About the Creator

Hi guys! Welcome back to Cover to Cover! I wanted to do something a little different today and to take a break from all the book reviews. Many of you know me already, but I wanted to dive a little deeper about why I started this blog, and some bookish fun facts about me! So, let’s get right into it.

This blog isn’t even a year old, but it has become such an important staple in my life. I started this blog during my last semester in college when I realized that I still want to talk about books after I graduate, and I also realized that I would actually have the time to read what I want.

If you didn’t know I went to Slippery Rock University and graduated with a Bachelor degree in English: Creative Writing. I have loved to read for basically my entire life, and writing was always my way of coping with any life event. In high school, when people would ask what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, for the longest time I didn’t have an answer for them. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, or what I loved doing that would make me happy pursuing it for the rest of my life. I HATED math with a burning passion, so that was out. Science was okay, but any stem related path would most likely require me to take physics or chemistry and that’s a hard no. I really enjoyed history, but I had no idea how to make that a career. So, it all boiled down to English. English was always my favorite subject, and I loved reading the classics because it made me feel like a well-read person. I don’t know if that feeling is universal, but I going to go with no.

So, I guess when you look at it that way, Literature was really the only path that was truly right for me. And I can say confidently after being in the workforce for a couple of months that I definitely made the right decision. Which makes me feel really good because throughout college or any family gatherings I attended when I would say that I’m an English major people would automatically assume I was going to be a teacher. AND I AM NOT HATING AGAINST TEACHERS (they’re important, we need them, and I have mad respect for them), but it got so annoying real fast because I would have to be like “no, I want to go into publishing/editing.” And then everyone gets that look. The look of “oh honey” or “wow really, aren’t books like a dying industry” or “good luck with that.” I just want to clarify no one has actually said these things, but it’s just the vibe I get when I see that look on their face. It’s just having to correct people all the time is so annoying.

But like I said, I wanted to go into publishing/editing. What I loved most was books. Not only reading them but creating them. So, when it came time to find a job, I knew the pickings were going to be slim. Pittsburgh doesn’t have any big publishing companies like New York or Chicago. As a fresh-out-of-college-student, I did/do not have the money to move to New York (one of the most expensive states in the U.S.). BUT Pittsburgh does have a few independent publishers. To be honest, when I started applying to jobs, I broadened my search to any kind of writing job i.e., content writing, copy writing, copy editing, etc. Let me tell you, with COVID going on, it was so incredibly hard to find something. I applied to many many jobs in hopes of finding something relative to my area of study. That is where a lot of the pressure came from. I was not going to let myself be one of those people who pays thousands of dollars for a degree I can’t even use in my job. It was not going to happen. I was also trying to find a job before my loan grace period was up and before the next group of graduates were out looking too. After a couple of months, I actually landed a job with an independent publisher in Pittsburgh. Everything came full circle.

I love my job. I love talking to authors, helping them make edits, or making sure they received their new page proofs or cover designs. I love seeing all the different cover designs; we have some really talented artists. Don’t get me wrong though, some of the authors I speak to are mean and demanding, but there are still a lot of good ones. And since I have a sort of set schedule, I still have time to read and work on my blog! Having this job makes everything seem worth it. All the prep work in high school, the judgement at family gatherings, the intense college course work, etc.

I love the blog, and I am glad I was able to not only create one, but to keep up with it. In the beginning, I didn’t know it if was something I would actually stick to. Now that it has been a couple of months, I think it’s safe to say that it is. I like having a platform to voice my opinions and to talk to other people who share the same interests as me. You have no idea how many times I meet someone and as soon as we start talking about books neither of us can shut up. Its great! I love having that common ground with people who I’ve just met because it takes a while to run out of things to talk about when discussing books. I can go on forever, so there’s no awkward silence to deal with. I’m just glad I made this decision, even though, I had to toss the idea around, ask all my friends about it. But ultimately, it was my boyfriend who convinced me I should do it. He’s always been so supportive, and he reads every blog post!

Aside from starting the blog, I have come to the conclusion that I read only two main genres: mystery/thrillers or contemporary fiction. Which wasn’t what I use to always read, I use to be a big fantasy person. I used to know every fantasy series out on the shelves. Now, there are so many I have stopped really looking at that stuff. Over the last two years, I have really gotten into thrillers. Mostly because that’s the only thing my mom reads, and I like swapping books with her. I will also grab the occasional historical fiction, but only if its about the World Wars. Don’t ask me why, I just have a fascination with that point in history. Also, recently I have really been getting into Greek mythology re-tellings. I just posted about Ariadne which was so good. I keep meaning to start Song of Achilles and Circe because they keep showing up on my fyp on TikTok and sound so good!

Fun fact: ever since I have read Sarah J. Maas, I compare every fantasy novel I read to hers. Her world building skills, characters, plot, etc., are just so superior. I haven’t read anything lately that tops her worlds. Especially when other authors dabble in the Fae world. It’s hard to look past such stellar work, you know?

But for more quick facts I am a Ravenclaw (I think; I always get it mixed up with HufflePuff), I would definitely be in the Amity faction, I belong in the Fall Court, I think I would be from District 9, and I would want to be from the planet Endor (I don’t think I really have to explain why). Those were just some fun facts to get to know me as a reader! I always see videos of these types of things on Tiktok, and while, I’m not going to film a video to post on the internet, stating them here is good enough for me.

I hope y’all enjoyed this blog post! I wanted to share a little more about myself, as well as, the blog. Thank you for reading! See you next week!