West Virginia
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Welcome to Blogging Around the States which is a weekly feature that I do every Saturday. This week we are visiting Kristina in beautiful West Virginia. I've driven through West Virginia on two different occasions, once from the east heading west and the other from the south, making a left turn before heading west. I was astonished at the beauty of this state. The winding roads through verdant mountains and valleys really impressed me. On both my trips through the state I vowed to come back and stay for awhile. Kristina is a working mother who loves to read, buy books, X-stitch and watch TV. Stop by for a visit at her blog, Kristina's Favorites.
BOOKLOGGED: Start by telling us a little bit about yourself. (family, job, likes, dislikes, favorites, idiosyncrasies, pet peeves, or anything else you'd like to share that will help us know you better)
KRISTINA: Well, my name is Kristina and I'm a 28 year old mother of 1 beautiful little boy, Ethan, who will be 2 in November and wife to a wonderful husband, Paul. I love to read and cross stitch although I hardly have time for either. I mostly read at night while in bed, this I believe is the cause for many crazy dreams =). I am a chronic buyer of books, my husband thinks there might be a problem when I can collect over 200 books but read them at a snail's pace. That's what happens when you become a mom. I also love way too many TV shows, lasagna, stars, jalapeno almonds, fresh cut grass, clean linens, potato chips, itty bitty kitties, and new office supplies.....not in that order, of course. (Kristina, I have a kitty name Itty Bitty!)
BOOKLOGGED: What do you love about your state?
KRISTINA: West Virginia is amazing. The best thing about it is the scenery and the seasons. The beautiful mountains and the trees, especially in the fall. It's really something to see. We have 4 separate seasons, with 4 distinct weather patterns. It's hot in the Summer, cool in the Fall, cold in the Winter and mild in the Spring.
BOOKLOGGED: Is there anything you don't like about where you live?
KRISTINA: Construction and traffic, but I guess that's everywhere =)
BOOKLOGGED: If job, money, family did not enter the equation, would you prefer to live in another state? Which one? And why?KRISTINA: No I really wouldn't! I love it here although I love the cold. If I had to choose a place to live for a week, I would want to experience a really cold really snowy winter in Maine or Alaska.....crazy, I know!
BOOKLOGGED: If I visited your state what cities, sights, and/or activities would you recommend I check out, see and/or do? 
KRISTINA: We have so much history here! You have to visit all the historical locations, but you might be here permanently =) There's too many to name so I'll give you a few of the great ones and some websites to check out. First, I would send you to the Greenbrier Resort http://www.greenbrier.com/site/about-history.aspx, formerly known in the Civil War Era as The Old White Hotel to the locals. The resort has had many names and many duties such as hotel, hospital during the war and bunker/bomb shelter in the 1950s for the US Congress to use in case of an emergency.
Second I would send you all the way down to Harpers Ferry http://www.nps.gov/HAFE/index.htm, best known for John Brown's Raid in 1859, and now his ghost. There are ghost tours situated around town and John Brown's ghost, you really should take a tour, I loved it. The town was settled by Robert Harper in 1751 and then he built a ferry across the Potomac river which led to "Mr. Harper's Ferry". I love the buildings and how the town looks almost identical to what it used to. 
Ok, now since we've spent all our time in Harpers Ferry, I'm going to bring you back up to where I live, Morgantown. Home of the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Forks of Cheat Winery http://www.wvwines.com/index.html. In mid September you can grab a glass of wine at the Wine & Jazz Festival http://www.wvwineandjazz.com/ 
and head to Milan Puskar Stadium for a West Virginia University football game http://www.msnsportsnet.com/teams.cfm?sport=football. Go Mountaineers!!!
Then relax and take a tour of the Festival of Lights at Oglebay (pronounced O gull bee) Park in Wheeling http://www.oglebay-resort.com/fol.htm. Here you will drive through a tunnel of snowflakes and into a world of light where Cinderella is late for the ball and the Lochness Monster comes alive. I hope you had fun =)
BOOKLOGGED: Who are some authors that currently live in your state? Any famous authors from the past?KRISTINA: There are a few authors from here but probably the most famous author is Pearl Buck http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_S._Buck. Known for writing The Good Earth in 1931 and many short stories and children's books. She was born in Hillsboro, WV but was raised in China by her missionary parents. She wrote The Good Earth and described the region Anhui, where they lived. She later toured West Virginia to raise money for the upkeep of her birthplace which is now a historic house museum http://www.pearlsbuckbirthplace.com/
BOOKLOGGED: Do you have a favorite book set in your state?
KRISTINA: Back to the Ghost Stories, Dr. Ruth Ann Musick http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Ann_Musick wrote The Telltale Lilac Bush, 100 ghost stories from around Northern West Virginia, and Coffin Hollow, a sequel of 100 more ghost stories, during her tenure at Fairmont State College in Fairmont, WV.
I apologize to Kristina for not including all her pictures but I was having a dickens of a time getting things to work out as well as they did. After the apology comes a big THANK-YOU, KRISTINA for sharing a little about you and your beautiful state of West Virginia. When I come back I'll look you up - You make a perfect tour guide.
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South Dakota
Have fun reading Lisa's answers to my questions about her and about her state.
ME: Start by telling us a little bit about yourself.
LISA: I am the mom of two little boys, The Pirate (4.5) and The Bug (1.5). My husband and I have been married for 5 years (on October 2nd) and have known each other for 10. In 2002 I moved from Alabama to South Dakota so that we could be together. At heart, I am a Southern girl. In addition to being a wife and mother, I work full time as a loan officer and I have a small side business where I sew little gifts- you can see those at http://madebylisah.etsy.com. I've been a reader my entire life, so it's hard to split my time between the two hobbies. I started my blog, Books. Lists. Life. on October 6, 2006- almost 3 years ago. (ME: I think this Crayon Roll is super cute. Her boys are even cuter still - you get to see pictures of them on her blog)ME: What do you love about your state?
LISA: As I said, I live in South Dakota. South Dakota kinda has a split personality- there's the mountains in the west, where I live, and the plains in the east. It really is two different climates and to some extent, cultures. Here in the Black Hills we have moutains and hiking, camping, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Badlands and tons of outdoor activities. It's very small town living, but I love it.
ME: Is there anything you don't like about where you live?
LISA: Really the only thing I dislike is how slow Spring is to arrive. My family back in Alabama have flowers in full bloom while we still have winter. Still, it's not as bad as I expected it to be and contrary to what you think there isn't snow year round.
ME: If job, money, family did not enter the equation, would you prefer to live in another state? Which one? And why?
LISA: This is such a hard question! We talk a lot about how nice it would be to live in Tennessee, because we both find it to be really pretty. I loved my one and only trip to Vermont, which was in October, so it was stunning there. And I'd love love LOVE to live on the beach somewhere.
ME: If I visited your state what cities, sights, and/or activities would you recommend I check out, see and/or do?
LISA: I think I might have already answered this one! My favorite attraction is the Badlands, but you wouldn't go wrong spending a few days in Custer State Park either. If you were in the mood to lose your money, you could visit Deadwood. If you visited THIS weekend, you could go to the South Dakota Festival of Books.
ME: Who are some authors that currently live in your state?
LISA: Sadly, I don't know of any living ones! Laura Ingalls Wilder lived here, and many of her Little House books are about South Dakota. Frank Baum lived in South Dakota for a while.
ME: Do you have a favorite book set in your state?
LISA: I don't. I haven't read the Little House books since moving here, and the few SD books I've read have all been non-fiction. I'm open to suggestions though!
Thank-you, Lisa, for joining me for this interview. Our enjoyed learning about you and your state. Happy Anniversary a day late - wishing you years and years of happiness.
Colorado
I'm thrilled to bring you the second edition of Blogging Around the States. Last week I was able to share a list of book bloggers from my own state of Utah. This week we're looking at my neighboring state, Colorado. When I contacted Heidenkind and asked if she would be my first 'real' interview I didn't know she lived next door in Colorado.
Let me introduce my guest: Heidenkind can be found at Heidenkind's Hideaway where her first blog appeared in November 2008 with a list of some of the scary books she's read. Heidenkind is a relative newby to the bookosphere but she is already making her known by hosting an Art History Challenge that sounds enticing and she provides several different categories and lots of helpful suggestions. (Thanks from me and other art-challenged readers.)
Heidenkind interests include art, history, music, movies, television, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, vampires, mystery and YA.
Before I start with the interview questions I wanted to share a quote on Heidenkind's header that I think is thought-provoking and wise: "We always want to see what is hidden by what we see."
A now for some question/answer time.
Me: Tell us a little about yourself.
Heidenkind: I'm a nineteenth-century geek, and when I was teaching class, I would try to dress up like characters from the nineteenth century. I have brown hair, which I'm growing out, blue eyes, and I'm tall-ish and skinny. My favorite book is Jane Eyre, my favorite movie is Thunderheart, my favorite food is miso soup, and my favorite animal is the octopus--so basically, I'm all over the place. Oh, and my favorite color is purple. I grew up in the middle of a prairie and I've been a book addict since I was, oh, five or so. I have a master's degree in art history, which believe it or not is the perfect major for bookaholics.
Me: What do you love about your state?
Heidenkind: My state is Colorado. I love the mountains and the fact that things around here are pretty laid back and egalitarian. I love the mix of cultures here as well.
Me: Is there anything you don't like about where you live?
Heidenkind: Well, it's not exactly the best place for someone pursuing a career in art history. There aren't many job opportunities in that field around here--there aren't a lot of museums, and what there are operate on a shoestring budget.
Me: If job, money, family did not enter the equation, would you prefer to live in another state? Which one? And why?
Heidenkind: I really don't know. The other places I've lived, I didn't like. I would love to live in Paris. My town is kind of a black hole, though....
Me: If I visited your state what cities, sights, and/or activities would you recommend I check out, see and/or do?
Heidenkind: There's a lot to do around here if you're an outdoors person--drive to the top of Pike's Peak and freeze your butt off, go to Estes Park, visit the mountain towns like Vail, Aspen, and Breckenridge; visit Mesa Verde and see the Cliff Houses; hike through Pinon Canon and see the rock art and dinosaur tracks. Or you could just go to Cripple Creek and gamble. Or go to a mall. *gag*
Me: Who are some authors that currently live in your state?
Heidenkind: Frank Perretti used to live here; I'm not sure if he still does. Sherri Tepper, Barbara Samuels, Delores Johnson, and Dan Simmons. That's all I can think of at the moment.
Damon Runyun (wrote Guys and Dolls) is from my home town, but he's dead so he's not really living here anymore. I did always think it would be fun to see if he based any of his characters on people he knew here when he was growing up, though.
Me: Do you have a favorite book set in your state?
Heidenkind: Erm... no. I don't read books set in my home state. I did once and I wanted to burn it. Does this make me a terrible person?
I want to thank Heidenkind for taking the time from her busy life to answer these questions. If you have more you can ask them in the comment section. I had fun visiting back and forth through email and getting to know more about a fellow blogger and I hope you did, too.
Let me introduce my guest: Heidenkind can be found at Heidenkind's Hideaway where her first blog appeared in November 2008 with a list of some of the scary books she's read. Heidenkind is a relative newby to the bookosphere but she is already making her known by hosting an Art History Challenge that sounds enticing and she provides several different categories and lots of helpful suggestions. (Thanks from me and other art-challenged readers.)Heidenkind interests include art, history, music, movies, television, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, vampires, mystery and YA. Before I start with the interview questions I wanted to share a quote on Heidenkind's header that I think is thought-provoking and wise: "We always want to see what is hidden by what we see."
A now for some question/answer time.
Me: Tell us a little about yourself.
Heidenkind: I'm a nineteenth-century geek, and when I was teaching class, I would try to dress up like characters from the nineteenth century. I have brown hair, which I'm growing out, blue eyes, and I'm tall-ish and skinny. My favorite book is Jane Eyre, my favorite movie is Thunderheart, my favorite food is miso soup, and my favorite animal is the octopus--so basically, I'm all over the place. Oh, and my favorite color is purple. I grew up in the middle of a prairie and I've been a book addict since I was, oh, five or so. I have a master's degree in art history, which believe it or not is the perfect major for bookaholics.
Me: What do you love about your state?
Heidenkind: My state is Colorado. I love the mountains and the fact that things around here are pretty laid back and egalitarian. I love the mix of cultures here as well.
Me: Is there anything you don't like about where you live?
Heidenkind: Well, it's not exactly the best place for someone pursuing a career in art history. There aren't many job opportunities in that field around here--there aren't a lot of museums, and what there are operate on a shoestring budget.
Me: If job, money, family did not enter the equation, would you prefer to live in another state? Which one? And why?
Heidenkind: I really don't know. The other places I've lived, I didn't like. I would love to live in Paris. My town is kind of a black hole, though....
Me: If I visited your state what cities, sights, and/or activities would you recommend I check out, see and/or do?
Heidenkind: There's a lot to do around here if you're an outdoors person--drive to the top of Pike's Peak and freeze your butt off, go to Estes Park, visit the mountain towns like Vail, Aspen, and Breckenridge; visit Mesa Verde and see the Cliff Houses; hike through Pinon Canon and see the rock art and dinosaur tracks. Or you could just go to Cripple Creek and gamble. Or go to a mall. *gag*
Me: Who are some authors that currently live in your state?
Heidenkind: Frank Perretti used to live here; I'm not sure if he still does. Sherri Tepper, Barbara Samuels, Delores Johnson, and Dan Simmons. That's all I can think of at the moment.
Damon Runyun (wrote Guys and Dolls) is from my home town, but he's dead so he's not really living here anymore. I did always think it would be fun to see if he based any of his characters on people he knew here when he was growing up, though.
Me: Do you have a favorite book set in your state?
Heidenkind: Erm... no. I don't read books set in my home state. I did once and I wanted to burn it. Does this make me a terrible person?
I want to thank Heidenkind for taking the time from her busy life to answer these questions. If you have more you can ask them in the comment section. I had fun visiting back and forth through email and getting to know more about a fellow blogger and I hope you did, too.
Utah
This idea popped into my head earlier this week and I thought it just might be one of those rare ideas that has some merit. So I'm going to run with it. The idea is to feature a blogger from one of the U.S. states each Saturday until all the states have been represented. Then maybe I'll start over again. The problem I face is I'd like to feature bloggers that don't live in the states as well. I know - I can do a Tuesday Touring or Tuesday Travel or Wednesday World post. I like it! Or maybe I'll find that I don't have to alliterate and I'll do a Sunday Drive or Wednesday Visit.
My next problem was where to start - at the beginning of the alphabet, the northeast and work my way west, or just totally random. I hadn't decided that when I learned that Natasha from Maw Books had done a guest post for BBAW about Utah bloggers. I found my starting place - my very own home state.
I for sure wanted to let people know about Natasha's terrific post. Really, you need to check it out if you haven't already. She tells a story which every blogger in the world will be able to relate. And she tells about the two Utah socials held in 2009 where bloggers and authors rubbed shoulders, shared food and good company, and had a wonderful time. She provides a list of all the Utah bloggers that she knows of and shares a link to the Utah Bloggers group on Book Blogs.
While on the subject of Book Blogs let me just point out to anyone who doesn't know yet - it was started by the blogosphere's very own Tricia from Library Queue. Book Blogs is a social network for readers set up Triscia using Ning. Stop by and say hello to Tricia and find out about joining. (How did that little bit of North Carolina slip into a Utah post?!)
I'm not going to feature a specific Utah blogger this week. Instead I'm going to share a link to each of their blogs and encourage you to stop by and say hello. I'll bet there are several you know about already, but I'll bet there are some that are new-to-you. There are several that did not know about before Natasha's post on BBAW.
Utah Book Bloggers - stop by and comment - make Utah feel good this weekend.
One more mention that includes Natasha along with several other book bloggers. This last Wednesday evening, Natasha, Amy from My Friend Amy, Kathy from Bermudaonion, Adam from Letters on Pages and Katie from Babbling About Books and More were all featured on Blog Talk Radio. You can listen to this program by going to this post of Natasha's.
My next problem was where to start - at the beginning of the alphabet, the northeast and work my way west, or just totally random. I hadn't decided that when I learned that Natasha from Maw Books had done a guest post for BBAW about Utah bloggers. I found my starting place - my very own home state.
While on the subject of Book Blogs let me just point out to anyone who doesn't know yet - it was started by the blogosphere's very own Tricia from Library Queue. Book Blogs is a social network for readers set up Triscia using Ning. Stop by and say hello to Tricia and find out about joining. (How did that little bit of North Carolina slip into a Utah post?!)
I'm not going to feature a specific Utah blogger this week. Instead I'm going to share a link to each of their blogs and encourage you to stop by and say hello. I'll bet there are several you know about already, but I'll bet there are some that are new-to-you. There are several that did not know about before Natasha's post on BBAW.
Utah Book Bloggers - stop by and comment - make Utah feel good this weekend.
- Amy from Haiku Amy (@haikuamy)
- Angie from Angieville (@angiebookgirl)
- Cari from Book Scoops
- Edgy at Books are King
- Stephanie from Children’s Literature Book Club
- Lynn from Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile (@I_bibliophile)
- Britt from Confessions of a Book Habitue (@bookhabitue)
- Drew from Books Lies and Alibis (@booksliesalibis)
- Shelly at Book Fanatic
- Lisa at Bookworm’s Library
- Emily from Emily’s Reading Room (@eellsworth)
- Framed from Framed and Booked
- Graham from Graham Chops (@GrahamChops)
- Kim from Good Clean Reads
- Patricia from Horror and Fantasy Book Review
- Suey from It’s All About Books (@sueysays)
- Cindy at Kiss the Book
- Natasha from Maw Books Blog (@mawbooks)
- Speedreader from My Favorite Author
- Janet from Newspaper Girl (@Newspapergrl)
- Melissa from One Librarian’s Book Reviews
- Becky from One Literature Nut (@mjmbecky)
- Sharon from SherMeree’s Musings
- Alison from So Many Books, So Little Time (@utahalison)
- Jessica from The Bluestocking Society (@thebluestocking)
- Mellissa at The Reckless Reader (@Aelysium)
- Heather at The Secret Adventures of Writer Girl
- Tristi from Tristi’s Takes
- Sharla at WinterWrite (@WinterWrite)
- Stacy from Stacy Whitman’s Grimoire (@stacylwhitman) – Children’s Editor
- Booklogged from A Readers Journal
One more mention that includes Natasha along with several other book bloggers. This last Wednesday evening, Natasha, Amy from My Friend Amy, Kathy from Bermudaonion, Adam from Letters on Pages and Katie from Babbling About Books and More were all featured on Blog Talk Radio. You can listen to this program by going to this post of Natasha's.
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