Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Kristine M Smith who writes for Almost Famous By De’s Fault. A Pacific Northwest native, author and copywriter Kristine is a former Warner Bros. executive secretary who was mentored by DeForest Kelley for over 30 years. Kris was De’s caregiver during the final months of his life and presented heart-rending sentiments about him at Paramount Studios’ memorial service for him.

Kris has written five books, including two about actor Kelley:  the first is garnering 5-star reviews at Amazon.com (DeFOREST KELLEY: A HARVEST OF MEMORIES, My Life and Times with a Remarkable Gentleman Actor, available at Authorhouse.com for less); the second she published, edited and provided commentary on. It’s an e-book of fan memories about De (THE ENDURING LEGACY OF DeFOREST KELLEY: ACTOR, HEALER, FRIEND) and is available at Payloadz.com.  She is hoping to receive enough contributions from Kelley fans for a second ENDURING LEGACY edition before the March 5^th, 2011 deadline. For more information, check out her blog: http://almostfamousbydesfaut.blogspot.com.

1 ) How was your life growing up?

Frantic and blessed. I had an alcoholic for a father and a saint for a mother. The frantic part came from being around Dad; the blessed part came from being around Mom and from other teachers and mentors (Mary Jane Cooper, Alpha Rossetti, Walter Dobbs, DeForest Kelley, Ted Crail, and others). I grew up in a big town (Tacoma, WA) from birth to ten and in a small town (Cle Elum, WA) from ages 10-20. My upbringing gave me hundreds of talking points for stories, books and articles, though, sent me into the self-help section of libraries and bookstores early on, and gave me a sense of humor (without which I could not have survived), so I got the upbringing God scripted and am better off because of it (after I got over the angst of it all).

2 ) Did you have a role model when you where a child?

Oh, yes!  Several! Primarily: Jesus, my dear mother, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans when I was a very young child (my first stories were Roy-and-Dale adventures); Robert F. Kennedy, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley during my teen years. I’m mentioning only my positive role models. There were also negative role models, people I definitely did not want to grow up to be like. Scoundrels are important to a person’s worldview, too. Bigots, mean-spirited alcoholics (as opposed to happy alcoholics), cheaters, robbers, blind-siding friends and associates, vitriolic folks… any of the folks, famous and infamous, who make life harder on others than it already is in most cases.

3 ) How do you continue to find inspiration and ideas for blog posts?

I read. I’m a lifelong reader. I watch some TV; not a lot. I ask myself, “If I died tomorrow, what have I left unsaid today that still needs to be said?”  I write about whatever is floating my boat on a particular day.  I surround myself with kids, loved ones, friends and critters (as I find the time; I’m a busy, home-based copywriter) as much as possible. They’re always great for inspiration.

4 ) Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, yes, and yes! From the moment I learned how to string words together I’ve been writing. I also wanted to be an actor early on… but I’m really too shy for that role. Writing is great because you can still walk down the street and be a regular person unless you divulge that you’re a writer—then you’re in for more “trouble.”  I’ve noticed that people often put writers on pedestals. I loathe pedestals, for myself or anyone else. You can fall off a pedestal. You can fail to measure up. That’s no fun.

5 ) Who is your favorite writer? Why?

Mark Twain. He was funny, acerbic, he told the truth even when it hurt, but usually without creating enemies. Many of my favorite quotes are his. One of my favorites is, “People call me a pessimist in my old age but I’m not. I am an optimist who did not arrive.”  If I’m not very careful, I’ll be in the same place when I’m 75!  Of the current batch, I adore the author of The Help, Kathryn Stockett. She is just fabulous. The Help is her first novel. I’m floored by her brilliance. I also like Tosca Lee, author of Demon: A Memoir and Havah: The Story of Eve. And I can’t wait for Iscariot, her next offering.

6 ) What are the qualities a good writer needs to have?

Curiosity. Sensitivity. Compassion. A sense of rhythm and flow when it comes to wordplay. A modicum of anger or resistance toward what is. The soul of a poet and the spirit of a “velvet” conqueror (as opposed to a Genghin Khan-type conqueror. I, too, believe that “the pen is mightier than the sword.”). Persistence. Resilience. Love.

7 ) Have you ever written anything on your blog and then regretted it afterwards?

I have written drafts that just sit there in the queue, waiting for the right time to release them, if the right time ever comes. Some may never see the light of day. But they’re there for me to ponder, to wonder “Should I or shouldn’t I?”  But no, as of right now, there isn’t much I regret… unless it’s a BORING entry. I’d regret that a LOT!

I also occasionally regret calling out, in no uncertain terms, the politicians that I think don’t have our best interests at heart. Those entries usually get responses that drive me batty—the same old talking points, knowing they haven’t really investigated the matter at all, that they’re just parroting a party line.  I want everyone to STOP and really look at the other side in the same way that they look at a loved one who may seem a little “out there” but has a really good heart. I think we need to talk with LOVE about politics, and religion, and all the rest of these vital things that impact our day-to-day lives…and I’m guilty of failing to “look with love” on the political realm myself at times.  I hope we’ll all dial it back. It creates an environment of “us versus them” that I hate seeing in the American psyche.

8 ) What advice would you provide for people looking to start a blog?

Be sure you understand the sheer effort and discipline it will take to keep it up. It ain’t easy!  If you’re a business, don’t just push your product or service—offer help, tips and tricks, kind-hearted humor. Include a personal touch that has nothing whatsoever to do with what you offer. Blogs are part of “social” media. People want to feel your heart and spirit—they don’t want yet another commercial.  Business blogs all too often forget that.  (Mine isn’t a business blog, but you can access my business website from it.)

9 ) Do you have any big regrets in life?

I regret listening, for as long as I did, to the few (very few–but important to me) naysayers in my life instead of the encouragers and mentors. It took me until just four years ago to hang my shingle as a professional writer and to act, every day, to making a living as a writer. There were far fewer folks who said I couldn’t succeed than said I could, but I listened to the naysayers. I let their fears (or whatever it was) impact my willingness to try.  That was really, really dumb of me.

10 ) What is your biggest fear?

Professionally: letting down a client. It only happens about once every several hundred jobs, but when it does, I agonize for days. Personally: I don’t have many fears. I’m not even afraid of dying—just of dying in some horrible way (sharks, a fire, a painful disease, drowning, a gunshot … these come to mind pretty fast!)

11 ) How do you define success?

Professionally: Doing what you love for a living and making enough (and then some) to keep doing it. Personally: Loving well and being loved in the affectionate, obviously adoring ways that children and pets show their love and trust. If we could just get that right as adults, we’d be getting somewhere. Everyone on earth wants to be celebrated, not (seemingly) just tolerated or taken for granted.

12 ) What do you do in your spare time?

Catch up on a good book, walk my goats, pet my cats and dog, take a nap, write a blog entry, catch up on Facebook, WRITE!  (I’m addicted to stringing words together; what can I say?)

13 ) Have you ever faced a challenge that helped define who you are today?

Yes: The loss of both of my parents and my chief mentor in life, DeForest Kelley, within a 14-month period. If you had told me in advance that I could survive a catastrophe like that, I would have laughed. The circumstance helped me realize I’m a lot stronger than I think I am.

14 ) What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you started blogging?

Be yourself. People can tell when you’re faking it.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Kristine.  Keep up the great writing and good luck collecting contributions!

Again..Make sure to read Kristine’s Blog, follow her on Twitter and review her.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at admin [at] Scribnia [dot] com.

Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Lucy Thorpe. Lucy blogs about media and social media for small businesses at www.Lucythorpe.wordpress.com. She is an ex BBC radio journalist and newsreader who can’t get enough of social media. As a journalist she used to spend her time finding stories and working on interesting ways to tell them, now she uses that curiosity to nose about online and discover what’s going on. Lucy helps small businesses with social media and PR and still do some voice work as a legacy of her radio days. She reads, runs and swims to keep herself sane and away from the computer!

1 ) Why did you start blogging and why do you blog today?

I started out blogging about social media because I wanted to understand it and this was a way of making sense of what I found. I have always wanted a blog and at one stage considered writing a mummy blog about life in the suburbs but I got scared because I thought my friends would never speak to me again! Blogging about social media means that I can share my discoveries with others, particularly the kind of businesses that I work with – small operators who do their own marketing and PR and don’t have the time to keep up with every trend. However I do have the occasional rant when things annoy me, like bad customer service.

2 ) Has blogging helped in any way your life/career?

Blogging is at the centre of what I do. If someone wants to work with me they can look me up online and see what I have to say. If they like my style and the way I think and write then we can take it from there. My blog is also a place where I enter into industry discussions about best practice and knock around ideas and I am proud to say that social media influencers from around the world have stopped by to comment.

3 ) What advice would you provide for people looking to start a blog?

You have to just jump in and do it – it is fine to tweak things as you go along but if you wait until everything is ready you will never get on with the whole wonderful business of writing and getting your thoughts out there. I know lots of top bloggers who change their themes and posting schedules and even miss altogether for a while. You are the boss – don’t be a slave to it. Oh and don’t get hung up on all the American blogging sites telling you you have to make money. Decide why you want to blog and if it is not about monetizing your site then don’t get distracted by it.

4 ) What is your biggest fear?

Discovering that Twitter has been replaced and having to start the process of building up connections all over again. I love Twitter and couldn’t blog without it. It is how I tell people about my posts and where I get all my inspiration from.

5 ) What is one unique fact that your readers don’t know about you?

I once read the shipping forecast on Radio 4

6 ) Who are your biggest inspirations in life or in blogging?

I am inspired by everyone who has ever made a success out of blogging. I am impressed by the people who take the time to discuss, to comment and to praise – however big a name they are.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Lucy. A useful blog for small businesses interested in social and media . Keep up the good writing.

Again..Make sure to read Lucy’s Blog, follow her on Twitter and review her.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at Elena [at] Scribnia.com

Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Clotilde Dusoulier who writes for Chocolate and Zucchini. Clotilde is the 31-year-old Parisienne behind the award-winning food blog Chocolate & Zucchini. She was born and raised in Paris, she discovered her passion for food while working in California as a software engineer. She started her blog in 2003 after returning to Paris, and its success has allowed her to start a new career as a full-time food writer. Clotilde is also the author of the cookbook CHOCOLATE & ZUCCHINI (Broadway Books, 2007) and of CLOTILDE’S EDIBLE ADVENTURES IN PARIS (Broadway Books, 2008), a book on Paris restaurants and food shops. She has also helped edit I KNOW HOW TO COOK (Phaidon, 2009), the newly translated bible of French home cooking. She lives in Montmartre.

1) Why did you start blogging?  Why do you blog today?

I created Chocolate & Zucchini in September of 2003: I had been cooking with growing passion for a few years, and I felt the need to keep track of my thoughts and experiments and recipes. I also wanted to share them with like-minded cooks, and an audience larger than just my friends and family. When I stumbled upon the handful of food blogs that existed at the time, I knew the cooking journal format would be ideal for me.

It certainly exceeded my expectations: Chocolate & Zucchini has become such an integral part of my life I couldn’t imagine not blogging. I love the way having a blog changes my world view: I look at things with more attention and depth thanks to it, because somewhere in the back of my mind I always wonder how I could share this or that on my blog. The ongoing conversation with my readers is incredibly motivating and inspiring, too, and I learn a lot from them.

2) What was your life like growing up?

I was blessed with a very happy childhood in a tight-knit family, with an older sister I was always close to, and parents who brought us up with the idea that the world was our oyster and we could pretty much do whatever we put our minds to. I also grew up eating really well, because my mother is a wonderful cook, and I learned a lot by just hanging out with her in the kitchen and watching as she prepared our meals.

3) Has blogging helped you in your life/career?

Chocolate & Zucchini has been instrumental in my food writing career, in fact I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have one if it wasn’t for the blog! All of the opportunities that I’ve benefited from over the years have stemmed from the blog. It has also brought me some very good friends, and I am thankful for that as well.

4) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I’ve never been one to have a career plan, but I hope in ten years I will still be doing what I love and learning things every day. And from that place of experience, I hope to be in a position to mentor and encourage younger people to do the same.

5) What advice would you provide for people looking to start a blog?

I think the most important thing is to write out of passion — whatever the topic — and to work on developing your own voice. In my experience, those are the elements readers respond best to. You also need to be patient and persistent: it can take a while to find your groove, and to develop the kind of readership you hope for, but if you produce quality content that really adds value to your readers’ lives, you are bound to find your audience.

6) How do you define success?

To me, success is doing what you love, and being the person you want to be — no more, no less.

7) How did you choose the name for your blog?

The name Chocolate & Zucchini is an illustration of the two sides of my culinary personality: zucchini stands for my love of fresh, seasonal produce and healthful cooking, and chocolate for my interest in baking.

What do you do when you’re not in front of a computer screen?

If I’m not at my computer, you’re most likely to find me a) in the kitchen cooking, b) on the couch reading, or c) out and about exploring the city.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Clotilde. Your blog is a great read for all gourmands out there. Keep up the good work!

Again..Make sure to read Clotilde’s Blog, follow her on Twitter and review her.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at Elena [at] Scribnia.com

Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Sam Lloyd who writes for The Sam Effect. Sam is a Certified personal trainer through NASM and has helped many people achieve their physical goals. He is a self-proclaimed fat loss expert and an avid reader. He is constantly in the middle of various personal development materials and also loves reading academic studies on nutrition and various subject. Sam has a Bachelors degree in Business Management. He loves Jiu Jitsu and spends a considerable amount of time at it. He also works as a marketing specialist.

1) Why did you start blogging?  Why do you blog today?

When I started blogging I think I was motivated by a weird desire to be some sort of celebrity. I wanted to be in front of people. I wanted to have a since of significance. Now days, I don’t see it like that. I see it as my opportunity to hopefully contribute value to other people’s life. Also, it allows me to have a ‘creative outlet.’ I’ve always had a creative bug from little up. Writing and articulating ideas is one of the ways I satisfy this.

2) What was your life like growing up?

I grew up in a small town. I was obsessed with sports. Life growing up was all about basketball and football for me. I was always drawn to athletics.

3) How has blogging helped you in your life/career?

Blogging helps me in few ways. First like I mentioned it’s a creative outlet for me. Second it forces me to really hone down my ideas and make them ‘tangible’ enough to be able to record (rather than having them randomized in my head). Third it allows me to evidence my ability to help small businesses with web marketing.

4) What do you have in stock for the future of your blog?

I have no idea! Haha. Hopefully I can articulate ideas and specific technique to add value to people’s lives. Nothing is more upsetting to me than thinking about the massive amount of people out there that aren’t happy with who they are and how their lives are going.

5) What advice would you provide for people looking to start a blog?

Decide what you want to do with it and also determine exactly what it’s about right from the start. If you are content with blogging about daily life and having friends and family read that’s one thing, if you want to reach a wider scale audience that’s another. It’s going to require radically different ‘styles’ and subject matter depending on your goals. Also, I would recommend using your own hosting, your own domain, wordpress CMS, and the thesis theme (customize it appropriately).

6) Who are your biggest inspirations in life?

Tony Robbins, James Allen, and Eckhart Tolle have influenced my thinking and therefore life more than anyone else.

7) How do you define success?

I think Emerson nailed this one: ““The definition of success–To laugh much; to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one’s self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition.; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived–this is to have succeeded.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

What do you do when you’re not in front of a computer screen?

Jiu Jitsu, Bodybuilding, Snowboarding, friends and family.

9) What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you started blogging?

Just have fun with it. Be real. Be authentic.

10) What is your biggest fear?

Death. Death freaks me out big time.

11) What is your idea of the perfect blog?

Awesome design, great content from a true expert in their field.

12) Do you have any big regrets in your life?

Not at all. None.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Sam. Reading your blog sure made me think more about working out . Keep up the great work!

Again..Make sure to read Sam’s Blog, follow him on Twitter and review him.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at Elena [at] Scribnia.com

Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Ben Harvell who writes for BenHarvell.com. Ben is a freelance writer and former editor of iCreate magazine. He now writes for major technology magazines and blogs worldwide and has written several books on consumer technology and creativity. Ben lives by the beach in Bournemouth on the south of the UK and blogs at www.benharvell.com.

1 ) How do you continue to find inspiration and ideas for blog posts?

I often don’t! I try my best to plan regular posts but I usually find it best to write about something I’m excited about at the precise moment. I write commissioned articles every day so it’s nice to write exactly what you want without guidelines.

2 ) How has blogging helped you in your life/career?

As a freelance writer my blog offers a great window into my life and work for readers and potential clients. It also helps keep my family up-to-date when I’m out of touch for extended periods. I’ve been commissioned magazine work off the back of posts I’ve written and it’s a useful place to point potential clients who want to find out more about me.

3 ) Have you ever written anything on your blog and then regret it afterwards?

Rarely. I’ve spotted and hastily changed the odd typo but anything goes on my site so there’s not much I regret. If anything, I sometimes regret not spending more time on posts.

4 ) What advice would you provide for people looking to start a blog?

Do it. You’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain. Pick a topic and stick to it, listen to feedback and keep going.

5 ) What is one unique fact that your readers don’t know about you?

I sing and play guitar. At least I don’t think I’ve written anything about that before…

6 ) How do you define success?

If you’re happy, satisfied and feel proud of yourself I think you’re a success.

7 ) Where is your favorite place to go to write, read or think?

I’m at my best at my desk but I do enjoy writing with a good coffee or a beer in town.

8 ) Would you like to live anywhere else? Where?

A lot of my clients and contacts are in America as are most tech shows so I’d love to spend some more time in California and New York.

9 ) What do you do when you’re not in front of a computer screen?

Sadly I move to another, be it an iPad or Xbox or some form of sport on TV. I need to get out more…

10 ) Who is the most interesting famous person you’ve met?

Tough one. Adam Duritz of Counting Crows and I talked at great length about applications of technology for social good and charity. He’s a lot more than a musician and a very interesting guy.

11 ) What makes you and your blog unique?

I’d like to think I have a fairly unique writing style. I’m also not too worried about speaking my mind or drifting off topic. The blog is a showcase for me and my work so I have to make sure it’s entertaining and enjoyable to read.

12 ) Have you ever faced a challenge that helped define who you are today?

I lost my best friend to cancer when I was eighteen. I think that made me reevaluate things. The way her family coped was also a major inspiration.

13 ) What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you started blogging?

Find your audience and keep on posting. I’ve tried blogs before and never kept them up but, now my blog is part of my daily work I not only have to update it but I want to. I can see hits tailing off the longer I go without posting which is another incentive to keep writing.

14 ) What is your idea of the perfect blog?

One that you come back to every day hungry for fresh posts.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Ben. Interesting blog about the internet, gadgets and much more. Keep up the good writing.

Again..Make sure to read Ben’s Blog, follow him on Twitter and review him.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at Elena [at] Scribnia.com

Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Tia Peterson, the Editor-in-Chief for BizChickBlogs, a blogzine for smart women by smart women. She lives in Tucson, Arizona with her three year old son.

1) Why did you start blogging?  Why do you blog today?

I started blogging as a way to help people like my clients build better, more social blogs. I had been developing them for a couple of years, and before that, had about 7 years experience in web development, along with business analysis and product management experience. When I realized that people wanted blogs but had no idea how to make them social or develop a readership, I decided to take on the challenge myself and then just blog about it.

2) What was your life like growing up?

I come from a family of five kids – two boys and three girls, and I am right in the middle of them all. I’m 8 years younger than my older brother and 8 years older than my younger brother. We are all spread out. My family is awesome, and I had an active church life which I do now, also. And I went to an amazing high school that won Time Magazine’s School of the Year award in 2001. I was really, really blessed growing up.

3) What advice would you provide for people looking to start a blog?

I would say to step back and look at the entire picture first. Never start blogging in a vacuum unless you are doing it for purely personal reasons. A blog is just one format for communicating a message, and it’s best used in conjunction with several other formats. So I would advise people to consider the outcome first – what exactly are they wanting to go with their business, or what will success looks like? Until they can articulate that, I’d say hold off and spend some time developing a clear picture of success. The picture itself will determine the best strategies and marketing methods and even the content plan.

4) How do you define success?

I define success as an accomplishment or lesson learned. An experiment is successful if you either got what you wanted out of it, or got something better, which could be educational.

5) What are 5 things you want to do before you die?

Great question. (1) I want to travel overseas just for fun, as I’ve never done that. (2) I’d like to win the World Poker Tour – okay, I’d settle for just playing in it. (3) I’d like to get a non-profit launched which teaches practical job skills in blogging, social media, and search engine optimization to people who are out of work and need to develop a new career. (4) I’d like to see my son go to a great college. (5) I’d like to buy a house. Or two.

6) What is your idea of the perfect blog?

I don’t know that there’s any such thing as a perfect blog. They all serve such different purposes! We all want our blogs to mean something to the readers – to become important or interesting enough for the reader to come back. An ideal blog is a social blog (in my opinion). However, I would say that in order for a blog to be social, there must be a way to share the content. That’s a must. As long as sharing tools are present, the blog can be whatever the owner wants it to be.

7) What is your dream job?

My dream job is to run a media company that has a publishing arm and a marketing arm. I’m working on that. We’re getting there. And when we do, what will make it a dream job is the opportunity to work with fun, brilliant people who have aspirations and goals beyond just working the 9 to 5 for two weeks vacation every year. I want people around me who have bigger dreams than that. In that kind of environment, creativity is everywhere and the energy level is consistently high. I would love to wake up every day and go to a place like that.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Tia. A great blog from a great woman to great women.  Keep up the great writing.

Again..Make sure to read Tia’s Blog, follow her on Twitter and review her.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at Elena [at] Scribnia.com

Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Sara Lechner who writes for The Fabric of Meditation. Sara was born 1948 in Argentina. She studied Art, Literature and Theology and worked as a multilingual secretary. Sara is the mother of 7, an organic farmer, fiber artist. She lives in Mank, Austria.

1) Why did you start blogging?  Why do you blog today?

I started blogging on a whim (like most things I do…). I had no idea what a blog was and thought the better way of having an answer to this question was starting one. It was the beginning of a new era in my life. I blog today because I have met so many friends in the web I couldn’t live without them.

2) How has blogging helped you in your life/career?

Living in a farm in the middle of the Austrian-Nowhere isn’t a very good precondition to communicate with the world. I never could have sold a thing in my surroundings. I never would have got to be known or invited to give workshops elsewhere. As a matter of fact I never do any publicity. I just blog on a regular basis (this is one of the most important things in the blogosphere!).

3) How do you define success?

Succes is doing what you like to do in life and for me also to have a positive impact in the environment and telling people I like to work from scratch (I mean using all the things that have accumulated in my studio before all this was an issue for me and trying to not buy new ones). If this also brings you money it’s a perfect success!

4) What do you do when you’re not in front of a computer screen?

This is easy to answer. I work on my art. I have plenty of time while doing embroidery and felting to think about my new entry on the blog and how I’m going to write a little story about the piece I’m making. I like to write very little stories. My native languages were French and Spanish and I couldn’t write a long story in English the way I’d like to do it.

5) What was your life like growing up?

My life like growing up was a very adventurous one. I began as a daughter of a very well situated family in Argentina, with Swiss gouvernante, Italian chauffeur, Spanish cook, Argentinian butler, farm, yacht, you name it and got bored of all this and left for Europe to learn „the real life“. I married a computer programmer from the first wave, we didn’t ever had a computer at home till he he died of a heart attack at 30 due to stress and mobbing. We had already five children at that time! I married an organic farmer  five years later. We had a social project in our farm, giving young handicapped people (due to acohol/drug excess, jail or other problems) the possibility to live in a family for some time and then helped them get a job. I had two more children. I worked on the farm. I began to work with fiber art when the children were of age. Now I travel through all Europe giving workshops on Felting with the Embellisher and I have my blog, my window to the world. Blogging is my passion.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Sarah. Your blog is a delight to anyone who likes colorful and cheerful. Keep up the good work!

Again..Make sure to read Sara’s Blog and review her.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at Elena [at] Scribnia.com

Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Jeremy Jones who writes for Living the dream. Jeremy is a 20-something recent graduate who has put off looking for a job in order to travel the world on a budget.  He writes to give other people observations into his travels to show how you can do the same while maintaining a small budget.

1) Why did you start backpacking through Europe?

I took my first trip backpacking through Europe in 2008 because it was the top destination on my list.  Since it is the most traveled continent, it seemed logical to pick the one that would be simpler to explore in order to get my feet wet and learn the basic way to travel.  If I would have known then what I do now, however, I would have spent wayyyy less money in the process.  Europe is not cheap.

2) What was the most interesting thing you’ve seen in your travels?

Petra in Jordan is probably the most interesting place I have been to in my travels.  Nothing can prepare you to exploring the ancient city, and accounts of the region in popular culture (Indiana Jones, Transformers 2, etc) make it seem a lot smaller and compact than it actually is.  It is one of the places that lives up to the hype.   One 8 hour visit may not be even enough to see just half of what there is in the area.  That is one great site.

3) What is your favorite country in Europe and why?

Switzerland is easily my favorite country in Europe that I’ve been too.  I love it because it is so beautiful, chilled out, and relaxed.  Quiet mountain towns, beautiful views at the top of many accessible peaks.  Not to mention the small farmers that have sheep with bells around their neck.

4) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

On a beach in Thailand.

5) Do you have any big regrets in life?

Not particularly. I suppose I would have started to travel earlier when I had the opportunity but I think it is going good so far.  Why waste time thinking of the past when the future is open.

6) What is your biggest fear?

Heights, but only if I am not strapped into something.  Planes, roller coasters, paragliding – im good.   Ladders, viewing platforms, and other tall places… not so much.

7) Why did you start a blog?

I started my blogs originally to keep myself focused on my goal of going on extended travel.  Without such pillars to reinforce the goal, I might have backed out or stopped saving as much in the process.   Then it evolved into a way to show others how to do the same based off my experiences as my little niche.

How do you define success?

Being happy with yourself is the biggest metric that defines success, over all other things including social status and money.  However, if I could ever be my own boss and not have to answer to anyone else, that would be the next level of success after happiness for me.

9) Tell us a short story about a weird/funny thing that happened during your travels?

I got into a really bad air conditioner war with a Chinese girl in a hostel in Bangkok.  She kept turning the air con off completely or up to 26C and low air flow (essentially off).  Keep in mind that Bangkok is one of the hottest and most humid cities in the world year round.  She tried telling me, someone who has education in the matter, that air conditioning is bad for you.

By the second night I tried to keep the remote near me, but kept the temperature at somewhere respectable.  She waited til I fell asleep to sneak out of her bed and change the temperature.  That is ok, but the air con beeped anytime something changed, and had a tendency to turn off at any slight issue, which required more beeping.  She just laughed when I yelled at her.

The third night I kept the remote completely hidden, because well, if I am paying for a room with air con in a hot city, I expect it to be on.   She got up at 4 in the morning, got a second remote from the front desk and turned it off (beeping at the same time).   Well, I made sure to make her know that wasn’t happening, so I let her fall back asleep and beeped it about 10 times, and turned it down cooler just for spite.

Worst air con war ever.    Funny story after the fact.

10) Where is your favorite place to go write, read or think?

I write in my dorm rooms most of the time.  I don’t like being hassled to take all my stuff to a different establishment just to write.

11) What are 5 things you want to do before you die?

Visit 100 countries, have a house and dogs, live outside of the USA, be my own boss, and scuba dive the worlds top dive spots.

12) Have you travelled anywhere else besides Europe?

I’ve traveled to around 11 countries in Europe.  In addition to Europe I’ve traveled the USA pretty extensively, a few spots in Canada, as well as Mexico, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Egypt, Jordan, Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St Kitts, St Maarten, St Lucia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.

13) What country do you think is the most interesting and why?

Out of the countries I have visited, I think Egypt is the most interesting.  Having one of the longest recorded histories on the planet, and still surviving ruins to go along with it is just absolutely fascinating.

The country that I haven’t visited that I think is the most interesting is Bhutan.  Most people haven’t even heard of the country, which is located right next to Nepal.  I like it for several reasons.  One, the nickname “Land of the Thunder Dragon” is just plain awesome.  Two, the government says time and time again that they value “Gross Domestic Happiness” over GDP.   Three, its relatively unknown.   The downside is they have a daily tariff that is fixed for all visitors and has only gone up in price every year (somewhere around $250-$300 PER DAY right now, all inclusive).  Even with the student discount (something like 25% off), that I am almost about to lose eligibility for, I do not have the kind of money to plop down on that.  A week long visit would set you back over $2000k, excluding the fees to get there, whereas I just spent a month in Thailand for less than that.  Sigh.

14) What is your dream job?

Travel blogger, of course!

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Jeremy. Reading your blog makes me want to travel even more.  Keep up the writing.

Again..Make sure to read Jeremy’s Blog, follow him on Twitter and review him.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at Elena [at] Scribnia.com

Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Antonia Harler who writes for the Social Glitz. Antonia lives in Innsbruck (Austria) but she would like to move to London. She has a degree in Management, Communications & IT; she has a passion for social media and finds the concept of marketing things to the general public intriguing. Antonia adores all quirky things that make life so interesting. She speaks two languages and dreams of being a rock star/princess/author/horse whisperer.

She believes in fate and the power of defining moments; everything happens for a reason and the decisions you make and can’t take back are those that might just propel you into something greater. The bottom line is that she is a free spirit who loves all things “new”. She’s a planner, thinker, organizer, and strategist. She has lived in Amsterdam, London and New York. Her big love is Canada and writing is her way of expressing. Her blog is another outlet to share thoughts, random facts, rand and everything else that influences her life day in and day out.

1) Why did you start blogging? Why do you blog today?

To be honest, I didn’t start blogging because I I felt the urgent need to express myself online. I needed a place for marketers to get information about my diploma thesis and convince them to take part in a survey. In the beginning, the blog really was a means to an end. Before long, however, I decided to keep writing. It’s always been a passion of mine and my blog quickly became a place where I could express myself. I was naive about blogging, the actual effort that goes into it, the skill it takes to make a blog compelling and especially what a big commitment it is. Many things keep me going. The love for writing. The incredible community I’ve built. The network my blog allowed me to build. The opportunities it has opened up. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it when people say “I love your blog.” It’s the biggest compliment one can give me. I often doubt my skills as a writer because English isn’t my first language. German is and when I read all the other blogs whose authors have incredible writing skills, doubt often creeps in. But when people tell me they love my style of writing and the things I put out there the doubt vanishes and is replaced with pride.

2) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I hope that in 10 years time, I’ll have found the place where I want to grow old, have a family of my own.

3) What is your biggest fear?

My biggest fear is being stuck. In life, mentally in terms of losing the wish to learn as much as I possibly can and also being stuck geographically. I’m too big of a free spirit who constantly craves information and considers life to be a crazy ledge that all of us continue to climb up and down.

4) Who are your biggest inspirations in life?

People that live their life to the fullest without hesitation.

5) What is your idea of a perfect blog?

I think perfect is overrated. Striving for perfectionism and being perfect are two different things to me. Striving for perfectionism allows one to grow. Being perfect implies being infallible and often goes hand in hand with an unhealthy dose of arrogance which shows on a blog. I like writers that own up to their mistakes, question themselves and add a healthy dose of humor to everything they write. A “perfect” blog to me is one that is perfectly imperfect.

6) What advice would you provide someone looking to start a blog?

I believe that the most important thing is to write for yourself first and foremost. I am my biggest critic and don’t publish posts I’m unhappy with. If you make yourself happy with what you are writing, the readers will come. It will show in the posts and the blog overall. Also, being yourself is crucial. It’s trial and error that makes you human and approachable. In short: Be your most important client/reader & be yourself.

7) What are 5 things you would want to do before you die?

Kiss a stranger

Achieve peace of mind

Experience the kind of love they portray in movies.

Travel to Australia and ride through the desert on a donkey. A small stretch of desert will do.

Own 2 dogs.

What is one unique fact your readers don’t know about you?

I hate mirrors. I find them incredibly irritating. Oh, and I named my iPad Willfried.

9) How do you define success?

Success to me is a funny thing. All my life I’ve undervalued the things I do. I always consider them “normal” rather than special or outstanding which is why I had to think hard about how to answer this question. Ultimately success, to me, is being happy with myself and having the ability to put a smile on someone else’s face.

10 ) Have you ever faced a challenge that helped define who you are today?

Everything in life shapes a person but challenges are the ones that leave the most prominent mark. My biggest challenge in life is fighting the urge to run when things become difficult. That’s what I’ve done over the last 5 years. I moved to several different countries, worked and studied and ignored the things that were too difficult to face. Each new country brought new experiences and new challenges that made me the person I am today. However, the biggest challenge of all was and still is facing up to the things I’ve been running from.

11) Who is the most important person in your life?

It’s difficult to pinpoint one specific person. However, my family is incredibly important to me. They are my rock and helped me through the most difficult times of my life and deserve to all the credit I can give. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without them.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Antonia. Your blog may be random but it’s one of the most interesting blogs I’ve read in a while.  Keep up the writing.

Again..Make sure to read Antonia’s Blog, follow her on Twitter and review her.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at Elena [at] Scribnia.com

Welcome to Behind the Blogs, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level.  We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.

Today’s interview is with Jean Menzies who writes Jean’s Thoughts. Jean’s blog is just a way of expressing a specific lump of her thoughts. She concentrates a lot on the beauty world of hair, makeup, fashion and skincare subjects. However, her blog, like her mind is not divided cleanly by specific subjects so she interludes her beauty posts with movie and TV show chat; personal day to day experiences; writing about books; politics and other nerdy things ( she concentrates more on this on her Youtube channel) because she is a “nerd” through and through. Jean is Scottish, an Ancient History student; a socialist; a vegetarian; a nerd; a hair obsessor and a complete “girly girl” trying to make her way through life and find people who want to share the same things with each other and all of this is reflected in her blog in varying amounts.

1) Why did you start blogging? Why do you blog today?

It’s hard to pin point one thing that caused my obsession with blogging to begin. I remember I attempted to start blogging a few times before I finally settled down to it properly at my current blog. I think two reasons stand out though: I think I was lonely; I needed a hobby and I loved writing. Ok so number two is kind of two reasons but I had to find a hobby that suited what I enjoyed. Blogging helped me increase my confidence, share things even stupid things and realise there were so many people out there that I had things in common with even if there weren’t any right next to me. I keep blogging because I it has just become part of my life. The community is really important to me even just knowing it is there.

2) What was your life growing up?

Just like anyone things haven’t always been perfect for me but I am really happy with my upbringing when I look back on it as the highs well outweigh the lows. Of course I am still young so I have only so much experience of life but I think I’m lucky and I think I’ve grown up quite well. I am an only child and I lived with both my parents most of the time. They are far, far to the left politically, we are a family of socialists a political view I still believe firmly in. So my childhood was very much surrounded by opinions, politics and people standing up for one another. I was shocked at how common homophobia, racism and so on were when I went to highschool as I had lived in a world where you didn’t even think about segregating and judging people like that. I didn’t have a great time at first at high school my first two years in particular I was pretty miserable I was pretty geeky and got teased a lot but by the time I left I was compfertable with myself I knew I was who I wanted to be. I went through a lot of anxiety problems and I still get panic attacks sometimes but I got a lot better. My dad was very ill for a couple of years not long ago and that was probably the hardest time in my life and I barely went to school. However that is a lot better now so I don’t think there is much point going into it. I mean I’m not that old so I expect life will just continue to improve. This was extremely brief but I just wanted to show that my life growing up had ups and downs but all in all I’m really lucky I can’t complain and say I am hard done by when I get on with my parents, have a house, opinions, an education which is still going on and am able to have fun.

3) What do you do when you’re not in front of a computer screen?

When I’m not in front of the computer screen? I don’t know that I ever am. My laptop is like an extra limb and I feel at a complete lost without it, which I am sure is rather sad. I am a student so I am at University and studying a lot although that involves my computer half the time. I study Ancient History and Classical Archaeology at I am so far really enjoying it. I read a lot. I think you have to read at least a little to be a blogger and a writer. I spend time with friends of course. I have nights out at bars and clubs when I’m in the  mood and trips to the cinema and dinner elsewise. Really the things we all do. I write a lot of fiction (fantasy/ sci-fi) but I that’s at the computer. Man, I’m having a hard time fining stuff I enjoy away from the computer. Even my tv shows I watch online Oh, I and I have to work of course :/

4) What makes your blog unique?

I think every blog is unique as long as the writer is enjoying what they blog about. I enjoy writing in general as well as on my blog so I think my personality streams out when I am doing so, maybe to much so sometimes. Every person is unique so for me that makes every blog unique. My blog topics can be quite frivolous a lot of the time as I feel it’s a place where I mainly want to share the things that put a smile on my face and hopefully on someone else’s. Of course that doesn’t stop me from writing about more serious matters on occasion but I usually save those for my video blogs (I also use youtube under the user name ‘itsjeanhere’).

5) What is your idea of a perfect blog?

The perfect blog is personal as well as appealing to others and has character. For me a blog has to have an obvious person behind it, who displays obvious emotion in their posts and talks about personal experience. It also has to be cheerful at least sometimes. If I enjoy reading someones blog then I also understand and empathise when they have bad days and sad things going on and although ‘enjoy’ isn’t the right word I still want to read these posts because we can all relate. However a blog that constantly concentrates on the negative and doesn’t share some sunshine with the world I find impossible to read. I have suffered from depression on and off and I want to escape from that when I go online. Pictures I also like pictures. Haha, I love writing but it a blog is also quite visual so it is nice to have a post accompanied by pictures sometimes.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Jean. Your blog may be random but it’s one of the most interesting blogs I’ve read in a while.  Keep up the writing.

Again..Make sure to read Jean’s Blog and review her.

If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at Elena [at] Scribnia.com