Follow Me Friday: Blog Style August 31

Hi! Welcome to Follow Me Friday: Blog Style! I believe that book bloggers should help one another, because well, we all have one thing in common- the love of blogging, and books. I've had the pleasure of meeting and networking with some great bloggers out there, and my little tribute to everyone is to start up this fun Friday post! The power of uniting has helped Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More grow into what it is today, and I'm not about to forget the help I've gotten to achieve this goal. My hopes in starting this is to get other blogs some more followers, whether they are a well known blog or a small one, a blog that's just starting out. I'm here to help.

This Friday I'd like to feature Bringing Passion to Life and Naughty Thoughts to Mind…, The owner/create of this blog is Nicole Morgan. I hope you'll follow along as I ask some questions pertaining to the blog, and a few fun questions. Ready? Let's begin!

Hi! Welcome to Storm Goddess Book Reviews and More! I'm really excited about this, and glad that you have taken part of the fun!

So, tell us a little bit about yourself!

Oh wow, is that spotlight really necessary? LOL. I am a published author, huge military and veteran supporter and I love to spend time with my kids and fiancé.

What made you decide to start a blog?

Honestly, it just seemed like the thing to do. When I started it – years ago – I wasn’t even really sure what a blog was. I have learned as I went throughout the past few years.

How did you come up with a blog name?

Actually, no one ever believes this story, but it’s the truth. I literally sat down to come up with a name and five minutes later had it. It just came to me and I felt it really fit my writing and my mind.

How many people do you have on staff, and how do you decide who does what job?

Staff? Umm…well there’s me, then there’s I, and of course myself. So all in all I’d say my staff rounds out to total one employee. ME! LOL

How long has your blog been live/active?

I started my blog in mid 2009 after my first book was accepted for publication.

What type of things do you do? Services you provide?

I have guests on my blog to promote their work, I participate in blog hops and generally just post about anything and everything. The only things I steer clear of are politics and religion because it’s safer that way. LOL

What are THREE unique things about your blog?

I have received complements about the design, layout and look but I have done all the work myself. I also try to link things whenever possible. So, if I’m having a guest I will go the extra mile and link their author’s pages and other websites their work can be featured even if they haven’t asked me to. I designed my banner myself.

How do you go about spreading the word about your blog, and the posts?

I am very active on twitter and facebook as well as the yahoo groups. On twitter I am nearly 4500 followers and facebook I have close to 3000 connections. I have some great people on both accounts that help me to share things and that is always a big help.

What's the best thing about blogging?

Blogging is fun because it’s different from your website. You can have fun and sort of let your hair down. It brings out a lot of my personality when I post and comment on blogs.

What's the hardest thing about being a blogger?

I would say the toughest part is having enough time to view and comment on all the great blogs I know are out there. There will be times I will come across a blog and realize I haven’t visited it in a couple of weeks even though it has some great content.

Besides blogging, what are some of your other hobbies and passions?

Well my passion is writing. I love it and couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. As far as hobbies, anything with my family is a cherished moment. Life is far too short and I try to relish every single second of it.

Which author have you not hosted on your blog that you'd LOVE to have?

Maya Banks! No! Wait…Joann Ross! No! Wait…Stella Cameron! NO! Ugh…I could name 20 of them easily. Suzanne Brockman, Lora Leigh, Shayla Black, the list can go on and on. LOL

How does one go about getting a review request to you?

I’ve taken review requests before, but I don’t do them very often. Usually if someone I know wants me to review one of their books they just send me an email.

How does one go about becoming a reviewer for you?

Since my blog is an author blog, it’s not something I’m really looking to add onto at this point. Who knows what the future may hold though.

Where can readers find you? How many ways to follow do you have?

Oh geesh, I’m all over the place. I’ll give you the long list of the ones that are off the top of my head:

Facebook Fan Page: http://facebook.com/NicoleMorganFanPage

Facebook Friend Page: http://facebook.com/NicoleMorganAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/mornic1

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/NicoleMorgan

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NicoleMorgan

Manic Readers: http://manicreaders.com/NicoleMorgan

The Romance Reviews: http://www.theromancereviews.com/nicolemorgan

Romance Books 4 US: http://www.romancebooks4us.com/RomanceAuthorNicoleMorgan.html

How would an author go about getting a feature, whether it be an interview, guest post, etc?ll

All an author needs to do is email me and ask. Unless you’re a homicidal maniac or kick kittens I will say yes! LOL

Most memorable post/even?

That’s hard to say, but I would have to say it was one of my blog hops. I had over 60 comments, the most I’ve ever had and it just blew me away! I liked to see that much participation and traffic especially since I spend so much time on every post. I swear I most hit “preview post” a dozen times before I actually publish it. LOL

Let's share some firsts!

First post:

Hmm…well this is a pickle. Since it’s been years I can’t remember my very first post, but in my archives it only takes me back until June 2010. I remember revamping my blog around that time. I wonder if I deleted things? Stop laughing at me! I’m not going crazy. Well, okay, maybe a little. LOL

First review:

The first review I ever received was for Intimate Persuasions, my first release with Siren Bookstrand. It was a 5 star review and the reviewer said they couldn’t take their eyes off of my book. I was in heaven! (Link to review – I wasn’t sure if it could be included: http://ddrreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/intimate-temptations-book-1-intimate.html)

First author interview:

I don’t think I’ve ever had a guest interviewed on my blog. It sounds like I’ll need to broaden my horizons and take that on this year.

First guest post:

My first guest was M.S. Spencer and she actually did a three day post-a-thon on my blog talking about her suspenseful romantic stories.

First milestone:

I think my eyes about popped out of my head when I hit 10,000 unique blog hits. I was like, 10,000 people have looked at my blog? WOW!

First great compliment about your blog:

Someone asked me who designed it for me and how much it cost. I was so proud to say it was me and I charged myself nothing! LOL

First time your quote has been put in a book- whether it be print or ebook)

I can’t speak for a book, because I don’t know if that’s happened. However, I have been saying a nightly prayer on twitter and facebook for years. It kind of makes me smile when I see other people saying it now. It’s nice to see that it’s caught on. It goes like this… “Rest well and dream sweet, a member of our military is staying awake so that you may sleep in peace.”

First publisher you got to send you review requests regularly.

This doesn’t really apply to my blog, but my hopes are that my publisher is doing this to other blogs. LOL

And now for some fun questions!

Three books on your keeper's shelf.

Powerful Peace: A Navy SEAL’s Lessons on Peace From a Lifetime at War by J. Robert Dubois

The Callahan Brothers Trilogy by Joann Ross

KGI Series by Maya Banks

Favorite authors?

Maya Banks, Joann Ross, Stella Cameron, Beth Kerry, AJ Llewellyn, and the list could go on and on and on and on. LOL

Book you've re-read the most?

The Callahan Brothers Trilogy

Favorite TV show?

Criminal Minds! I am a bit of a crime scene fanatic. It used to be CSI but I’ve seen all those shows so many times I needed a little change.

Favorite color?

I really don’t have one. I like many colors, depending on clothes, decorating or my mood.

What's your dream job?

Being a successful author! J

If you could travel anywhere in the world, no money holding you back, where would you go?

Australia. I’ve been there before and it is so very beautiful!

Anything else you'd like to add in, maybe something I didn't ask in the interview that you'd love to share with readers?

I was engaged in July of this year and am starting a brand new chapter in my life. I’ve never felt happier and feel so lucky to be able to truly have a “do-over” that so many wish to get.

I really appreciate you answering my questions. It's great getting to know other bloggers that share the same interests as I do. Before we end this post, please share any links that come in handy for you and your blog.

Please stop by my blog on the main page here: http://nicolemorganauthor.blogspot.com. There is always something new and fun going on.

Readers, I hope you'll check out this blog and give it a follow if you haven't already!