Getting To Know The Little Guys (5)

Getting To Know The Little Guys is a feature I do weekly to spotlight small blogs with less than 100 followers. There is a huge crop of new blogs out there- mine being one of them but I have been lucky enough to gain a pretty quick following- but small doesn't mean bad. My goal is for my readers to read these weekly posts, get to know the bloggers a little more, and start finding some awesome new blogs that they might not have otherwise known about. And face it- there is a huge competitive edge to book blogging these days, especially for ARCs. Yes, the ARCs are nice when they come but I think a lot of us really are here to just express our views on books and book related things- this feature also is intended to bring that focus back.

Today I've got Melissa from I Swim For Oceans here and I have to say- she has a really interesting story to share with everyone. No way could I do the swimming she does but I find it fantastic!

Hello all!

I'm so excited to drop in and kidnap Kari's post for the day because I may have truly squealed with glee when she asked whether I would be interested in being featured here. Ok, "may" isn't right. I did squeal. A lot, actually.

Well, let's see...I'm a 23-year-old currently living in the pretty valley of Salt Lake City, UT. It's a far cry from where I grew up in New Jersey, but it's fun for now. Oh, and for those wondering why I spew words like "brilliant" and phrases like "bloody hell," you'll have to forgive me (please!) I was born in South Africa, and it's the only thing I've got left of that part of my heritage. I like to think it makes me interesting...perhaps even edgy!

I decided to start book blogging after months of blogging about nothing. Truly...nothing at all. I didn't know what I wanted to blog about. I simply wanted to use the name "i swim for oceans" before anyone else did. See, I grew up competitively swimming. It's how I ended up in Utah in the first place. I got a full scholarship to swim for the U, and I thought "Hey! No debt from college?! Excellent!" So, long story short - I took the scholarship and swam with it. (Get it?! I made a funny.) The oceans part of the name came from my insane desire to swim in hazardous open waters...namely Alcatraz. It's true. I escaped. Want proof? Here you go:



And yes, that's how chapped my skin was from the cold water. It hurt, but I have officially escaped Alcatraz. If you should ever need to know how, feel free to ask. I'm full of helpful hints.

But really now, back to why I chose book blogging. I eat words. I breathe them, and live them, and love them. I remember the first night my mother let me stay up past my bedtime to read a Boxcar Children book. I hid under my covers with a flashlight and read four in one night just because I couldn't stop reading. It's a bit of an addiction, but a healthy one, I suppose. At least it's not crack, right? Anyway, I found so many great book blogs, and I figured I'd give it a go, and it's been more fun than I could ever have imagined. I love it!

When I'm not reading incessantly, I'm writing. I have lofty dreams of being a published author, I've finished a full YA novel that's currently being read by my top agent (fingers crossed!), and I have another in the works. It's fun, and it's cathartic, as well. It helps me release all my excess energy into a healthy outlet.

Well, I feel I've sufficiently covered everything you ever needed/wanted to know about me in a verrrrryyyyy lengthy post, so thanks for reading this! I really hope you'll visit my blog and direct me to yours because reading other's posts really makes my day! Oh, and to everyone that already visits my blog...thank you! It's truly a pleasure to read your comments! :)

Thanks for stopping by, Melissa! I hope everyone goes and visits her blog- and should you ever get published, I will definitely buy your book!