About Me. Policies, Stats, et al.
ABOUT KIARA
Hi! My real name is Melissa, but you can call me Kiara. Or Kia. Or Melissa, if you like. I answer to any of those; but if you call me Missy I will hunt down you and everyone in your family and give you/them constant nocturnal wet willies for a decade. Just so you know.
I am thirty-mumble-mumble. I am married to this guy (@JTabon) who I usually refer to affectionately as ‘The Artist’. We don’t have children, because we don’t want them. So stop asking, mom & dad. Really. (I’m just kidding. Mostly.) I don’t have children or pets because I eventually kill most of the plants under my care. If that’s not reason enough, I don’t know what is.
Anyway. I like books. I like them a lot. (Alot.) I will read virtually anything with a fantastic element to it, but I’m a sucker for dragons. And unicorns. And super-heroes. And anything that has a sarcastic POV. Just look at my read shelf over at Goodreads. I am on NetGalley. I own a Nook Color and will accept digital copies formatted for that device.
My rating system
I use a 5-star method rating system. The system is loosely outlined below:
5-stars: I want this book to have my babies, it is so perfect. I will be salivating quietly in a corner until the author’s next book is released. Until then, I may very well be joining or founding a fan page. Or, stalking the author on Twitter, whichever is easiest.
4-stars: I loved this book. The author’s next release date will be added to my calendar, and I’ll be bouncing in my seat waiting for that day to arrive. I will be actively seeking out the author’s other works, where available, and crying softly in my corner if they are not.
3-stars: I liked this book. When my budget allows, I will most likely be looking for more works by this author and hoarding them in my TBR corner.
2-stars: I have pretty ambivalent feelings about this book. Maybe I found it just okay, or I didn’t feel that it was really for me. I may recommend these books to certain demographics (i.e., those books that have strong erotic or sexual elements that I may not enjoy but fans of those genres might).
1-star: These are books I’ve finished, but that make me feel like I’ve either a) been pounding my head against the wall, b) wasted my time or c) gotten extra rest because they’ve put me to sleep. These are books I would recommend to no living person.
0-star: This rating would be used for books I absolutely hate or don’t finish. Since the older I get, the more I realize how short life is, those two categories are probably one and the same. Most likely, this rating will never be used because I don’t review books that I can’t finish. I find that it’s unfair to given an opinion on only part of the work.
Quarter and half-star ratings will also be awarded based on numerous and mostly arbitrary factors such as re-readability, enthusiasm, or my mood the day I’m writing the review. I will strive to keep ratings as consistent as possible, but I am human and thus not infallible.
My reviews are always 100% by me (unless noted as a guest post, in which case the author will be credited). No plagiarizing here. Plagiarizing takes work, and I don’t have time for that ish. So you’ll get my honest opinion and that’s it. Though I admit that I try to be blurb-able where possible, because I get a kick out of it when my reviews are linked elsewhere (or better yet – published in the next book… bwahaha).
I cross-post my reviews to Goodreads and sometimes Amazon. This is done on a quasi-quarterly basis. All reviews are posted at WFF first.
I review the book. I don’t review the author. Try not to take what I say (or what anyone says) personally. That said, if you don’t agree with my take on things, I urge you to contact me privately via my Contact page so that you don’t embarrass yourself, your readers, and most importantly – me.
I have tried in the past to read every book that was offered to me. That didn’t work so well. Now, I only read those that I feel I can’t live without. (Or those I’ve gotten a print copy for because, hey, let’s face it: a printed copy means you’ve taken the time to send me something tangible and not just hit ‘forward attachment’ in your email account. Which means I will feel guilty unless I read and review that book.)
As of 5/1/2012 I am focusing on catching up on my backlog of requests and my truly massive TBR shelf, and as such I will not be accepting any more unsolicited requests for the foreseeable future. I am sorry, but I have obligations to keep as well as a life to live. As much as I would love to read 24/7, it’s just not possible. (Unless you’d like to pay me a living wage to do so. If you would, hit up my Contact page and let me know.)
How can I contact you?
You can email me via my Contact Me page. I am also available on Twitter as Kiaras. I have a Facebook account, but since I only friend people I know IRL on there, it’s kind of silly to link to it, isn’t it? You can see past reads, current books, and my to-be-read shelf at GoodReads.
If you’d like to snail-mail me something, please send it via postal mail to:
Melissa Tabon PO Box 159 Amelia, OH 45102 USA
I am currently actively looking for authors or others working in the publishing industry to contribute guest posts or interviews, as well as to sponsor giveaways – particularly for February 2013. Please contact me via one of the above methods if you’d like to participate.
Blog Statistics
I keep blog stats using Google Analytics. The site is small but growing.
Updated for April 2012:
This blog has averaged 455 views per month over the last 5 months, with 230 being the lowest in December 2011 and the highest as 568 views in March 2012.
Waiting for Fairies Comment Policy
I will never, ever edit your comments. I do reserve the right to remove your comments in the case of spam or trolling. I get to decide what constitutes spam or trolling. If you don’t like this rule, go play in someone else’s sandbox. By commenting here, you give me the perpetual right to post your comment, username, and link to your website (if given). If you’d like to remove your comment, please contact me and I will attempt to do so.
I do not collect email addresses or other information, except for one-time use in giveaways and contests. All contact and other information (except comments on posts and related meta data like username, etc) are removed or destroyed after use in contests.
You do not need to register for the site to comment, but if you have never posted before, your comment may be sent to moderation. I will strive to approve appropriate comments as quickly as possible, but I do have a day job and therefore several hours may pass between your comment and when it posts. I apologize for any inconvenience.
If there is anything in this policy that has not been addressed that you would like to see, please use the How do I contact you? links above to send me a message.