ARMCHAIR BEA: DAY ONE – INTRODUCTIONS

On By Laurel-Rain SnowIn armchair bea

 

Welcome to the first day of Armchair BEA, in which we provide some introductory details about ourselves, and share with others.

 

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Where in the world are you blogging from? 

 

I am a writer who retired from a thirty-year career as a social worker. Laurel-Rain Snow is my pen/online name (for Lorraine Frost Sandone).   I have published six novels, the most recent one last month, and started blogging in April 2008, as a means of marketing my books.  Since then, I have added numerous blogs, with the numbers going up and down over the years.  Currently I have eleven.  Why?  I love creating and designing them, and each blog represents a part of who I am.   This blog is my go-to spot for tracking books I read; I started it as a way to topple that huge Mt. TBR.  My blog An Interior Journey is another book blog, and it is about my interior world, including the world of reading and writing.  I have blogs devoted to my Creative Journey, my writing life (Snow Chronicles), and various obsessions:  Potpourri and Chocolate & Mimosas.

My website:  Laurel-Rain Snow’s Creations, lists my books, my blogs, news and events, and excerpts from my books.

I love connecting with other bloggers, and that is the appeal for me these days.  I live in Central California, but have also lived in San Francisco and Sacramento.

On the right, in my sidebar here, you’ll be able to link to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

 

What genre do you read the most? 

 

I read mostly fiction about relationships and families, along with numerous mysteries.  I also enjoy memoirs, especially those written by other authors or celebrities.  I love to read because reading transports me to other worlds and other lives . 

 

What was your favorite book read last year?   

 

Every year, I choose ten favorites.  I cannot pick just one, as each of the favorites is like a special child.  Loved!  Here’s my list for 2013.  What’s your favorite book so far this year?   I pick a favorite each month.  Last month’s favorite was That Night, by Chevy Stevens.  (Click for my review).

 

What does your favorite/ideal reading space look like? (Pinterest encouraged!) 

 

I am a fan of window seats….so my favorite spot might look like this one below.

 

greenhouse resized

 

 

What book would I like to see made into a movie?  The Arsonist, by Sue Miller (Click for my review).

 

 

These are a few details about me, my reading and my blogging.  What do the details of your life look like?

 

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42 thoughts on “ARMCHAIR BEA: DAY ONE – INTRODUCTIONS”

  3. what a gorgeous window seat!
    and Laurel I didn’t realize you were in social work! I worked with abused children for 20 years – loved it, miss it but thank God I’m out of it with the all the red tape now!
    Happy Armchair BEA Week!

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    1. I did not enjoy the bureaucracy of social work….after I retired from the county position, I worked for three years in a private agency, and while there were still rules and regulations, there was less of it. I loved it a lot.

      But I am glad to be out of it now. I still enjoy books and movies that feature those issues, however. Thanks for stopping by, Stacy…it’s great what we learn about bloggers during these events.

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  4. Window seats always sound so romantic to me. This one looks wonderful. You can look out for the Prince on the white horse with a book on your lap.

    I’m always surprised when I’m reminded how many blogs you have. I’ve got two and it keeps me busy enough! But then, I’m not retired. I actually started working (again) last summer so I’ve been pretty busy with that. My job? An editor of course!

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    1. I could not do as much reading, writing, or blogging if I still worked a regular job. I am loving the freedom!

      Thanks for stopping by, Judith….and window seats have always been a thing with me. Awhile ago, I had a house in the foothills, and in the guest house, there were two window seats. I designed them myself, when I decided to renovate the detached three-car garage into a guest house.

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      2. I had regular renters there (my son, and then my daughter), but when they left, I did enjoy spending time there. I sold the property seven years ago to move back into the city, but I so miss that guest house!

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      4. I loved having them next door…and there was enough lawn sloping down between the houses that I never even heard them! LOL

        Two of my grandchildren were born while living in the guest house.

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  5. Eleven blogs is a lot to maintain! I admire you for having the energy but then so much pleasure comes from blogging that it must be rewarding! What window seat is absolutely beautiful! I can totally imagine sitting there both on sunny and rainy days with a good book and a cup of tea! I’m sure I’ll stop by again during BEA!
    My BEA Intro
    Juli @ Universe in Words

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Juli…I don’t know when I became obsessed with window seats…probably while reading books or seeing a movie with window seats. I found this one on Pinterest.

      My blogs don’t feel like work. I alternate posts between them…and spend time tweaking them when the urge strikes…or during Bloggiesta.

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    1. I love it, too…I don’t have a window seat in my condo, but sometimes I move a wicker loveseat in front of the sliding glass doors onto the patio…and it almost feels like one…LOL. Thanks for stopping by, Emma.

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  7. thebookdate

    I am so looking forward to retirement and making the most of it like you. I have your book on my wishlist to read and it might be 2015 by time I read it but looking forward to it. I get a little confused by all your blogs but understand your enjoyment and enthusiasm for them all. Have a couple of favorites from your 2013 list on mine too.

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    1. I hope you enjoy my book, whenever you get around to it. Even when I buy books, it may take me a while to get to them. Review books always come first. Thanks for stopping by, Kathryn…enjoy the week.

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  9. I love that window seat. It looks so relaxing. I can’t believe how many blogs you have. I couldn’t even handle two. I closed my cozy one but you never know when I might open it up again.

    Have a great week!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Yvonne…my blogs are not all “created equal,” in that only three or four of them see the major action. But I love having the “minor ones” for those quirky moments….

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  12. Windowseats! Gorgeous. I think that’s probably the one thing my house is missing. I dream of huge bay windows with fluffy cushions. Maybe a built-in bookshelf underneath…

    Anyway. That’s really cool what you’ve done with your name, turning it into a pen name like that. Very magical.

    Thanks for stopping by my Armchair BEA post. 🙂

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    1. Your fantasy window seat sounds awesome…I love all kinds of them, but the more fluffy pillows the better. Thanks for stopping by, Rain, and it’s nice that you noticed my name switcheroo….I had fun coming up with it.

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  13. I really want a window seat! Someday, I will make it happen!!

    I’ve really been wanting to read Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls, so I like to see that on your list of best of 2013!

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  15. Love the window seat! And that reminds me that I forgot to answer that question in my post and I even had a photo. Duh! I can barely manage two blogs so your eleven is an amazing feat!

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  16. Hallo, Hallo! 🙂

    At long last, Jorie is sorting out her route with Team 4 cheerREADING team for the #ArmChairBEA! A bit of a hiccup ensued on my end, but now that its fixed I am marching forward and happy to alight on the blogs I am not only meant to visit but bring a bit of extra cheer too! 🙂

    I give you full credit as both a fellow writer but as a book blogger who has taken blogging to a new level of organisation & journalling suited to each of your needs per blog! I barely have the time I need to give to my own book blog & tweets, so you have my tipped hat! Yes, I always lament the same for myself — if I could not be properly transported to a new time, place, or world I daresay, I would not understand the reason of why to travel through fiction & stories!? I do read the occasional non-fiction book as well, as I do appreciate reading a healthy mixture of both branches equally, but ooh! Fiction has my heart & my soul of appreciation! I love characters & the stories in which they reside!

    Relationship-based Romances are my personal favourites, which is why I was tickled to peaches to discover ChocLitUK titles this year! Ooh, boy! Classic in the making! For mysteries, I’m on the cosy side of the ledger, as I do not like hard boils (too close to IRL), but I do fancy the Coffeehouse mysteries because what writer worth their salt does not appreciate a wicked sweet Indie coffeehouse / teahouse!?

    Ooh, dear me – you answered the ‘best favourite’ book on the same vein as my own answer! Too true, and I never can answer more than I had myself! Laughs.

    Jorie’s #ArmChairBEA Intro

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  17. That’s the kind of book nook for me too. 🙂
    Great knowing more about you, though I have followed for a while. Thanks for participating weekly in The Friday 56. 🙂

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