Interview with Steph Bowe - "Hey Teenager of the Year"

As anybody who has read me reviews interviews or heard my comments on either my own radio program or where I have been a guest, you will know I am a great believer in what I call the "Small Blogger". These are the people who read, write and live books are as one blogger brilliantly put it the other day... "The 'sham wow' of Teen/YA literature".



Today I am interviewing Steph Bowe author of Hey Teenager of the Year blogspot, whom I recently mentioned in a blog was running a "People's Choice YA Book Blog Awards". Steph lives in Victoria, Australia

Hello Steph, how long have you been blogging?

I've been blogging since midway through '08, but all those blogs are now in the bloggy graveyard. Hey, Teenager of the Year was started in March.

What Gave You the Idea of the People's Choice YA Book Blog awards?

There are so many fantastic YA book blogs out there, and I thought it would be a bit of fun and help people discover great new blogs. I also work on the YA Blogosphere (http://yablogosphere.blogspot.com), and I have to say, the YA book blogging community is great fun to be a part of!

What was the response like?

Pretty good! We got about 25 different people nominating, and over 100 votes in each category so far.

What was the hardest/closest category to vote on?

It's people's choice, and I have to say, voting is still open (only for a couple more days), and it's very, very close.

Have the winners been chosen yet?

Not yet! Check out my blog next weekend!

What books do you read?

I usually read contemporary YA fiction. I am open to all genres though, and read a lot of thrillers, memoirs and mysteries.

What is your favorite book and author of 2009 and favorite book and author of all time?

Of 2009, Pink by Lili Wilksinon. It comes out this August, and I was lucky enough to receive an ARC (I'll be posting a review of Pink on my blog very soon). Of all time? At the moment, probably The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks, another book of '09, but the best and funniest vampire book I've read.

When is your favorite time/location to read?

Usually at night, in bed, with the heater on.

If you could be a character in any book who would that be and why?

To tell the truth, I love who I am. And characters in books tend to be confronted with lots of problems and heartache. But if I absolutely had to? That's incredibly tough. I would be Sarita in Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell. Her innocence is cute.

Have you ever thought about or actually written a book yourself.

I've written two books, and I'm in the process of writing a third. Book one, Gracie's List, can be read on my blog. It's very autobiographical and stupid. Book two I'm trying to find a publisher for at the moment, so fingers crossed.

If people are interested in being a guest or sending a book to you and your blog what is the best way to contact you?

Email me! stephbowe@ymail.com - I do a lot of interviews with authors and bloggers, and though I haven't had any yet, I'd love some guest bloggers. I do accept books for review, but I'm in Australia, so postal costs can be an issue for internationals.

Thank you so much for being my guest Steph, good luck with your blog and finding that publisher for your book.


Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"