink dress just like in her banner.. Oh well maybe next time

Tina said...

Fun pictures! :) Gotta love photos of bookshelves and their owners. :)

Celina said...

Love the photos!:) It looks like you guys really enjoyed this shoot.:)

Ranee said...

now that is a bookshelf! I love the article but love the bookshelf with its massive book collection! Go chachic!

Janicu said...

Nice pictures. Chachic looks really happy with all her books! And I see she has (at least) TWO copies of Robin McKinley's BEAUTY. *nods in approval*.

Chachic said...

Judith, I really did enjoy the photoshoot. It's a good thing that Ian and I know each other so well so we just had fun together. Yes, we've known each other for a while! I think since the June Bloggiesta last year?

Holly, shakes fist at Blogger! I can say that because we both have WordPress accounts. :P

LOL Ian, what outtakes? Two teeth and four teeth? Not the ones where you can see my fats hahaha.

Tina, me too! I like looking at book-related pictures even if they're of people I don't know. You should take pictures of your new bookshelf when you're house is done. :)

Celina, this is the photoshoot that I was telling you about. It's funny because I didn't want to do it at first diba? I'm glad I decided to go through with it.

Ranee, it's an awesome bookshelf and I love it. Now that I can see most of my books lined up like that, I've been better at reading the books in my TBR rather than buying new ones.

Janice, good observation! Yes, I have two editions of Beauty. I like having several copies of my favorites so I can let other people borrow them. I should've asked Ian to take pictures of some of my signed copies.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the compliments guys and gals! Chachic also kept asking if i could take a picture of her naked covered in books but i said, "your readers will lose respect for you!"

haha joke..

Anonymous said...

Okay, I'm a BIG Tolkien nut and I'm quite envious with Chachic's Lord of the Rings hardcover collection!

Nice photos you got there Mr Ivan!

And delightful guess post too Chachic!

Cheers to the both of you! ^_^

Michelle said...

I'm a little slow getting over here, but I LOVE this post! wonderful interview and pictures. And love the new color-coded shelves Chachic! I spotted quite a few of my favorites too ;)

And yes! to outtakes!

NuffNang

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