Real Answers from a Reader & Book Reviewer!

Hello Fellow Writers!

I often interview other authors, but today I thought - it's about time to interview a reader! I've tried to ask the sorts of questions that are really important to know as a writer - because why do we write if not to be read?

Marika Webber is an avid reader, a book reviewer, an aspiring writer, a mom, a wife, and a baseball/hockey/NASCAR fan. She lives and works full time in East Texas.

Marika's Avatar :)

She also has a blog where she posts reviews of some of the books she reads. In addition, she beta-reads for several erotica authors. In short, this a woman who loves books! And any friend of books is a friend of mine :)



Shoshanna: Thanks for being here, Marika! What's your favorite genre of book to read?

Marika: I love contemporaries but I also like paranormal, romantic suspense and historicals.


Shoshanna: There are so many books out there. How do you decide which books to buy? 

Marika: Actually, it really depends on my mood. I have a wishlist that I keep up with but the book really has to grab me from the get-go for me to buy it.


Shoshanna:  Is there anything that you'd see that would make you pass on reading a book? 

Marika: I don't particularly like fantasy, sci-fi, urban fantasy and I'm just now reading more in-depth BDSM.

Shoshanna: Do you mainly read print books or ebooks? Do you have an e-reader? 

Marika:  Since I got my Nook for Christmas, I'm beginning to have more ebooks but I will buy paperbacks if I want to read it right away.


Shoshanna: What makes an enticing book cover to you? 

Marika: Jimmy Thomas on the cover. Seriously, the cover really isn't that important, the book itself is. A great cover is nice but....

Shoshanna: Oh yum! Absolutely, LOL! 
Do you review books on the publisher's website, Goodreads, Amazon, or anywhere else? What would make you give 5 stars? 

Marika: I'm a reviewer for Night Owl Reviews and The Romance Studio. I also have started reviewing books on Goodreads and on my own blog. A great book is plot, characterization, pacing and did it keep my interest. Actually, the last thing I look for in a book is sex. I know, I'm weird.

Shoshanna: Have you ever given a book a low star rating or poor review, and why?

Marika: I reviewed a book for Night Owl Reviews and while the plot and pacing were good and the hero to-die-for, the heroine didn't sit well with me. It was supposed to be a Domme-led book but I wasn't feeling it from her at all.

Shoshanna:  If an author wrote in one genre and you loved her work, would you read another book she wrote even if it was in a different genre? (Say, she wrote a romance and then wrote a thriller) 

Marika: I will always follow an author regardless of the genre. Now that said, sometimes, the book is good and sometimes it's not. I always give an author a chance if they have switched genres. I'm loyal to a fault.

Shoshanna:  Do you ever read self-published books, or do you mainly stick to reading books by publishers you know? 

Marika: I'm just now getting into self-published books, so the answer would be not really.


Shoshanna: What makes you put a book down and not finish it? 

Marika: If the plot and pacing are too slow and too far out there. Plus, if I don't connect with the hero/heroine, I will put it down. Now, I have finished books that I wish I hadn't bothered to finish.


Shoshanna: What makes you stay up late to finish a story you love? 

Marika: A really good romantic suspense or thriller! I'm very analytical about suspense/thriller books and I have to know what happens.

Find Marika on the web!
www.facebook.com/marika.weber2
www.twitter.com/marika67
www.goodreads.com/briansmom
http://harliebooks.blogspot.com