In talking to Chelsea (The Page Flipper) and Heather (Book Woman), I thought it would be a fun to turn the tables and do a series on my blog of interviews with YA book bloggers — let them be the stars! So now every Tuesday, another Book Blogger will be featured.

If you’re interested, please e-mail me.

Stacey C., Page Turners Blog

1. Describe yourself without using any qualifiers relating to reading, blogging, or writing… who are you outside of your literary life?

I’m opinionated, always in the middle of something, passionate about things I enjoy and love.

2. You’re trapped in a dystopian society like that in Fahrenheit 451, where all books, periodicals, scriptures, texts, or other forms of written communication have been banned… but in this society, every person can hoard away one piece of writing to keep for herself. What is the one written piece that you choose to keep, and why?

I would choose to have Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. First, it’s REALLY long. Second, she doesn’t answer all the questions so I could ponder things and make up my own story. And third it had a great story. It’s a love story, it has action, redemption, everything!

3. Congratulations! You’ve been given the position as Personal Assistant to any author of your choice (all time periods and genres allowed)… who is it, and what’s the biggest problem you have to overcome working with them?

WOW, this is really touch choice! I’m going to go with JK Rowling. And I think the biggest thing I’d have to overcome would be my lack of literature. I’m not well read, and I think it would be amazing to help with her charity work and to learn from someone how to weave so many different classic storylines together.

4. When it comes to reading and reviewing, which aspect of a book is the most important to you? The plot? The characters? The setting? Something else entirely?

If I can’t picture what’s going on or I’m questioning how long something took or if it was possible for it to happen in that length of time I’ll lose interest. Characters are also very important. You have to really be drawn into a character. You have to feel some emotion for them to get drawn in. If characters are blah it doesn’t matter how amazing your plot is I won’t care about the characters enough to continue with it. So I guess that makes Plot lower on my list because if you screw up the first few things I mentioned I’m probably not far enough in to be drawn in by the plot.

5. If book blogging weren’t an option, how would your reading habits be affected? Would you be as motivated to read if you couldn’t widely impart your thoughts on books to other readers?

I have an outlet to talk about books I love without the blog. I’m lucky to be a bookseller and also be part of an online community that chats about books. But if I didn’t have that my friends and family would probably get really sick of me saying OOO I just found this great book. But I also wouldn’t be reading as much YA as I am and it would take me longer to find the great books that I’ve found early on.

6. You’re giving a dinner party for three contemporary (living) YA authors and three dead classical authors. Who are they, and who do you seat next to whom? Why?

Classical: Margret Mitchell, Geoffrey Chaucer, Jane Austen

Current YA: Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, Maggie Stiefvater.

I’d have a big round table. I’d be in between Margret Mitchelle and Stephenie Meyer. Next to Stephenie would be Jane Austen, then Maggie Stiefvater, then Suzanne Collins and Geoffrey Chaucer.

7. What’s your favorite punctuation mark? Why?

! I use it a lot. It can be excitement or anger. It expresses a lot of emotion.

8. What literary device could you happily never see used again? (Simile, metaphor, spoonerism, hyperbole, etc.)

Dramatic Irony. I think this can be overdone (well any device over done can get annoying) and it makes me yell at the character more while I’m reading. I like to figure things out and sometimes it is fun knowing what the other characters don’t but not to the detriment of the character.

9. What is your favorite local bookstore? What’s a bookstore that you’ll never set foot in again? And do you have a ‘dream bookstore’ that you’d either love to visit… or would love to design and own one day?

Well I’m a bit bias; I work at a Barnes & Noble so that’s my favorite local bookstore. It also doesn’t help that there’s only 2 bookstores in town now and both are chain bookstores. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a bookstore that I’d never go to again. And if I could design a bookstore…1. I’d like to have more fun things to go with teen books. I really like being able to have a physical reminder of books I love. Be it bookmarks or stickers or whatever. 2. I’d have a computer system that could search more than just the title of the book. It could search the color of the cover and theme and topic and all sorts of things like that. 3. My store would be a community place. I’d love to have a events and things always going on.

10. Have you been to any Teen Read Week events or other Writers’ Conferences? What was your favorite meet-and-greet or interview experience?

I have not. I’d love to go to some events though. I’ve been to several author signings and I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve been too!

11. In your opinion, what is a YA novel? How is it different from a children’s novel, and how is it different from an adult novel? What makes someone a YA reader — because it’s clearly more than a matter of their being “a young adult.”

A YA novel, in general, has main characters who are in their teens or early 20s. They tend to deal with topics regarding growing up, finding one’s self, getting over some challenge to a better point in life. They tend to be books that teens can relate to because they are facing a similar challenge to those in the book. Adult books deal with a lot of the same issues, they mostly just have adult content in them that is more appropriate for older readers. Their main characters also tend to be older, lets say 25 and up. I think a YA reader it someone who enjoys good plots with characters with lots of heart.

12. What’s your guilty pleasure reading snack? And what’s your guilty pleasure to read while snacking on it?

I don’t really have one. When I’m reading I don’t really snack, I’m normally so into a book I forget to eat.

13. “Don’t judge a book by its movie!” As a connoisseur of all types of books, which genre do you think translates the best from page to screen? What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation? Conversely, what’s a book that you hope never to see filmed?

Historical fiction: some of the best adaptations have been the classics (especially if they are done by the BBC). My favorite book to movie…Probably any of the Jane Austen books. Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion… they have been done so well. I also think the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers hits that list too. HBO really captured the story. I can’t think of any YA books I wouldn’t want made into movies or adapted somehow but the adult book I hope doesn’t get made into a movie is The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I’m not a huge fan to start with and I’ve seen the other 2 movies and I’ve had enough hehe.

14. What are your plans for the future? Do you see yourself working in the literary community?

I have no clue. I’m open to whatever comes my way. I think I’d be fun to plan book events. Something that allowed me to travel would be fun.

15. Describe your perfect reading location… are you in a coffee shop sipping cappuccino or curled up at home near the window? Reading on a Kindle in the Big City or taking in the smell of a dusty hardcover?

I have not found this place yet. But I’d imagine it’d be a big oversized chair with a blanket and music playing in the background.