Week-long Blog Friend Celebration, Spotlight, and Giveaway #5

Hey everyone! This week I will be spotlighting 1 blogger friend each day and giving away 2 favorite picks of theirs. I really wish I could highlight everyone, but I could only do 5 this time and will choose different ones the next time I do this giveaway. Be sure and come back every day to read the new interviews and see which books I'm giving away that they have chosen. Here was the Giveaway from Thursday with Blkosiner's Book Blog.

Today's Celebrated Blogger is:

Liesel from Musings on Fantasia:

I am a writer of many genres. My blog is geared toward the genres I write (for this one, science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia) and I focus on tips for writers, reviews, interesting factoids, and pop culture.

What character from a book is your absolute favorite? Please tell us about them without being spoilery.

It's SO hard to pick just one, but I think my all-time favorite is Nynaeve al'Meara from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. She's very flawed and I know that many people (especially men that read the series) don't like her, and I totally understand why. She can be very self-centered, sexist (she slams men all the time!) hypocritical, has a temper like a volcano, etc. But I like her in spite of all this. Her flaws often make her the comic relief but she also has a pure heart and is by far one of the bravest female characters I've ever found. It doesn't hurt that she has awesome powers and the guy she's in love with is all kinds of studly. :D

If you could have one superpower, which one would you pick?

It's hard to describe a specific one, but I think I'd want some sort of offensive power, like Marcus's in Persistence of Vision or Thor's hammer. Just something I could keep my enemies at bay with and protect my family.

What is your favorite mythological creature?

This was asked in a blog hop I did just last week and I was so mad at myself because I didn't think to put dragon, so that's what I'll say today. Love dragons. Even working on a high-fantasy series about them! :D

What book did you love that everyone else hated or hate that everyone else loved?

This doesn't happen to me as often with books as with movies, as I tend to not read a book unless I read a handful of glowing reviews about it. I will say that I absolutely cannot stand Steinbeck. I know, I know, sacrilege and all that. Before you judge me, know that I happened to get teachers in high school that loved him, so I've read almost all of his works. He just takes such a pessimistic attitude about the human condition. He tends to glorify a very ignorant, backward lifestyle. Though I would never judge anyone for a lifestyle they couldn't help, I prefer stories that elevate the human race through education, technology and hope. Even writing dystopia as I do, I always write it with an eye toward a hopeful future. I just don't feel that from Steinbeck's work.

What are some of your quirks?

My quirks...I'm not really sure. I'm someone who plays with my hair a lot. Is compulsive story-writing a quirk?

What is your favorite website to visit?

I've got way too many websites I visit regularly to pick a favorite. I have a couple handfuls of bloggers I visit almost daily, plus I'm big on the social platforms, including Pinterest. I'm a huge Wheel of Time fan and with the release of the final installment, there's been a lot of hype around the story so I've been on dragonmount.com and encyclopaedia-wot.org a lot.

What tips or tricks would you pass on to fellow bloggers?

The best advice I could give would be to learn, learn, learn everything you can about blogging. I learn new things to better my blog all the time. Just absorb and make use of everything and your blog will grow by leaps and bounds. And post as often as you are able!

What 2 favorite books do you choose for me to give away?

I'd say Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Book 1 of Wheel of Time, which I talked about a bit) and perhaps Cormac McCarthy's The Road, because it's classic dystopia, and in my book you haven't read dystopia until you've read The Road.

OK, your choice of what I list from The Book Depository (please make sure they deliver to your country first) or an e-book from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. 

Eye of the World (Book 1 of the Wheel of Time) - e-book from Amazon/Barnes & Noble, paperback from The Book Depository

The Road - e-book from Amazon/Barnes & Noble, paperback from The Book Depository

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Liesel, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and joining me for the interview! I look forward to reading Persistence of Vision and enjoy chatting books with you :)