Blogger Positivity Campaign: Introduction

Hey, everyone! I've got some amazing news to share today. I'm one of the bloggers participating in Jillian's new feature, The Blogger Positivity Campaign.

It's a new blogging event, that you'll be seeing all across the blogosphere for the next few weeks, meant to spread positive thoughts feelings to everyone in the book community.

As someone who's been through ups and downs, I'm thrilled to be a part of this movement. I can only hope that I can help other bloggers who are in need of a lift.

What is The Blogger Positivity Campaign?

Simply, put, The Blogger Positivity Campaign is a way to spread the love throughout the book community. I'm sure that many of you have seen a lot of drama in our little corner of the Internet. Heck, I almost quit a few times in the past few months because of all of it. The Blogger Positivity Campaign is just a way to spread cheer to everyone in the book community.

You can even join in on the fun on Twitter by sending positive Tweets to all of your bookish friends. Just remember to use #SpreadTheLove so everyone can see and RT them. 

About Me

Now... what kind of event would this be if you couldn't find out a little bit of information about the participating bloggers? Today, you'll be seeing a few of these posts with information about each blogger. So take a look, and get to know a little bit more about me and the other bloggers involved in this awesome event.

1. Introduce yourself and your blog.

Hey, everyone! My name is Erin, and this is my blog, The Hardcover Lover. I've been book blogging for a little over a year now, but I've been involved in the book community for a while now. My favorite book series include the Harry Potter series, The Hunger Games trilogy, The Selection series, The Lunar Chronicles series, the Divergent trilogy, and the Zodiac series. I also enjoy a lot of contemporary YA, and you'll see a lot of that on my blog.

2. Where do you blog from?

I usually blog from my bedroom, but more specifically, Pittsburgh, PA.

In case you're not familiar with Pittsburgh, it's a smaller city in Southwestern PA. And yes... there is an "H" on the end; it's not a spelling error. I love it here, and I don't know if I'd actually want to live anywhere else. We're definitely our own kind of people, and we even have our own "language" to match.

3. Who or what made you the reader you are today?

I don't really know if there's one concrete answer for that because so much in my life has inspired me to be an avid reader. I definitely think that the book fairs at my school had a lot to do with it. I also think that just being surrounded by books all my life has had a huge influence on my reading habits.

There are a few teachers who also made me the reader that I am today, especially my eleventh grade English teacher and my YA Literature professor. Both inspired me in different ways, but I am forever grateful to them for introducing me to such amazing books.

4. Who or what made you decide to create a book blog?

During my junior year of college, I took a YA Literature class. I'd never been much of a YA reader before that class, but just being introduced to so many amazing books urged me to want to share that love with others. I started reviewing everything I'd read on Goodreads.

After a few of my reviews started circulating, I had a few different authors approach me for reviews. Something just clicked then, and I knew that I could really reach people if I had a bigger medium. I was already following a lot of book blogs and bloggers, and it took some nerve for me to think that I'd be able to blog on my own. Eventually, I convinced myself that I could do it. The Hardcover Lover was born shortly after, and although I've had my ups and downs in the community, I'm glad that I took the jump and started my little book blog.

5. What are your thoughts on the blogosphere today?

I want to say that I love the blogopshere. I really do, but it's not nearly as kind as it was when I joined in July 2013.

There are still a ton of kind bloggers, authors, and publicists that go above and beyond to make it a wonderful community, but there are definitely a few bad eggs that ruin a lot of the fun in the community. There are just those who make me cringe when I log on, and they make it hard for me to want to blog.

I'd like to see it get back to where it was when I used to look from afar. I'd love to log on to Twitter and see happiness, instead of petty arguments. I'd love to see people encouraging others instead of starting drama. I'd really just like to see everyone get along, even if that is a long shot.

6. Five random facts about you.

1. I was born with black hair. Shortly after I was born, it all fell out. I was bald for two years, and then my head sprouted some platinum blonde locks.
2. I had to miss the first day of third grade so that I could have my eyes operated on. I was never more upset in my life.
3. I've had eight concussions.
4. I'm an English teacher. Right now, I'm doing day-to-day subbing, but I can't wait for the day when I finally have my own classroom.
5. I win a lot of giveaways. Like a lot. Once, I won a "surprise" from Bath and Body Works. It turned out to be a $250 gift card and their entire Boardwalk candle collection. 

7. Five favorite books you've read and loved?

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
2. The Harry Potter series (Prisoner of Azkaban is probably my favorite)
3. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
4. Zodiac by Romina Russell
5. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

8. Five favorite book bloggers?

Oh man... I don't know how to really answer this because I have way more than five favorites! I'll start out with a few who I followed before I was a blogger, and then I'll introduce you to some of my besties.

First of all, I love Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner and The Broke and Bookish. She was one of the first book bloggers that I ever followed, and I just think that she's really kind and amazing. Another blogger I followed before I started blogging was Kelly from Effortlessly Reading. I loved going through Kelly's blog for book recommendations and reading through her posts.

My other favorites include my besties, Blessie, Tika, and Talina.

Blessie blogs at Mischievous Reads. While Blessie and I don't have a lot of books in common, we definitely get along and have a good time whenever we chat. We don't get to chat much because of the twelve-hour time difference, but I love looking through her posts. I love the look and feel of Blessie's blog, and I love how hysterical this girl is.

Tika from Fangirl Confessions is another one of my favorite people in the book blogging community. She and I started blogging within days of one another, and I love my Leo sister. Tika is passionate about everything... and I mean everything, and her reviews are always on fleek. She's funny, and I just love how she always tells it like it is.

Talina from Sassy & Dangerous is a cutie! Seriously... this girl is going places in the blogging community. If you didn't know, she recently started Sassy's Fangirl Debuts, which highlights debut authors through interviews, letters, and many other ways. I love being one of her Secret Agents, and I love talking to her everyday. The girl is on fire!

So that's everything I have for you today! Feel free to reach out to me in the comments if you have any questions about me or the event. I'll be replying to each and every one of them.