Blogging Mentor Mondays: Cassie Mae is Here to Play!

Cassie of Reading, Writing, and Lovin' It is here to chat about blogging! I asked Cassie to be a Blogging Mentor because she can throw one heck of a blog hop, has personality galore, and her posts and comments never fail to make me smile. Hi, Cassie! *waves*

First off, thanks bunches to Emily for inviting me to her blog! And in case you don’t know me, I’m Cassie and I must warn you, I’m a major dork. But I’m totally proud of my dorkism! Helped me when I wrote one of my books, lol. And I laugh. A lot! So if ‘lol’s’ and smiley faces are littered throughout this post, I apologize. But I really am ‘laughing out loud’. Lol. See, there I go. :)

Thanks for being here, Cassie. First up: when and why did you start your blog? So, last August my mommy told me I should start up a blog to talk about the book I just finished. I was like, um… I have a hard time working Facebook. How the heck am I supposed to keep up a blog? But I did it, and even though Mommy was the only follower at the time, it was a great outlet to yap my mouth off about stuff that nobody else really cared about, lol. And I don’t get to talk to adults like, at all. I stay at home and talk to my 4 year old and 1 year old, and though those conversations about whether Elmo is better than Cookie Monster are awesome, I needed something more. I’m a chatty girl (I’m sure you’ll have to edit this interview cuz of my blabby mouth) so when I discovered you could comment on people’s blogs and they could comment on yours, I said hello to blogging!

You're so bubbly, I wouldn't dream of editing you.

You’ve co-hosted several blog hops. What is the secret to having a successful blog hop? Ha ha! Not sure if there is a secret or anything. I’m just really vocal about things when I get SUPER EXCITED. (squee!) My first blog hop I hosted by myself, so I was super nervous and hoped I was doing everything right. But gotta say, when I saw the links pop up on that little linky links thingy, my nerves just went vamoose! And blog hops became something I just loved to do, so when people ask me to co-host, I’m all over that! Plus, it’s a great way to meet people and also give away prizes. (That’s the best part!)

Speaking of blog hops… have you joined I’m Hearing Voices or It’s Getting Hot in Here? Cuz they’re gonna be awesome!!!!!! With some fabulous prizes! (Yipee!!!!)

I've signed up for both. They're gonna rock!

What is your most memorable blogging experience? Oh! I know! Juliana Brandt’s Warm Fuzzy Blogfest was the best thing I did for my blogging. Before that, I was really shy about what I posted. (Me? Shy???? No!) But really, I was terrified to be myself online because my personality is a bit… out there, lol. So when I entered this particular blogfest, there was one week when you had to post a picture that summed up your inspiration for your book and people had to go around and guess what your story is about based on that picture. I don’t know what was with me the day everyone posted, but I started making these crazy and wild guesses, cracking myself up but probably annoying the crap out of everyone else. But hey! I won that week! And ever since, I’ve been able to be as crazy wild on my own blog as I am in real life.

Blogfests and blog hops are a terrific way to break the ice with other bloggers.

What are the top three reasons you continue to blog today? Do you have enough room for this answer? There are of course the obvious reasons. With all the wonderful advice and writing tips and blogs from people at every level in the writing process, there’s no way I could’ve learned as much as I did in the short amount of time I’ve been involved.

I’ve met some amazing people who share the same interests and gained super fabulous friends. Because blogging has helped me personally, my writing has grown into something more. I’m more inspired, more creative, and a lot happier about how much time it takes to write. (When I say write, I include revising, editing, querying, etc.) 

And mostly because blogging has done more for me than I could’ve hoped for. It is my lifeline. As a mother, everything I do revolves around other people. My entire schedule is based on dirty diapers, nap time, snack time, play time, time-outs, tantrums, so on and so forth. Writing and blogging are the things I get to do for me. I get to immerse myself into amazing advice from people who totally get it, and in turn I’ve grown so much as not only a writer, but as a person.

See, I’m capable of cheesy stuff too, lol :)

I hear ya on the mommy talk!

Random Question: Who is your favorite author? Oh, why did you give me such a hard random question? I could take the easy answer and say JK Rowling because Harry Potter is just incredible! But there are so many authors I admire because of how much they’ve done for me. Can I cheat and say a few? Well, I’m going to anyway, lol. Ali Cross, Rebecca Belliston, Jolene Perry, and Alex Cavanaugh for taking the time to help out aspiring writers like myself. And the talent they have is just jaw dropping. I was left gawking like an idiot after I read each one of their books, way beyond words to describe just how amazing they were.

We ARE spoiled by the massive amount of talent and generosity in the writer-blogging world! Thanks again for mentoring us, Cassie. You're a joy!

Thanks again, Emily! :)