Who are
you (what do you write, what are your personal stats)?
I write YA novels involving danger, suspense,
and hot make out sessions. I prefer the complexity of novels, which is my way
of saying I don’t write short stories and novellas.
Where can
we find you online (blog, twitter, facebook, etc.)?
My favorite forms of social media are
blogging and tweeting. I’m on Facebook, but I don’t use it very often (for now).
I can be found on my blog, Seeing Creative (www.stinalindenblatt.com) and I’m a
member of the Querytracker.net blog team (www.querytracker.blogspot.com).
I
enjoy Twitter (www.twitter.com/stinall), but I’m a little lazy when it comes to
using it. And it’s too easy to spend time on it instead of writing. I have to
make sure I get my priorities straight.
When did
you begin your online platform building?
I began blogging in 2008, after hearing that
writers should blog. I knew nothing about doing it. I didn’t even follow any
blogs at the time. But I borrowed Blogging
for Dummies from the library, and read it on the loooooong car ride to
visit my in laws that summer. When I got back home, I had a vague idea what I
would do: photography tips for teens. It made sense since I wrote YA novels.
Eventually I began to write about other
topics too—mostly things relating to writing. Then at some point, I ended up
creating photography posts that show a connection between a photography tip and
writing (for example, juxtaposition).
What is
your message, if any (is your blog about anything specific, for example)?
Mostly I blog about writing, photography, books,
and anything publishing related.
How have
you built your followers? What have you done that has been the most
successful?
At the beginning of last year, someone left a
comment on my blog asking how she could follow me. At that point, I had
fourteen followers (who occasionally left comments). Turns out when I had
changed my blog design, the “follow” button had vanished, and since I didn’t
have a follower widget, no one could follow me. So I added both that widget and
the ‘subscribe via email’ widget to my blog. I actually have more people
following me via email than through the follower widget.
The other thing I did was join forces with a
fellow blogger and had a giveaway. It worked wonders. By the time the contest
closed two weeks later, I had 200 new followers. This was achieved by checking
out the blogs of those who left comments on blogs I followed. I then followed
the blogs that interested me and commented on them. I’m now friends with a lot
of the bloggers from those early days—including the winners of my blog
giveaway.
What have
you done that has failed?
I guess that would go back to when I started
blogging. I didn’t check out other people’s blogs or leave comments. But this
was when I didn’t have much time in my day (all my kids were young at the
time), so what little time I did have was spent working on my novel. Otherwise,
nothing has really failed. Even when I go away on vacation, I come back to new
followers. It’s really cool. *grins*
How much
time do you spend blogging? Reading blogs? Commenting on blogs?
This is the scary part. I read blogs and
comment Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 am (before my kids get
up for school). I then spend from 5:00 to 6:00 pm (and sometimes later in the
evening) responding to the comments left on my blog during the day (I try to comment
back on everyone’s blog). Because of all the blogging love I’m getting (between
30-60+ comments per post), I often have to catch up on comments left during the
night. I don’t mind the time spent. I love getting to know everyone, and I find
the greatest posts this way for my Cool Links Friday.
What else
should we know about you?
I spent eight years as a pharmaceutical sale
rep, so I understand the power of social networking. It also means I understand how business
works, which makes the rejection side of publishing easier to handle. I have a
Master’s of Science degree in exercise biological sciences (with a special
interest in energy metabolism). Believe or not, this has been extremely useful
when it comes to blogging and writing.
Any
additional advice for our readers?
Be yourself. Check out blogs you love. Figure
out why you love them. But at the end of the day, you still need to be true to
yourself. If you aren’t, people will see it and won’t be interested in what you
have to say.
What
makes you unique?
I have an accent that most people struggle to
place. I was born in England, but have lived in Texas, Canada, and Finland (my
mother is Finnish). Most people guess I’m either from Australia or New Zealand.
The closest I’ve come to New Zealand is watching Lord of the Rings, but I’d love to visit there someday. The other
thing that makes me unique is I run to brainstorm and solve plot problems. I’ve
even been known to run with a pen and write notes on my body so I don’t forget
my ideas.
Thanks
for having me on your blog, Laura. I’ve enjoyed it. And I especially enjoyed
reading the previous interviews. Most of the individuals are already my
blogging friends.
No, thank YOU, Stina. I really enjoyed reading your interview. It makes me remember I have to forgive myself for not being able to read and comment more on other blogs because my kids are still small. There is a time and season for everything, isn't there? And when my kidlets are older I can be cool and connected like you :) You are a shining example of savvy sensationalism. Thanks again!
