Beyond the Blog with Romancing the Dark Side

Welcome to Beyond the Blog, where we'll not only be featuring some amazing blogs but also the creative people behind them. Today we have an interview with Lori from Romancing the Dark Side.  Lori's site is easy to navigate and very useful for those looking for honest reviews and great giveaways.  Let's get to Lori's interview so you can meet her for yourself!

Let’s start with a few blog related questions

What are 3 words that describe your blog?

Lighthearted, honest and sometimes…sassy

What type of audience do you think would most enjoy your blog?

If you’re an adult Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy junkie you’ll feel right at home at my blog, but I have been known to venture into other genres such as Erotic Romance, Historical and even Steampunk. I love to talk about the books I love to read but I’m not afraid to read something new. If you’re a fan of Alpa heroes and feisty heroines you’ve come to the right place!

What’s your opinion on negative reviews? Do you think reviews should be posted or if someone doesn’t like a book, they should keep their opinion to themselves?

Wow this is a tough one! I do believe in freedom of speech but I’m not a fan of bashing someone’s work. For the most part, if a book is less than two stars, I won’t publish a long review, I’ll just share a few sentences on why it wasn’t a hit for me. If a book is a DNF (did not finish) I’ll do my best to offer my opinion with some constructive criticism, I feel you can share you did not like a particular book without insulting the author or his/her writing.

Everyone has the right to their own opinion but some readers take it too far when they insult the author’s work. While I don’t practice writing negative reviews, I respect each blogger’s right to publish their thoughts and opinions. A well-written negative review where you eloquently say why you didn’t like a book or that it wasn’t your cup of tea is one thing, going on a two page rant about how much you hated it and the author, is uncalled for, in my opinion.

At the end of the day you have to stay true to yourself and be honest whether it’s a positive or negative review.

Who are some of your favorite authors that you discovered because of blogging?

I was an avid reader before blogging so the big names in PNR and UF were not new to me but I have found a few new favorite Indie authors since the start of my blog. Felicity Heaton, Stacey Kennedy, Paige Cucarro, Tish Thawer, Coral Moore and Ada Adams are just some of fabulous authors I’ve been introduced to since starting Romancing the Dark Side.

Let’s get to know the blogger behind the blog, shall we?

Are you a morning person or is coffee a must before you’re able to function?

If I get at least 7 hours of sleep I am! I sometimes suffer from insomnia so eight hours of sleep isn’t a common thing for me. Coffee is a must if I didn’t get a good night’s sleep and am dragging a**.

What’s a typical day in your life like?

My life at the moment is far from exciting. I’m currently in between jobs so I’ve been spending my mornings online for my job search and going interviews. My afternoons are spent running errands or doing housework (like dreadful laundry…LOL) but I must admit I have enjoyed the extra downtime I have to read and blog at night that I didn’t have when I was working and going to school full time!

What is your favorite thing to do (aside from reading) in your down time?

I love to shop whenever I have the chance but I’ve recently re-discovered my love of cooking and baking and have been testing some new recipes. I’ve made chili, an apple-cranberry cobbler and some chocolate chip walnut cookies just to name a few. I like to snap pictures of the finished products to share on instagram but always forget to post them!

   

What’s something that people might be surprised to learn about you?

I’ve never been to an actual book signing…it’s true! Most of my signed books are from virtual signings, giveaways or ARC copies I’ve received. You’d think that living in NYC would be give me more access to meet my fave authors but I have yet to meet a favorite author in my neck of the woods…

What was your first full on, geek out fan moment?

The one that sticks with me is when author and friend Tish Thawer asked me if I would mind if she used a quote from my review on her next cover…umm NO! It was an honor to have an author want to share my thoughts with her readers in print.

You just won your dream vacation, all expenses paid. Where are you going?

I’m packing my bags and heading to Europe with at least one week in each of the the following places: London, Paris, Italy, Greece and Ireland, hey it’s a once in a lifetime trip, right?

Oh, we forgot to mention you get to take your fantasy man with you. So, who are you taking?

Hmmm, just one say?

You drive a hard bargain but if I had to choose just one I’d have to go with one of my all time faves, Vishous. Sure he’s a vampire so I’d have to do all my sunbathing without him but London and Ireland are not exactly the sunniest of places…LOL The night would be ours to enjoy and you don’t have to worry about having a boring time when V’s around…

Thanks so much to the lovely ladies of Paranormal Haven for having me! xoxo

Want to know more about Lori and her site? Here's where you can find her around the web:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Google +