S.C. Flynn

I have travelled far to find Rinn, a blogger from the UK who blogs at Rinn Reads. She is currently studying for an Archaeology Masters in the Netherlands. She mainly focuses on science fiction and fantasy, her true loves, but occasionally reads other genres. When not reading or blogging, she can be found stressing over her thesis, playing video games, catching up on a myriad of television shows or exploring her new (temporary) home country.

SCy-Fy: Among other things, Rinn, changing countries must have a big effect on your reading habits.

RR: I’m a bit restricted in what I can read at the moment, as I only have a few physical copies of books here with me in the Netherlands, so I mostly rely on whatever is on my Kindle. Luckily, I’ve found some pretty great reads.

SCy-Fy: What have been the best of those?

RR: Definitely Outlander by Diana Gabaldon which I am just about to finish, I’m a little bit in love with Jamie! Also A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, Steelheart and Firefight by Brandon Sanderson.

SCy-Fy: Which upcoming releases are you most looking forward to?

RR: I’m glad I recently made my ‘not yet published’ shelf on Goodreads, makes this much easier! Definitely Armada by Ernest Cline; Ready Player One was absolutely AMAZING so I can’t wait to read more from that genius. Also Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss, The Hunter’s Kind by Rebecca Levene, New Pompeii by Daniel Godfrey (seriously appeals to me as an archaeologist!) and of course, Winds of Winter by George R.R. Martin, but I’m not sure how upcoming that is… .

SCy-Fy: Tell me about a typical blogging day.

RR: Well, my blogging time has been quite limited lately since starting my Masters, but somehow that’s nearly over… . But a typical blogging day would usually involve making sure I have TweetDeck running, putting on some inspiring music and writing a ‘to do’ list, and then attempting to get through as much as possible! My first task is generally replying to emails and comments, then getting on with writing posts.

SCy-Fy: What are your future plans?

RR: Well I’d like to go back to posting as regularly as before! I’m sure that will change in a couple of months. Bringing my regular features back – oh, and Sci-Fi Month in November.

SCy-Fy: Do you have any advice for bloggers and reviewers?

RR: For bloggers and reviewers – don’t try to copy how someone else writes their reviews, even if they’re well received. Write how YOU want to write, carve your own style that your followers will recognise. Add elements to your blog that make it more personal; weave your other interests into it. For example, I have a feature where I discuss both books and video games together.

SCy-Fy: What are your most useful resources?

RR: TweetDeck is a life saver! Goodreads for book information, covers etc – although I’m pretty sure that’s used by most bloggers! I get some great fonts and textures from Creative Market, which offers 3 free items to newsletter subscribers each week. Also Spotify, I really can’t write without music. And my old school ‘ideas’ notebook, of course.

SCy-Fy: Traps in SFF blogging?

RR: Maybe this is blogging in general, but feeling a need to only or mostly blog about what’s new. There’s so much fantastic SFF from decades ago that needs recognition, or that some people might find a love for if only they knew about it.

SCy-Fy: Things that have kept you going in hard times?

RR: My friends and followers. At the times where I haven’t been able to blog much, or have felt that my posts were less than satisfactory, they’ve cheered me on and kept me in the blogosphere. I really, really love this community.

SCy-Fy: Posts of yours that have had the most impact or controversy?

RR: I’m not sure about controversy, but some of my most popular posts have been The Careers of Book Bloggers, Reviewing ARCs, Archaeology in Science Fiction, Online Friends and How I Came To Love Jane Eyre. I have decided lately to be much more honest in my reviews when I don’t like a book, even if that means being a bit, well… brutal. You can see the first of my brutally honest reviews here… .

SCy-Fy: Thank you, Rinn. Now I had better let you get back to that thesis.

RR: I just want to say thank you for interviewing me, it has been an honour! And that I am always happy to chat books on my blog, Twitter, Goodreads… especially when it comes to science fiction and fantasy.