As a librarian, of course I love libraries! But I really love hearing from other readers and authors about why libraries are important to them. Today I'm happy to introduce you all to debut author Jessica Shirvington. Jessica is the author of Embrace. As an author, Jessica is no stranger to libraries-yay! Not only do I get to host Jessica talking about libraries, but today is the release date for Embrace! Send your congrats to Jessica and keep an eye out for Embrace at your library or bookstore! Happy release day Jessica-and thanks for loving the library!!
Libraries – part of my daily life.From the outset, I knew I wanted to write a book that was based on mythology and folklore, but I didn’t want to just choose any old tale and run. A lot of my research for Embrace concentrated on varying academic opinions, religious interpretation, and the broad debates on particular elements of retold history. It is here that I believe many great ideas are discovered.
I was lucky enough to have extremely knowledgeable parents-in-law in many aspects of theology, so my first port of call was to them. They loaded me up with books by various scholars and theologians who explored different views on the role of angels and their capacity within the universe. It was the perfect place to start. But the thing about research is once you start, you quickly discover, it only helps to have as much knowledge on the subject as possible.
Naturally, I hit the internet. It’s a great place to start looking for references, but the truth is there is just so much out there on angels (including a lot of misleading information) that the Internet can become more of a hazard than anything else. Often the best comments and opinions I have found are only small sections in much larger books covering a range of different topics. So inevitably I find myself at the library more often than not.
For some reason the second I enter the front doors, I gain a little more clarity, a little more studious dedication and before I know it, somewhere between exploring the stacks of books for something that might jump out at me and scanning for the books on my prepared list of references, the day has swiftly left me behind. Sometimes I’m happy to visit my local library where I know my way around and where I like to sit (yes, I have a spot). Other times, I need more range and I find the big university libraries are the best for this – huge places to navigate, but the range is brilliant.
It doesn’t matter how much is at the press of a finger on the internet, nothing compares to the vast amount of books and the simplicity in being able to pick them up, skim through them, and move on to the next. A day at the library is always a success – mind you, I often get so sidetracked that I leave with material I never went in there looking for. But that’s part of the charm as well.
I know just what she means-I always end up with handfuls of books after browsing the library shelves! Check out your local library for a copy of Embrace and follow the tour on Facebook!
Want to win a copy? Fill out the form below! Good luck!!
-Ages 13+
-US Address Only
-One entry per person
-Contest Ends Sunday March 11 at midnight, central time
Libraries – part of my daily life.I was lucky enough to have extremely knowledgeable parents-in-law in many aspects of theology, so my first port of call was to them. They loaded me up with books by various scholars and theologians who explored different views on the role of angels and their capacity within the universe. It was the perfect place to start. But the thing about research is once you start, you quickly discover, it only helps to have as much knowledge on the subject as possible.
Naturally, I hit the internet. It’s a great place to start looking for references, but the truth is there is just so much out there on angels (including a lot of misleading information) that the Internet can become more of a hazard than anything else. Often the best comments and opinions I have found are only small sections in much larger books covering a range of different topics. So inevitably I find myself at the library more often than not.
It doesn’t matter how much is at the press of a finger on the internet, nothing compares to the vast amount of books and the simplicity in being able to pick them up, skim through them, and move on to the next. A day at the library is always a success – mind you, I often get so sidetracked that I leave with material I never went in there looking for. But that’s part of the charm as well.
I know just what she means-I always end up with handfuls of books after browsing the library shelves! Check out your local library for a copy of Embrace and follow the tour on Facebook!
Want to win a copy? Fill out the form below! Good luck!!
-Ages 13+
-US Address Only
-One entry per person
-Contest Ends Sunday March 11 at midnight, central time
Oh, I loved reading this guest post. I know exactly what Jessica means when she talks about feeling like you gain knowledge just by being in a library - way different from being sat on your sofa looking at soulless websites (of course, I don't include blogs in that! *winks*)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on release day, Jessica - Embrace sounds awesome :-)
This post made my day! It's always nice to feel like the work you do has some value to someone (and I have a hard time seeing this in day to day life).
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, I can never get enough books. I'm always looking for more to take home.
ReplyDelete