Armchair BEA-Let's Talk Networking!

Day 3 on ABEA!!
Are you guys having fun?!
I sure am!! I've unleashed my stalker-persona all over the book-blogger-community :D I bet I've drop by your blog by now :D

But today we're talking all about...
Networking!

This means;

Share your positive experiences of using your blog to get involved in your community. This can involve partnerships with the local literary scene, attending author events and signings, or getting together with bloggers in your area.

First of all, if you still down know where I am from I think you should check out THIS post...

Now that THAT'S been cleared out.

MEET ME->

See? That's me almost 24/7. Lately not so much because I spend WAY too much surfing the internet and stuff. Plus I just cut my hair a couple of weeks ago and dyed it :D But. Here's the thing:

My country, the WHOLE of it, doesn't grow up with anyone telling us to read, we don't have libraries, we don't have bookstores to bring to us the latest YA releases or ANY new releases, they only bring the ones that sell the best AND they bring-mostly-translated books which means...

Translated english-spanish book = Me not even glancing at it 

&

Translated english-spanish book = Double the $$ from the original book

(I'm sorry I keep showing the same crappy picture of the bookstore but I haven't been able to sneak a camera inside and take one of the whole store, but if you were wondering... Yes that one right there is A bookstore T_T )

Also, I'm 100% sure I am one of the only 2 bloggers here in my country, I know the other blogger but we live 2 hours away from each other and I have never met her :( but we do exchange a lot on the network.

I think that by now you've already concluded what I'm about to tell you, but we don't get any authors to come here and do events, signings and the likes. Though... Once upon a time a really known hispanic author came -Isabel Allende- but I missed the event, it was TOO expensive :'(

That is why I'm happy as I am on the network. I don't have ANY friends that like to read what I read IRL. There aren't any book clubs here I could attend, people-almost always-prefer to read in spanish, something I don't enjoy, I'm more of a read-it-in-the-language-it-was-originally-written kid of girl, plus I AM IN LOVE WITH ENGLISH! 

But to top it all, even my family doesn't like me reading that much...

Suddenly facebook happened, and then I had a book page and then I had a blog, I made a twitter account even though I'm still too shy to tweet authors or even bloggers out there... I always feel so intimidated! They have years doing this whereas I've just reached my 1 year!

But here comes the fun part :D

Slowly, very very very slowly, I've made some kind of name here in my country. My local blogger friend discusses books with her sis -winkwink- they rock! And then their friends discuss books and on and on...while here at home... my sisters started to get curious-er and curious-er, asking why was I screaming at the top of my lungs that night, or why did I cry when I skyped with certain author, or why did I smile a whole week without pause, to which I usually responded... "I just read this book and it was..."

 

They started asking about how I did what I do...they got EVEN more curious than curious-er :D

I told them all about the amazing bloggers I get to 'meet', the amazing people that share my obsession with books, the OH CLOUDS! that are my book angels! :D -Yes I have book angels-

On and on they asked...

Suddenly... the UNTHINKABLE happened!

BEHOLD!

This is my 12 year-old sis :D
I was so proud of her I just HAD to take the picture!
She's still learning english, that's why I just SMILED like a silly-happy person when I saw her with this!

And, my 19 year-old sis...

She thinks I ruined her for life, which was kind of depressing until she told me the WHY of it...

She's gotten a like for Paranormal Romance and nonYA books like you have NO idea! :D Want to guess which author convinced her and brought her to the bookish side?

Yeap, that one exactly.

Jeaniene Frost and her Night Huntress series!

I've made so many amazing friends online, I've meet the most amazing and giver people here. They've all made me feel so welcome, so happy, so at home, so loved, so special that there is NO way I would trade them for anything! I love them each and every single one... There is something that each has done for me, whatever little or small... I'm a kind of detail-obsessive persona, and believe me... something you SAID or GAVE me or DID for me... it all's in here-points to heart- and here -points to head- I NEVER forget...

And before I start bawling...

I'll leave you with the MIRACLES that I -smiles proudly- with my begging and begging and stalking and asking and stalking some more, have made happen in the bookstore I regularly visit and from which I usually buy my books... I swear to you guys, they're TIRED of me, they always roll their eyes, trying and failing to hide said eye roll from me, they sigh, and they get all fidgety because they know that I take AGES to buy a single book!

All these were brought to the country thanks to ME!

So... BEHOLD my PRECIOUS! -sorry they're so blurry, but they don't let anyone take pictures T_T-

So that's my story. 

I'm happy as it is with the people I've 'met' all throughout the year I've been blogging.

I look up to a certain specific blogger while I stalk others...

And I love that I always have someone to talk about books right HERE waiting to share their love of books as well!

I'm THANKFUL and HAPPY!

Wouldn't have it any other way :D