The first of my favourite book reviewers to sit in the #Lovemyreviewers chair, is Nikki from http://nikkis-books4u.blogspot.co.uk/. I met Nikki around the same time that my first novel was published and she’s a well-respected, and very supportive, book reviewer. She was the first person to join my street team, a band of lovely readers/reviewers who support all of my new releases!
Welcome Nikki, it’s lovely to have you here as the first person to feature in my #Lovemyreviewers hot seat! I’m going to fire a few questions at you – so let’s get started!
Why did you set up your blog?
I set up my book blog while looking for a focus after I became ill. I became seriously ill and found myself in and out of hospital and stuck at home. Reading was a great focus for me and when I had finished a book. I thought it was a great shame to to put the book away on a book shelf and move on. Also I wanted to do something to help new writers, so I started reviewing. I was eventually diagnosed as having an auto immune disease and immunosuppressed. I strongly believe having something to keep my mind occupied and keeping busy helped me to get my medical condition under control.
How do you fit your online work into a busy life as a working mum?
My working hours in media have always been flexible and I was lucky enough to always manage like most women to juggle everything to fit and I still do. My children were at school then so I had that time while they were in school for my work. When I became ill I still needed that drive and reviewing was the perfect thing to do in my situation. I am a people person and I needed to still interact with people and thanks to social media and Skype I could still do just that. Everything just fell into place and it really worked for me at the time. Also having the support of my wonderful husband Andrew was a great help.
What started your passion for reading?
I have just always loved books. I grew up in a house filled with books. I also grew up in a family of teachers so every birthday and Christmas present… books! I was one of those children who would read under the covers with a torch when the lights had gone out. I wanted to be a Librarian when I grew up. But fate had other plans…
How do you find a little ‘me’ time?
I consider reading my ‘me’ time. I love to escape and unwind in a good book. I really enjoy the peace, quiet and calm of the atmosphere when reading. Reading is perhaps the only downtime and all to myself time I have at the moment.
Share one thing that people may not know about you?
Most people in the book world know me for my crazy socks. I have a huge collection. What a lot of people actually do not know is what now as become a huge collection started when I got ill and now do not have an immune system… So in winter socks help keep me keep warm and help keep me out of hospital. When friends and family heard this I was sent socks. This grew over social media and I now have hundreds of socks.
I must admit I do miss the winter on FB and seeing pics of Nikki displaying her latest sock designs … and I well remember the dark days when Nikki was very ill indeed. Every day was a battle and it’s a tribute to Nikki that she kept positive. She has helped an enormous amount of new authors, including myself, by spreading the word and inspired many of her followers to try a novel by someone they haven’t read before.
I’d like to share a few quotes from some of the reviews Nikki has written about my books (and she has reviewed them all!) and for which I’m very, very grateful:
Falling: Angels Among Us the complete series “… you can now read all of Ceri and Alex’s story in one great read. Linn B. Halton writes a rollercoaster of emotions in all her novels. They are full of romance, drama and just add that touch of a psychic mix to make the characters have extra depth and edge.”
Sweet Occasions “This is a story that will not only touch your heart, but will melt your heart too. A warm and wonderful told story. The story line is original and fresh and will keep you guessing until the very end.”
Touched By The Light “What is different with this book is that through out the chapters the story is told by all the main characters from their point of view and this is really done well with excellent writing so you do not get confused or lose the plot in anyway. There are some unexpected twists in the story, which add to the story and make it an excellent feel good read.”
I have also purchased books based on Nikki’s recommendations – and that’s a sign of a good reviewer!
Do drop by Nikki’s website and find out more about her and read some of her honest, and very personal, reviews.
Nikki Bywater’s background is media. Nikki worked in film and television and now works in the book and writing world. Nikki is a Freelance Media PR and a Professional Book Reviewer. Nikki is also a blogger and calls herself more of a scribbler of ideas than a writer. Nikki likes to read anything and she believes we can learn something new from all books we read.
You can follow Nikki here:
http://twitter.com/NikkiiNola
http://nikkis-books4u.blogspot.co.uk
http://facebook.com/nikki.bywater