My Bookish Life

Jorie Loves A Story, is an idea that began to percolate inside my mind, whilst noticing that I have the tendency to share quite a heap about books, authors, bookish blogs, and everything inter-related to a life filled to the brim with the creative voice erupting through the written word. This blog is not only a testament to the creative works that I discover, but an evolving revelation of where I go as I walk through the passageways of novels and the literary realms.

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Short Biography of Jorie:

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors.

In December 2013 my path crossed with Rosy & Hollie (of Books on the Underground & Books on the Subway) via Twitter whereupon I was encouraged to play an active role in promoting their bookish mission. I conceived the idea of an exclusive feature entitled “Booking the Rails”* to showcase the books they leave on the trains in London & NYC thinking this would create a social conversation. The first feature debuts 19 March 2014 to coincide with my third appearance on The Star Chamber Show. Unfortunately, I was unable to continue this feature due to the inability to get copies of the books being showcased on the ‘rails’.

Subsequently, I discovered the Indie Publisher ChocLitUK in late 2013, and by January 2014 I created a niche of an exclusive blog feature entitled: “ChocLitSaturdays”. On select Saturdays I reviewed books from the ChocLitUK catalogue (both current & backlist) whilst endeavouring to bring supplemental extra features as oft as I can to run parallel to the reviews. On 26 April 2014, I hosted my first #ChocLitSaturdays chat (housed on a Twubs channel) where I merged the principles of my feature’s subtitle: chocolate, tea, and romance!

Due note: These duel features – the reviews and the Twitter chats via (@ChocLitSaturday) concluded in [2017/18]. At the end of [2017] my chat was renamed @SatBookChat and my Saturday feature is now called: #SaturdaysAreBookish encompassing Women’s Fiction & Romance novels from all publishers and genres of interest.

I am constantly amazed at where my journey as a book blogger leads me to explore new horizons and engage with a multitude of bookish souls!

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Jorie Story calling card made by Jorie in Canva.

bookish blog: jorielovesastory.com | landing page: jorielovesbookishblogs.com
i am a social reader: tweeting via: @joriestory

i am an early reviewer and personal library curator via LibraryThing

Founder & Hostess of #SatBookChat | Women’s Fiction & Romance novels
(inclusive of all sub-genres and routes of publication)
Starting in 2020: inclusive of all genres featuring strong women &/or Feminist Lit

via @SatBookChat | easily follow our tag & convos via TweetDeck | Twitter

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i am a freelance beta reader:

+ Jorie the Beta Reader *on hiatus, January 2021

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I write guest features, accept interviews & visit podcasts (Archive)

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Milestones of Jorie Loves A Story:
JLAS Created on: 31.3.13
JLAS Launched: 6.8.13
JLAS Sync’d to Twitter: 13.11.13
JLAS on Klout: 9.7.14 Score: 55
JLAS Self-Hosted on Book Host: 22.8.14
@ChocLitSaturdays created for #ChocLitSaturdays: 16.9.14
Landing Page: Jorie Loves Bookish Blogs: 30.9.14
LinkTree Page: circa 2020

Jorie Joined Bibliocrunch as a Freelance Betareader: 20.1.15; left APR2016

Re-defined my TWID: @JLovesAStory replaced by @joriestory: 21.10.15

Joined LibraryThing | became an ER (early reviewer): 6.Aug.16 (3rd Blog Birthday)
| Archive of LT Reviews

@ChocLitSaturday was renamed @SatBookChat: December, 2017

#ChocLitSaturdays | #ChocLitSaturday
duel features of reviews/chats became #SaturdaysAreBookish: Autumn, 2018

Joined NetGalley (for reviewing audiobooks): February, 2020

Re-designed my Blog & Twitter banners and avatar: 22nd January, 2021

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Joyful Tweeter badge created by Jorie in Canva

official hashtags: #JLASblog, #JorieLovesAStory, #SatBookChat

#SaturdaysAreBookish, #JorieLovesYA & #JorieReadsTheBookish

#FuellYourSciFi, #TheBookishFoodie, #JorieLovesIndies

#JorieReads + #EnterTheFantastic

as well as #BookAngelCate

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hashtags spontaneously created:

Advocate for Self-Education hashtag: #libraryeducated
Appreciator of Dragons: #dragonfiction
Charity Knitter: #charityknitting

#Bookish Soul | #bookcheerleader

#lettersandcorrespondence | #liftofjoy

Which does not include the tags I create to help authors get their books into the global conversation threaded throughout Twitter as hashtag convos are a world unto their own! Let us each spark the inspiration of being bookish and chatty whilst giving novels & authors a voice in the twitterverse!

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Participated in Global Convo #WeNeedDiverseBooks
and actively chatted in #DiverseLit

We Need Diverse Books badge provided by We Need Diverse Books and is used permission. Design Credit: Hafsah @ Icey Designs.
Design Credit: Hafsah @ Icey Designs!

Want to promote #EqualityInLit & #DiverseLit = melting pot of stories throughout the literary realms? Grab the #Twibbon by clicking on the badge! Wave it proudly! Support #WeNeedDiverseBooks & help unite story-tellers and readers in a whole new way!

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  A bit of a biography of who I am as a writer:

I was raised in a Southern state with parents who come from Northern stock {Mid-West/New England respectively}, with ancestral roots extending into the UK, Europe, and Scandinavia. I learnt I was dyslexic as a young child, and even before that revelation, I knew that reading, mathematics, grammar, spelling, and language by its own definition would become my constant struggles. I fought to read and to speak, because those aspects of learning did not come easily to me. English always felt like a second language in many regards! By fourth grade my teacher’s main goals for me that particular year was to turn my hatred of literature into a passion for words which would then re-inspire my love of learning – which at the time was waning due to the learning difficulties I was having that year. If it hadn’t been for his dedication to just ‘inspire’ me to read – I wouldn’t have developed my love of reading nor become the voracious reader I am today whilst I regularly devour books across genre, literary styles and move between Fiction and Non-Fiction alike which is not something I always did.

And, it helped I have had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge since I was younger as it effectively inspired me to continue to seek out a diverse path in literature whilst constantly pushing myself outside my comfort zones to seek out the literary voices which personally give rise to the stories I am most interested in reading. Reading was the first gateway into writing – like many writers who’ve come before me – the more you explore as a reader, the more intuitive you become in developing your own approach to crafting stories.

I’m an Anglophile by heart, a Briton by genealogical heritage, and a writer who utilises British English as a method to compensate for my dyslexia. In my twenties, and now thirties, I started to notice a bit of a shift: if I spelt the words in their British English counterparts, I had less dyslexic slips! I even would speak with a flair of British lilting in my voice if I were say reading Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen! It’s been a natural progression of mine, and it’s one that is very organic, as organic as my own writing evolves, actually!

My spoken voice and my written voices have nearly merged together, as I use the same inflection and relate what I am speaking about with the same incantations of words. I am still growing in my knowledge of British English, which is why the 19th century is one era of literature I favour to draw a breath of literary voice out of,… I would have to say that it’s my own path I am forging to not only grow further as a dyslexic adult but to off-set my dyslexia in a way that is a full circle turnabout from my youth. Dyslexia has always been a gift that I have embraced as a blessing, due to the unconditional support and encouragement I received from my family.

In November 2008, I participated in the National Novel Writing Month Challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days!! As you can see by the banner I have placed above, I met my goal but it was the journey I took during that particular November that continues to define who I am as a writer and as a woman. One year later, a new branch of my local library opened. And, five years ago, I began a journey back towards my pen, and five years forward in time, I begin a new journey as a book blogger who digs into the heart of the books she reads!! And, perhaps instinctively I needed a project to release the muse and allow my writing to soar once more!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comAbout Jorie | The girl behind the blog Jorie Loves A Story:

Each year that I blog, I will pick a different challenge to give myself, as a way to explore books and authors that I feel fit a void in my pursuit of acquiring a propensity for literature full of heart and depth in its scope. Each challenge will therefore be crafted and tailored to my own wanderings. Unless the challenge I pick is to be completed over the course of more than one twelvemonth! At the very same time, I will be chronicling my progression through books that reach out and grab my full attention within their opening chapters straight-through until their conclusions.If I happen to stumble across a blogosphere read-a-thon, reading challenge, OR bookish event and I feel that the structure of said event parlays into my own reading expeditions,… I will be more than happy to participate as time will allow! In this way, I can get to know other book bloggers and re-define how I elect to set personal goals and motivations.

On the level of reading regular romances and/or historicals that are full of ‘heat’ as could be ascribed to them,… verse the love and passion that is found in inspirational fiction novels,… I must say, I never really put a distinction between my reading life in the ‘secular’ or ‘mainstream’ world and the ‘inspirational’ world — to me, literature is literature, and I wrap my mind and heart around any story, by any author, that is well written and has the substance to carry me through the story. You’ll notice that I am drawn to books that explore spirituality moreso than naught, as well as esoteric, metaphysical, philosophical, sociological, and aspects of the human condition. I love reading about the dynamics of humanity, the emotional journeys alongside the pullings of conscience and sub-conscience conflictions. If a story is etched together by heart and soul, there is a good chance I am going to nestle into the story!

I do have my limits, however, as I am not into excessive vulgarity, outright erotica, or a romance completely consumed by lust that has no bearing or weight on a relationship, much less a connection between the couple other than physical desire. I am not into excessive amounts of violence — so you could say, I am a girl who reads across genres and the spectrum’s that literature affords us all, but I limit what I read in the same way I limit what I watch in a motion picture. I am sure most would still shy away from half the books I read, as I do read ‘mainstream’ quite a heap, but I hope that we are not judged by the ‘covers’ we pick up, but rather the ‘essence’ of who we are on the ‘inside’. And, yes, I meant that as a double metaphor!! I make notations of my opines on these subjects via my own inclusive ‘Fly in the Ointment’ series of reflections. (cross-indexed in topics, genres, and subjects cloud – lower sidebar)

To serve as a proper introduction and announcement of my intentions of where I hope this blog will evolve to become, is found on my introduction post, which will stay as a sticky until the end of the second quarter of this blog’s life. Thereafter, the post is located here: Jorie Loves A Story, An Introduction.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comI am a girl named Jorie who loves a story!
I am a bookish library girl on a quest for literary enlightenment!
I am predominately self-taught and library educated!
I am a self-taught nature and wildlife photographer!
I knit for meditative harmony as much as tactile bliss!
My soul finds resonance, serenity, and joy in the natural world.
I am Mademoiselle Jorie!
Thank you for joining me on this journey!

Bookish sticker provided by Squeesome Designs and used with permission.Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comFor those unfamiliar with Book Browse, here is a description by which I recently wrote:  Book Browse is a website where you can grow your literary knowledge one book at a time. It is a membership based site, but unlike other social media outlets, it’s not based on popularity nor is it based on mass appeal. Book Browse hand selects the books that they choose to feature, and in doing so, each member is able to participate in the quest to find books that dynamically change our world view or opinion on topics or subjects that are full of hearty discussion. I wanted a resource to find books that are not your run of the mill literature choices, and I found a haven in Book Browse. When I first joined, I was on quarterly membership dues, but I started to participate in First Impressions straight away. Each month they offer a selection of books that are given out to members in the USA. They are sent directly from publishers and if your selected, your only asked to post an honest review OR participate in a book club discussion in exchange for the ARC copy. If you feel the book isn’t what you thought it was when you requested it, you can opt out and simply say, I cannot read this as it’s not to my liking. Then, your free to try again. The cycle of books is every 60 to 90 days depending on availability.

I was first encouraged to seek out literature that is featured on Book Browse by my local library who enjoyed hearing about the selections that are made therein, as I would speak about my experiences of searching through Book Browse’s database. My library now uses Book Browse to make choices on future purchases as they aid librarians in knowing what is publishing down the road, inasmuch as being able to seek out books that might go overlooked throughout the year.

Likewise, if you haven’t yet heard of Shelf Awareness is a unique way to have the latest information in publishing arrive to your Inbox! Readers can sign up for their free bi-weekly newsletter which arrives every Tuesday & Friday, chaulk full of books, bookish industry news, début authors, and an assortment of surprises that any reader will readily enjoy receiving!

I believe in finding resources that aid in the continuation of knowledge and understanding throughout one’s life. Book Browse and Shelf Awareness are two tools that I have uncovered that give me a bit of an edge on the world of publishing, and provide me with ways to educate myself on pieces of literature that might have taken me longer to discover or not at all. I am sharing my knowledge of these sites, on the off-chance there is a reader out there who might not have stumbled across them before and would welcome the chance! Knowledge is power and knowledge should always be freely shared. Rock on!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comThe Long / Short: I am rather keen on stories by which are character driven, have a fully realised world inclusive to their point of time reference, are wholly real in their embodiment of the subject contained therein, and include an undercurrent notation that the author not only enjoyed his/her writing process, but took the time to etch research and heart into his/her story.

Thank you,

Jorie @ Jorie Loves A Story

Revised: October, 2021

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Closing Thoughts:

I grew up in a moderately sized city which had this lovely labyrinth of an indie book shoppe where you could fully absorb yourself into that particular realm for hours on end without ever losing your ability to find another corner to dart around or another shelf to explore! The expanse of subjects to even consider reading never felt overwhelming in a traditional sense, yet, I always felt museful if there would be time enough to even break through half of what whet my interest to learn about!? Fiction and Non-Fiction selections always blurred in my mind, as did poetry, short story, and photographic table top publications!

Everything felt fresh, enticing, and enthralling! Even the forbidden aisles for younger minds, stuffed to the gills with ancient copies of collectible books and texts felt like an adventure worth daring myself to take! Reading endears your mind to curiosity, and the more you drink in a hearty narrative prose, the more interested you are in understanding the original pinpricks of inspiration that led to the book’s existence. For this reason, and many more I have not expressed, I have always celebrated the independent book shoppe! Even if you do not have one in your local community, the Indies have entered the modern era — with a click and a heart leap, you can pull up an Indie by computer, phone, or sometimes, even fax!

Let’s celebrate the continuation of being free to roam seeking out any book that our heart desires, in an environment that encourages that freedom and readily helps guide you to find the right book! Here’s to the book sellers, the clerks on the tills, and the unsung heroes of the indie book shoppes who willingly share of their own reading insights to instill a sense of urgency and wicked sweet expectation in their customers!

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{SOURCES: The Nanowrimo Winner’s Badge was given to participants [by the Office of Letters and Light; aka: Nanowrimo.org] during the November 2008 Nanowrimo competition who completed their task and wrote the 50,000 words in 30 thirty days! These badges are exclusive to the year the writer participated and change yearly! IndieBound Banner provide by Indiebound.org as a way to promote Indie booksellers. Seriously wicked bookish badges {entirely FREE!} provided by Squeesome Designs! Jorie Loves A Story Blog Badge was designed by the creatively lovely Ravven, who is an artist in her own right, a blogger, and a book cover art designer. We Need Diverse Books badge provided by We Need Diverse Books and is used permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Calling Card for Jorie Story and Follow my Bookish Tweets badge.}

{NOTE ON COPYRIGHT}:

All writing and content on this blog is of my own creation, unless otherwise attributed and/or sourced. No unauthorized use and/or duplication of writing or content without permission of blog author and owner is prohibited. All Rights Reserved. Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013-2021.