Meet Our Review This Reviews Contributors!

The contributors of Review This Reviews were previously interviewed and we thought all of our readers would enjoy reading our interview answers.  The questions were about the professional and personal lives of our Contributors here on Review This Reviews!  So, grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit back and enjoy watching each of us perform in the spotlight.  I have found, you just never know what someone will say!

It gave us a chance to chat and laugh together as we each answered questions for the interview.  


What Compelled You to Start Review This Reviews?

      Answered by Cynthia Sylvestermouse 

Honestly, we were all working on a different writing platform together and we needed a way to feature published articles in our specific category.  Review This was initially born to fill that need.  Sadly, that website shut down, but we were still writing and reviewing.  Therefore, Review This evolved into the independent review site it is today.  

As Contributors, we write our articles and reliable reviews based on first hand knowledge.   Review This Reviews! was designed and created to share those reviews with the world.  

It is also an opportunity for us to invite anyone and everyone on the web to join us here on our website of truly fun and informative pages, reviews of movies, books, music, recipes, crafts, photography, parties, baseball, home renovation, gifts, travel, and much, much more.  If we have experienced it, we will most likely write about it.

If You Could Watch the Sunrise with Anyone, Who Would that Be and Why?

    Answered by mbgphoto 

Sunrises are one of my favorite things to photograph so rather than a person I would say my favorite thing to have with me when watching a sunrise is my camera.  I am always amazed by the beauty of the sunrise. What particularly strikes me is the way that each morning brings a different view.  One of my favorite places to view a sunrise is over the ocean.  I love to see the sun as it peaks its way over the water. Here is a page I wrote on my adventures in photographing sunrises. 

Mary Beth

Sunrise at Marblehead Lighthouse Poster Available for Purchase on Zazzle
(Click Here)

 

  Plus An Answer by RenaissanceWoman2010

Photo by RenaissanceWoman2010

Living as I do on holy ground at the base of Dawn Mountain, the Navajo’s Sacred Mountain of the East, I would find it life-changing to share a sunrise with a Native American elder or medicine woman.  It would be especially breathtaking to do so on the summit.  To share such a spiritual moment with someone who deeply appreciates and respects the gifts offered up in this place at daybreak would be the experience of a lifetime. 

 RenaissanceWoman2010

What is Your Favorite Genre to Read?

  Answered by Wednesday Elf

Mystery, a puzzle to figure out, a problem to solve, a secret to reveal. Review This writers, when asked “what is your favorite genre to read,” basically said 'mystery' 

The Mystery Genre also includes 'suspense, thrillers, crime and espionage. Oh, I know, some said fantasy, romance, poetry and historical fiction. But doesn't each of those genres contain one form or another of 'mystery'? Even 'children's books' are filled with 'mystery' (mysterious secrets to discover, puzzles to complete, problems needing solving). So, the overall favorite genre choice is 'mystery'. Each writer below outlines her own choice. 

Wednesday Elf 

What is Your Favorite Book Character and Why?

      Answered by Dawn Rae & Tracey Boyer

I have many favorite characters, which made choosing just one character a little difficult.  If I go way back, it could be Nancy Drew or Laura Ingalls Wilder. If I think about more contemporary books, I could say that my favorite is Perry in the Lottery by Patricia Wood or “the doctor’s wife” in Blindness by Jose Saramago. It is so difficult to choose.  Or so I thought.

There is a character who has stuck with me for many years, perhaps nearly two decades now.  Her name is Mary Ingles. I find myself thinking of her even when I’m not asked to identify my favorite character.

James Alexander Thom wrote a fictionalized version of the kidnapping and escape of Mary Ingles in Follow The River.  The story describes the capture of this pioneer woman by a band of Shawnee Indians and her subsequent escape that included a 1,000 mile walk to return home.

I read the book so many years ago that I only recall a few of the details; mostly her interactions with a Dutch woman along the way.  But I still find myself thinking about Mary when I hike.  Every time I hike the rough, thorny, and boulder-strewn Mid-Atlantic river trails I find myself thinking, “Oh my gosh, how did she do it?”  I thought of her recently as I struggled up and down the rough terrain along the Lefty Kreh trail along the Gunpowder River.  I brag when I hike three or four miles along a “long” trail.  The strength and determination she demonstrated during her journey stick with me to this day. That is what makes me choose Mary Ingles as my favorite character.  She has the kind of strength I strive to have.

Dawn Rae

  Plus An Answer by Tracey Boyer

Nick Andros in the book The Stand by Stephen King. Nick was a deaf mute, but showed a wisdom and perception that was levels above the seeing and hearing person. I often wondered if that was because he learned that listening within would lead you to a path truer to yourself that listening to the chatter of others. I really loved the book The Stand, it had so many wonderful lessons in it.

Tracey Boyer

What is Your Favorite Writing Snack?

  Answered by Wednesday Elf & Sam Monaco

♫♪ Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks ♪ ♫

As the Baseball Fan Contributor for 'Review This' I realized that my favorite snack of 'peanuts' while writing must come from the well-known baseball song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. 

Peanuts are easy to handle one-handed, deliciously good, and actually good for you. Many health benefits are associated with the simple peanut. But there's something even better ~ chocolate. Chocolate-covered peanuts is the best snack of all.

Of course, peanuts as a snack is just this writer's favorite. Other 'Review This' writers have spoken out on their preferred snack, as seen in the list below. RenaissanceWoman2010's favorite of 'fortune cookies' might contain one with a 'paraphrased' fortune something like this: “(Wo)man/Writers cannot live by bread alone. That's why 'snacks' were invented!”

Wednesday Elf

Plus the Answer by Sam Monaco

Well now, where do I start with this one. There are just so many. Let me start with what I'm snacking on as I write this. Cheese and crackers! To be more specific, sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese with Triscuits. The tricky part of this is not to make too many crumbs all over the keyboard. 

Then, there are those little candy-coated bits of licorice. That's right one of my all-time Favorites Good & Plenty. When I'm really hungry while writing I toast an English Muffin with peanut butter. The trick here is to get the peanut butter on the muffin while it's still hot so it melts.

Sam Monaco

 Snacks Care Package

 Quick Answers from the Entire Team

Just for Fun! 

Contributor (Name or Pen Name)	Favorite Book Genre	Favorite Snack While Writing
Sylvestermouse	Romance & Historical Fiction	Potato Chips
Dawn Rae	Psychological Thrillers and/or Noir Crime Fiction	Unfortunately, it's something sweet (chocolate) followed by something salty (chips) followed by something sweet...followed by ... well, you get the idea.
Mbgphoto	Mysteries & Historical Fiction	Dark Chocolate Covered Fruit Drops
Wednesday Elf	Mystery/Suspense	Usually peanuts or a granola bar (with peanuts). I know -- I'm a NUT.
Brite-Ideas	New Age Spiritual/ Inspirational/Life After Death	Glass of wine (sometimes) & a piece or two of cheese or a Banana dipped in peanut butter
BarbRad	Romance & Detective Fiction	Dark chocolate covered or salted almonds
Renaissance Woman	Mystery & Espionage	Fortune cookies!!
Treasures by Brenda	Fiction, LOL	I do not eat while I write...though the idea is delicious. If I did, my first choice would be potato chips.
Olivia Morris	Mysteries & Suspense - Combine the two and I'm there all over it!	There is always a cup of coffee, hot and black on my desk. My other favorite snack food is red licorice although my other half does not equate that with licorice. His has to be black licorice. He calls mine candy!
Lou16	Thrillers, Whodunnits & Cozy Mysteries	Chocolate and/or Potato Chips
Margaret	Regency Romances, Historical Fiction, Mysteries	Stash Pomegranate Raspberry Green Tea with organic honey, dark chocolate and dried mango
Sam Monaco	Mysteries and Historical Fiction	Cheese & Crackers, Candy-coated Licorice, or English Muffin with Peanut Butter
Raintree Annie	Romance & Historical Fiction	Grapes or Dark Chocolate
Tracey Boyer	Sci-Fi	I don't really snack much while writing but I do have a protein bar in the afternoon about 4 pm
Cheryl Paton	New Age - I like finding out more about what we are all about; the spirituality of it all, and the things that we are uncovering, i.e. the power of our thoughts, words, and imagining.	I don’t really snack while writing. Sometimes I enjoy a snack in between writing times. Those snacks can be dark cherries, grapes, carrots, or dark chocolate covered raisins. Yes, it has to be dark chocolate.
Buckhawk	Mysteries!!!	Uh, duh,  Chocolate!
Bev Owens	Mysteries	Cheese and crackers
Heather426	Mystery and Ancient History	Tea and Chocolate
Susan Deppner	Mysteries, especially legal mysteries. I started reading Perry Mason books in junior high and have read all of them, though none recently.	Recently, corn chips which aren't quite as greasy as potato chips (keeps the keyboard cleaner). I often add a few dark chocolate chips to the bowl, too
Mickie_G	Cozy Mysteries	Anything that will not make crumbs to fall in the nooks of the keyboard!
Decorating for Events	Mystery (sub-genre is Espionage)	Snack  is baby carrots! I munch on them like chips! Was hoping I could ditch my glasses for distances but, alas, I still need them!
Coletta	Fictionalized History	I get too involved in writing. I don't have time to snack.
MissMerFaery	Fantasy	A Yummy Mix I Make of Dark Chocolate Buttons, Dried Cranberries, Almonds, Brazil Nuts & Sunflower Seeds!

What is Your Favorite Foreign Food?

     Answered by Heather426

Mexican food! 

Especially Tex-Mex.  I could eat it for every meal.  Grew up eating it several times a week and still love it the most. 

Heather426

    

How Do You Keep Focused On Your Blogging?

  Answered by BuckHawk 

Fishing Cat Photo By Sylvestermouse

Pure necessity.  OK, that was the easy answer.  But, out of necessity came organization.  Knowing what I need to do each day, week and month helps me get started each morning.  I have right in front of me what I need to get accomplished in that work session.  At the end of each work session, I make sure I have in place what I need to get done in the next work session.

This way, I don't need to make any decisions when I get started.  Including the decision about whether to do something else or not.  When my work session starts, I have my list of things to do.  For me, staying focused is entirely about organization.  That organization gives me a "just get it done" attitude.  Then I get to check off my little box!  Oooo, fun!

Buckhawk

What is Your Strongest Writing Strength?

     Answered by DecoratingforEvents

Relatability or being able to relate to my readers and them to me. In my writing, I don't want to sound like a newspaper or magazine article as in: "Just the facts, ma'am." I also don't want to sound too stilted or like I am talking too technically or above them. I want to sound like a friend and someone that wants to help by sharing my past experiences as well as my new ones. 

I think articles and stories that have the personal touch are far more popular with readers. The "internet age" has changed how, why and where we all look to for guidance, help and ideas. I want readers to relate or connect with what I am writing and using personal stories and experiences is my foundation. 

I write in a more casual and friendly tone for two reasons. I think it's easier for readers to relate to writing or an article that sounds like friends chatting. They aren't intimidated or made to feel they are being spoken down to -- I can't stand that myself! I also think it is easier to absorb the information and more quickly when the tone is casual.

Relatability and forging a connection with our reader should be a goal for anyone that writes online. Regardless of the topic -- a recipe, how-to, craft, particular ideas, miscellaneous help, etc. -- when an article is written in a 1st person point of view and relates the authors experiences like friends talking, it resonates better with readers. At least, that is my experience!

DecoratingforEvents

What Else Do You Write?  
     Answered by Brite-Ideas

Although I haven’t written a new one in a couple of years (the Squidoo closing kinda tied up our time lol) - Poetry and Song Lyrics - Been writing poems since I was 8 years old - And since Thanksgiving is just around the corner for the USA, here’s the Thanksgiving poem I wrote at 8: 

Thanksgiving is a time of prayer, 
a time to thank God a time to be fair, 
when robbers give up robbing the banks, 
when we forget the bad done just to give thanks, 
when the army forgets all about war, when the world is all quiet and peaceful once more. 

(The words of an eight year old)

Brite-Ideas

 Quick Answers from the Entire Team

Each of the Contributors on Review This Reviews have extensive writing CVs.  Instead of giving you dozens of sites for each one, I have requested that each Contributor share a link to their current favorite writing site other than Review This Reviews!  Most of the sites listed here are actually owned by the contributor which shows that our team is made up of highly qualified reviewers and website administrators.

Contributor	Link to Another Site Where They Write
Sylvestermouse	Crafters Kingdom
Dawn Rae	Treasures, Travels and Tales
mbgphoto	Lighthouse Musings
Wednesday Elf	Crochet, Crafts and Cute Critters
Brite-Ideas	Funk This House
BarbRad	Books to Remember
Susan Deppner	Hubpages
Olivia Morris	Grammie Knows How
Treasures by Brenda	Movie Treasures by Brenda
Lou16	Lou's Designs
Margaret	Delishably
Sam Monaco	Sam's Place
Raintree Annie	Diary of a Wild Country Garden
Tracey Boyer	Homemade by Jade
Cheryl Paton	Author Central Page on Amazon

What is Your Favorite Holiday and Why?
         Answered by Bev Owens

 Christmas Magic Ceramic Ornament

For as long as I can remember my most favorite holiday has always been Christmas.  For me it isn’t just the actual day but the entire Christmas season that moves me each and every year.  I was always enthralled by the story of the Christ child being born in such humble surroundings, the singing of the angels, and the arrival of the Wise Men.  There is also the secular realm of Christmas which also moves me.  When I was very young, we would travel to the nearest “big city” to visit Santa and I was convinced that the man we talked to was in fact the real life Santa from the North Pole.  He had this twinkle in his eyes; even a young child could sense his joyful soul.  He was magical!  He was real and I believed. 

I think that one of the reasons that I love this holiday so much is that more than at any other time of the year we are witness to people being kinder, more giving and more loving.  I have never stopped believing in Santa (he is in each of us, you know).  I can still hear the “bell of Christmas” as clear and bright as when I was a little girl.  

Bev Owens

What is the Best Gift You Have Ever Been Given?  (Something You Can Buy!)
     Answered by Susan Deppner  

The best gift I've ever been given was my own copy of Roget's Thesaurus. My parents bought it for me for Christmas one year when I was junior high school age and that meant so much to me. I knew that they knew I enjoyed writing and that I did well in English and composition classes in school, but I didn't know that they took my writing seriously. I remember studying the thesaurus for hours, learning how the words were cataloged and how to use the book to find synonyms or just to see how certain words were related to others. Not only did the tool help improve my writing skills, it motivated me to write more. For that I have always been very grateful to my parents who, as it turned out, knew me better than I thought they did.

Susan Deppner

  

If You Could Choose Any Vacation Destination, Where Would it Be and Why?
     Answered by Olivia Morris

Tower of David in Jerusalem - Morguefile.com

My favorite vacation destination would have to be Israel. I have been there twice and would love to go back again. If I could find a way for someone to sponsor me there I would be gone in a heartbeat. There is so much history, geography, and climate that you just don't get anywhere else in the world. 

It is also holy ground, not only to the Christians, but the Jews and Moslems as well. I would love to know more about the country as a whole, it's people, it's traditions and it's history.

Olivia Morris

If You Could Turn Back Time, What Year Would You Choose?

     Answered by Treasures by Brenda

I love my current life but I would like to be a teenager again.  I was not a joiner when I was young and if I could do it over again, I would love to revisit the late 1970s and early 1980s and take the opportunity to join clubs, groups, etc.  Plus, there are a few choices that I made in those years that I would like to change.  Of course, I am a big fan of the pop culture from that time and it would be fun to see groups like Supertramp again!

Treasures By Brenda

 

What is Your Favorite Music Genre and Why?

     Answered by Lou16

80s Music - probably because I was a teen in the 80's so when I hear the music it has that nostalgic pull for me. 

Lou16

What is Your Favorite Hobby?
     Answered by BarbRad

Look Closely at this Photo and You Will See Barb
Engaging in Her Favorite Hobby!

Although I love to read, I wouldn’t consider that my hobby.  My only real hobby is taking photo walks.  I love observing my world through a camera lens.  I notice more that way than I would just going for a walk. 

Why?  Because when I have a camera in my hand looking for things to photograph, I notice more of what I’m seeing.  I’ve never been a particularly observant person.  I’d make a terrible eyewitness for that reason.  The camera transforms my observation powers. 

When I starting writing online I was able to use my hobby to inspire my writing, illustrate it, and give me more ideas.  Now I’m starting to enjoy photography more and more for its own sake and I’m beginning to explore digital photo editing more.

BarbRad

Plus, An Answer by Raintree Annie

Fuschia Flowers Postcard
by RaintreeDesigns

My love of gardening started as a young child. We lived in a country village and from the age of five, my parents gave me a patch of garden to do with as I wished, initially with their help and guidance then later on my own. So I recall growing seeds and bulbs and being amazed at how a tiny seed or a boring looking bulb could transform into a gorgeous flower or a tasty vegetable!

When I left home to live in a city as a young adult, I did not have a garden and instead I filled my flat with houseplants so that way I was able to keep in touch with nature and gardening. It was important to me to have the plants to care for and I loved having them around me.

It was not until my husband and I bought our first home that I was really able to garden outside again. We bought a pretty barren garden, just an oblong patch of grass, its saving grace being a beautiful mixed hedge at the end of the garden. The previous owners had used chemicals to keep on top of the weeding and sadly we had no flowers, shrubs, insects, or wildlife of any kind.

So I set about making a garden there using no chemicals at all. It was not long before there were shrubs and flowers, bulbs, perennials and annuals growing everywhere. I waited for insects, birds and other wildlife to return to the garden and slowly they did. I developed a love and passion for gardening, always keeping wildlife in mind. The garden has grown up well over the years and we now have beautiful plants for us to enjoy and great habitat for birds along with nectar-rich corridors for insects and especially bees. We share our space with the wildlife and have been treated to friendly nesting blackbirds, flocks of sparrows, robins and bluetits to name a few. We were even treated to a beautiful Barn Owl sitting on our shed roof one night!

We marvel at the insect world from the ladybird to wasps, worms and butterflies and I even developed a tolerance for the slugs and snails that love to eat some of my garden plants, they are a part of the ecosystem too. The highlight of this year was seeing an endangered hedgehog visiting our garden.

Love Hedgehogs Postcard Shown Above by RaintreeDesigns

When I hurt my back quite badly I was told that I may never be able to garden again. I was devastated. I spent the following year "supervising" and teaching my husband how to care for our garden. I was still able to look after our houseplants though, which made me happy. Determined to get back to gardening myself, I put every effort into my exercises and therapy and tried to get better. That determination and effort paid off after two years and I was able, with some restrictions, to once again pursue my love of practical gardening. Plus now I had a knowledgeable and enthusiastic husband to help me!

I enjoy gardening with wildlife in mind because there is always something to learn, something new to enjoy, special moments in everyday events. The garden calms me, soothes me. It is a sanctuary when things are busy or when life is tough. It is often a source of inspiration and rejuvenation and a connection with nature. I can't imagine ever not gardening in some way all of my life



Why Did You Become a Jewelry Designer?
     Answered by Margaret Schindel

Vintage Style Earrings Made by Margaret

I grew up in Manhattan, so I was exposed to fashion from an early age. In those days, people in New York City routinely dressed up and wore jewelry. My mother had a small but elegant selection of mostly costume jewelry. When my father’s business became more successful and he could afford it, he sometimes bought Mom a piece of gold and gemstone jewelry for her birthday or their anniversary. Each piece was special and selected with care. I loved watching Mom choose her outfits and jewelry when she was going out to a cocktail party, the theater, the opera or dinner with one of my father’s clients. She always looked so elegant! 

Dad used to travel to Europe one or twice a year to meet with some of his clients and Mom usually joined him on those trips. When I was around 10, she brought back some magnificent Venetian glass beads from Murano, Italy. She strung them with glass bugle beads, seed beads and pearls to make long, elegant necklaces, which she often knotted in a lariat style, twisted with a scarf or wrapped around her neck to create two shorter, nested strands. I begged her to teach me how to string the beads and add a clasp. That’s when I designed my first necklace. 

My uncle was a jeweler and my parents bought me a set of 14k gold chains when I graduated high school. Those were the first pieces in what was to become a very large jewelry collection. Eventually I began collecting vintage jewelry and vintage glass beads. I had worked in the retail fashion industry for several years after I graduated college and, many years later, I discovered that I loved being able to design and create my own unique jewelry with my stash of rare vintage beads. My beaded designs featured sophisticated and unusual combinations of colors, materials, sizes, shapes and finishes. I taught myself how to make vintage-style jewelry featuring beads embroidered with very fine wire onto metal filigree, in the style of Miriam Haskell, Stanley Hagler and other popular jewelry designers from the 1950s and ‘60s. Co-workers, friends and even strangers admired my jewelry and wanted to know where I had gotten it. When I told them I was wearing my own designs they asked whether I would sell them. That’s when I started my jewelry business, Polished & Put-Together. 

I wanted to expand my jewelry making knowledge and capabilities, so I taught myself basic metalsmithing skills. When my husband and I honeymooned in the Tuscan countryside in Italy, we spent part of the time learning to make lampworked glass beads. 

Metal Clay Textures Locket Made by Margaret

In the mid-2000s I discovered a relatively new jewelry making material called silver metal clay, pure silver particles mixed into an organic binder. This malleable form of metal could be sculpted, impressed with texture, carved, drilled and manipulated very differently than traditional milled metal, then fired at high temperatures in a kiln to burn off the binder, leaving just the pure silver intact. I was immediately fascinated with the possibilities and took several multi-day, intensive workshops with a world-famous metal clay artist and jewelry designer to learn how to make fine silver jewelry from metal clay. I’ve developed a passion for this unique material, which now is available in several other metals.

I recently learned a wire weaving technique called Viking knitting so I can create fine silver chains for my silver pendants. And I’ve begun using professional artist-quality polymer clay in some of my jewelry designs, which allows me to add wonderful elements of color and pattern. I love learning new techniques to expand my creative repertoire!

Margaret

What Award Do You Dream About Winning?

     Answered by Bear Tale

Created on WriteOnIt.org

Growing up in the 1960s, I wanted to be a rock and roll singer. Never mind that I can't carry a tune in a bucket. So, I started writing songs at an early age in the hope that I would see my smiling face on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. 

My dream never went away, but it has changed. I no longer want my picture on the cover. These days, I dream about writing a feature story that would make Hunter S. Thompson sit up and take notice. I want to see my byline on The Cover of The Rolling Stone so I can buy five copies for my mother. That would be the perfect lifetime achievement award for this starving artist.

Bear Tale

What is Your Most Memorable Blogging Experience?
     Answered by Cheryl Paton

My most memorable blogging experience is the one that I wrote when I finally decided to publish the book that I had written, Proverbs as Affirmations. The whole process was very cathartic. I had been raised as a Christian. As an adult, I began learning about affirmations, and I liked using them. But after awhile I began to question whether I was doing the right thing. I wondered if it was what God wanted me to do. One thing led to another, and I decided upon the quest to transform the book of Proverbs into affirmations.

Proverbs is a book in the Bible about a lot of don’t do this and don’t do that, along with things that would befall those that didn’t obey. To say it was a real chore is describing it lightly. It took lots of conversations, arguments with God, and tears, to get through it. Then came the task of publishing it. I attempted to publish it quite a few times. I finally decided that if I shared about publishing it, that I would be more accountable to myself and actually publish it.  

The blog that is live now, is somewhat different than what all I wrote about it, when I first started writing it. I took out some of the angst things and left in more of the better feeling parts; at least better feeling to me, and that is a good thing. This is the blog I wrote about Proverbs as Affirmations.  

 

  Plus An Answer by Sylvestermouse

This is truly a very easy question for me to answer and I hope it would be the answer of all of the Contributors on Review This Reviews!

Right here, right now, with this fabulous group of writers and contributors.  They encourage me to keep working.  They make me laugh when I am melancholy.  They lift my spirits when I am ill and daily check on me to see if I am still among the living.  They share, teach, challenge and tweek me on a daily basis so I can truly be the best that I can be.  

But most of all, they are my friends and there is no greater blessing in this life than being surrounded by a supportive and uplifting group of friends.

Cheers to you all and to the many memories we continue to create every day on
Review This Reviews!

Cynthia Sylvestermouse