Spotlight Saturday: Becca and Andrea (The Violet Hour)

 

 

Becca and Andrea are two wicked chicks who happen to run a pretty stellar blog, the Violet Hour. If you haven’t been by, then you need to check it out, stat! Both are English majors but are a bit opposite when it comes to their taste in books. Becca has a penchant for the paranormal and sci-fi genres, while Andrea is a fan of contemporary fiction and romances. The two have joined forces to bring to the masses their super detailed and sometimes even laugh out loud hilarious reviews.  

These ladies did me a solid by answering some questions, so without further ado, I give you Becca and Andrea!

 

 

1.       What is your favorite genre to read?

 

Becca’s Response: Favorite genre easy peasy lemon squeezey! Supernatural which I am there including: paranormal, Sci-Fi, and fantasy. I love a little romance with a whole lot of action! Or you know a little action with a whole lot of romance.

 

Andrea’s Response: Definitely Contemporary Fiction and Romance. On the flip-side of Becca’s initial response, I love a little action with a whole lot of romance! (That’s what makes our blog awesome: diversity.)

 

2.       What is your biggest pet peeve about writers/books?

Becca’s Response: Oh my biggest? Jeez… I guess my biggest if I had to pick one, well no it would be between, shifts in POVs and telling vs showing. So I should probably explain the shifts in POVs, I don’t mind it if authors do it at the beginning but don’t start it in the middle/near end of the book, or in some cases in the next book in the series. Well okay I lied about that a little too, sometimes I don’t care if that author does it in the next book but it all depends. And the telling vs showing? Well I want to experience things with the main characters not be told.

Andrea’s Response: I agree with Becca on the shifts in POV. I understand in some situations it makes sense, but when there is a POV change in the middle of a book, it sucks ass and I automatically stop reading whatever it is. It drives me absolutely nuts! Also books that obviously have not had an editor look it over and have grammatical mistakes throughout. It might just be me being a grammar snob, but even when I see when a spelling error or comma misuse in a novel, I start having eye twitches that overcome every other feeling I’d been having about the book.

3.       What about a book just hooks you in?

Becca’s Response: What about a book hooks me in? Jumping right into the action is one thing that I will drool over like no other. Of course good summaries help. But honestly jumping right into the heat of things I just love it. Also a good strong voice of the main character – if its first person – works wonders for me. If I get a dry narrator there is a good chance I will get bored.

Andrea’s Response: Books that don’t drag at the beginning and have thorough character developments. It’s not like I want every single detail about a character, but I’d like enough of a developed connection with a character to get me hooked into a plotline.

4.       Do you have a favorite book boyfriend/girlfriend?

 

Becca’s Response: Um too many to count? Can I tell you more or less what gets me to have a book boyfriend? Okay well I am so there. Anyways my truest love is a guy who treats a girl like she is an equal but something to be treasured at the same time. A guy who will be willing to mess around and joke but also possessive and loving. But if I had a pick a man or two, or three, or um I will stop. Oh um…. Damian from Lindsey J. Parsons’ “Vortex”. Damien from Jennifer Armentrout’s “Lux Series”, and if I had to pick just one more oh I just can’t….Any of the men from Quinn Loftis’ “Prince of Wolves” Series (Costin is my favorite). Also I had a major thing with Aiden from Stephanie Constante’s “Baptism of Fire”.

 

Andrea’s Response: Pretty sure this might be one of these worst questions ever… not that it is a bad question, just that it seems impossible to answer. If I absolutely have to cut it down, I would have to choose Braden from On Dublin Street, Gideon from the Crossfire series, Rush from Fallen Too Far, Shane from The Morganville Vampire series, and Beck from The Demon Trapper’s Daughter series.

 

5.       What made you decide to start blogging about books?

 

Becca’s Response: Well I started reading all these books and I had no one to tell them all about because the people around me don’t read all that much besides Andrea, and I mean other friends of mine read but not really the same stuff – and this goes a little for Andrea too, she likes real life stuff…icky….anyways. I wanted to give my opinion because I wanted to get people interested in books that I thought needed to be promoted. I love this little indie kick I have been on. I only hope that I can get one other person to see this amazing story an author who also has a passion for telling stories gets noticed. I don’t think there is anything greater than being able to share a great story to another person.

 

Andrea’s Response: Well, I’ve run quite a few websites over the years and Becca and I always talked about and recommended books to each other, so we thought, what the hell, let’s make a review blog!

 

6.       How many books on average do you read a week?

Becca’s Response: On average? At least two, maybe three. Really it depends on the week, and that number will probably sky-rocket once summer comes around.

Andrea’s Response: Umm… probably like four. On the days I’m not at school all day or working, I’m reading.

7.       Are you an emotional reader, i.e. do you cry, get angry, laugh out loud, etc?

 

Becca’s Response: Oh I get angry alright. And I laugh out loud that is for sure. To cry? Well I am just too much of man to cry ;). (Andrea will tell you otherwise best not believe her though.)  But in all seriousness yes I am an emotional reader. If a book makes me feel all those things then in my opinion it would deserve four stars right off the bat. A great book is a book that can make you feel the emotions of the main character.

 

Andrea’s Response: Of course. And Becca is a liar. I know for a fact that she cried when she read Last Breath by Rachel Caine because when I told her I bawled my eyes out during that book, she admitted that she did too. If the book is written well enough and is meant to be emotional, then yes, I get emotional.

 

8.       Can you remember the first time you read a book on your own? If so which book was it?

Becca’s Response: Um the first chapter book I ever read by myself was in 6^th grade I think, maybe 7^th. I had reading disabilities and my mother told me not to long ago that I would use to ask why I couldn’t read books like my twin. Oh don’t feel bad! I am making up for lost time now. And reading has become a huge passion, well obsession of mine. The book I remember because it will always hold a special place in my heart: “The Thief Lord” by Cornelia Funke.

Andrea’s Response: Although I know that there are other books that I read on my own before this point, the first one that I remember was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the third grade. My best friend at the time had read it; she let me borrow her copy, and things just escalated from there.

9.       Who is your favorite hero/heroine?

Becca’s Response: Who is my favorite hero/heroine? Again with these questions that can’t possibly have just one answer! Well I guess I will do the same with what I did with the boyfriend question. What I look for in my favorite hero/heroine is a sense of humanity. I want to be able to feel like I can connect with them I don’t want them to be this imagine of a perfect being. I think a lot people look for those kickass, badass, just “add something before” ass, and that’s who they love. For me? I look for the girl/guy that has been beaten down still scarred but continues on because it is what is right. So if I had to pick one hero and one heroine? I would pick for my heroine: Celia Wird from Cecy Robson’s “Sealed With A Curse”. And hero: I have to say three guys I just can’t pick one out of them: Beck from “Demon Trapper’s Daughter” Series by Jana Oliver, and these two dudes are from the same book: Reed and Russell from Amy A. Bartol’s “The Premonition Series”.

Andrea’s Response: My most favorite heroine is Claire from The Morganville Vampire series. She’s a very strong character and she is probably the one character that I agree with every single decision that she has made throughout the entire series.

10.   What villain do you love to hate?

 

Becca’s Response: EASY! Warner from Tahereh Mafi’s “Shatter Me”. For some unknown reason I would marry that man. I would do it. Seriously.  Villain’s for the genre I read tend to be organizations or lots and lots of people so I will say that a good villain is a villain who isn’t willing to hold back. Which means the author themselves’ aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. But yes I have to say Warner is my favorite.

 

Andrea’s Response: The villain that I love to hate is Caleb from Captive in the Dark. Although he isn’t the most obvious villain, he did some horrific things, but I loved him regardless.

Thanks again to Becca and Andrea for giving us an inside look into the minds of a book bloggers! You guys rock! For more info on these two and to check out their reviews, head on over to the The Violet Hour!