Meet Kat, she is the blogger behind Novels and Waffles, (it’s such a beautiful sight to see)

1. Hello Kat, please introduce yourself and tell us about your blog?

Hello, my dearest friends and waffle lovers! こんにちは。I’m going to preface this section by telling you that I’m super horrible at introducing myself. Whenever we did Icebreaker Games at school, I would always flail my arms about awkwardly like a drunken octopus and hope somebody would understand me. So you have been warned.

Okay, now on to the hard part: the actual introduction. Here we go. *Takes deep breath* My name is Kat and books have been my best friends since the 4th Grade. I don’t know how the 4th Grade was for you, but for me, it was rough. I had nobody to sit with during lunchtime (yup, I was THAT kid), so instead of bumping shoulders with my besties and trading my carrot sticks for a bag of potato chips (who would even make that trade anyways? You’re getting ripped off, man), I read books.

It was then that I learned something that has proven vitally important to my life: that even though I was sitting by myself, I wasn’t really alone. I was eating my ham sandwich with Harry Potter. I was drinking my Capri Sun alongside Junie B. Jones. I had all the friends in the world, right there within the pages of my book.

Since this magical discovery, I’ve never stopped reading. It’s become an addiction, a need, something that I just do without thinking, like breathing. When I stumbled upon the Book Blogging community, I thought, “Hey, this is the lunch table I was missing as a 4th Grader. This is the group where I fit in.”  And I guess the rest is history, as the saying goes.

My blog, Novels & Waffles, is my corner of the world where I share with the world my thoughts about books. What I liked about them. What I liked less about them. Basically, it is a little piece of me.

2. What was the deciding factor that made you go “Yes I am doing this, I’m starting my own blog!” ? Are you passionate about what you post on your blog?

I don’t know exactly what tipped the scales and made me want to start a blog, but there are a few things that I could point the finger of blame to. The first would be my husband. He is the most supportive guy EVER, and he is always encouraging me to follow my crazy, harebrained ideas. I think it might have been him who first suggested I try writing my own reviews, instead of just reading what other people wrote. I love you, boo!

Another inspiration was definitely Marie’s blog, Drizzle & Hurricane Books. Her content, her blog graphics, her personality – her EVERYTHING, basically – is amazing. Her blog title is all about rain, but she is a little ray of sunshine. She made book blogging look so fun that I just had to try it out for myself. Thanks Marie, for being an inspiration to us all!

3. How would you describe your blogging style and persona? How meticulous are you, when it comes to the conceptualisation up to the execution of your ideas?

I’m not exactly sure how to describe my style…I guess I just try to be me? I write what I think, and I try to be friendly to those who are fortunate  unfortunate enough to stumble into my little waffle kingdom.

If I’m completely honest with myself, I’m probably more of a mood blogger than anything  – I write when I feel like it and I often just come up with stuff on the fly. I start typing and the words start to fill up the screen (on a good day). On a bad day, I stare and stare and stare and when nothing magically appears, I go eat some ice cream instead. Ice cream is the cure to writer’s block, didn’t you know? It also can fix headaches, heartaches, and make that little wart on your pinky toe go away.

But I digress. I would love to be more meticulous with my blogging. Have a schedule and all of that. I’ve even started a Google Spreadsheet with cute color-coordinated boxes, fancy fonts, the works, but I don’t know if my aspirations to organization will amount to much. I blog while my one-year-old is asleep, so once he’s up, it’s game over. This can really limit how much time I spend on my blog. With the time I do have, I usually want to be writing a blog post, not just planning one.

4. What do you want and hope your readers to take from the content you share?   

I want my blog to be a happy space where bloggers can read about books and share their thoughts about books and basically just lose their minds over books, without any fear of being ridiculed. I want people to be uplifted, or at the very least, to feel a tiny bit happy, when they read my posts. Hopefully, I can achieve that at some point!

5. What is your blogging mojo? How do you stay inspired and motivated to continue running your blog?

My husband is my number one supporter! He’s like that crazy mom in the bleachers who screams and yells embarrassingly loud for her son every time he kicks the ball into the goal. I love him and he helps me feel like the stuff I blog about isn’t complete cow manure. (Because the “I’m Not Good Enough” voice in my head is a real monster, folks). He’s like my own little personal Lifestyle Guru that motivates me to keep going.

Also, there are so many WONDERFUL bloggers in this community! Seeing all of their lovely content is probably the thing that inspires me most of all!

6. What is your long-term goal/plan for your blog?

To stick with it. I have started a number of blogs, mostly personal but some for my writing, over the years. However, I am the kind of person who loses interest in something easily and quickly once the shininess of it wears off. So those blogs are now who-knows-where, drifting out in the middle of the interweb sea, gaining dust and growing old. But I want to stick with this blog for at least a year, and see where things are then. It will be a really big accomplishment for me if I make it that far 🙂

7. Who is your favourite marginalized main character? It doesn’t have to be from a book, it could also be from a movie, tv series, games, comics etc. Why is this character your favourite? Marginalization is the process whereby something or someone is pushed to the edge of a group and accorded lesser importance. This is predominantly a social phenomenon by which a minority or sub-group is excluded, and their needs or desires ignored. A marginalized person can be people of colour, the disabled, mentally ill, the lgbt+ community etc.

In Shannon Hale’s book, Dangerous, the main character’s name is Maisie Danger Brown. Yes, her middle name is literally Danger. I might not have loved the book itself, but I did love Maisie. Let me tell you three things about her:

• She has a congenital limb deficiency.
• She is half-Paraguayan.
• She is a freaking awesome Superhero.

I love her character because it tells us, as readers, that there is no one-size-fits all when it comes to superheroes or to life. Everyone is different. And that’s okay. It’s great, even! We should celebrate those differences and let them draw us closer together as a human family instead of pushing us apart.

8. It is important that marginalised people are given platforms to shine and bring awareness to their movements and plights. If you believe so, why is it important to you?

Wow, I feel incredibly underqualified to talk about this incredibly important topic. I’m going to try and do my best though.

The dictionary defines marginalization as, “The treatment of a person or group as insignificant.” Reading that and thinking about treating someone as if they are insignificant makes me feel almost physically sick. As an active Christian with a strong belief in God, I believe that we are all children of a Heavenly Father who loves us. It is my firm belief that NOBODY is insignificant, and nobody deserves to feel that way. We all have infinite and divine worth. Everybody matters. Everybody deserves to be loved, to shine, and to be represented.

9. It is crucial that in whatever we do, we should always strive for both equity & equality, what advice can you part with, when it comes to using our platforms to give a voice to the marginalised?

I think we all just need to “have courage and be kind.” (Yes, I’m quoting Disney’s Cinderella). We need to have the courage to stand up for what is right. And we need to be kind to all those we meet.

10. Last but not least, what’s your take on the blogging communities? What has been your experience within the community?

YOU ARE ALL ANGELS. My time as a book blogger has been relatively brief, but I have only received kindness and support from my fellow book lovers. Thank you all for being your fabulous selves!

Here are some of Kat’s favourite blog posts.

The Perfect Recipe for Disaster | Gone by Michael Grant

You know when you open a big bag of potato chips, and suddenly, there aren’t any left and you can’t remember eating them all? That’s how I feel about this book. It is a delicious read full of hea…

How to Get Your Hands on English Books While Living Overseas | The Expat Book Chat

Japanese bookstores are much the same as Japanese libraries. Depending on the size of the store, it might have a few English books tucked away in a small section in so…

You can find Kat on the Social Media sites, listed below, clicking on the various names, will lead you to her account.

Instagram • Goodreads • Bloglovin

You also can be featured, so everyone can also see your thoughts, I’m too lazy to change the questions right now, but I just might in future, but I’m still taking on people who want to be featured. This series I hope can go on until December. Here’s the link to all the information you need to know —> PSA: Sign Up for my Guest Feature Post

Kat, I’m so curious, how long have you been blogging for now? Is it up to a year now? God, I love your answers so much and I hope to find a spouse who cheers me on, believes in me, my abilities (more than I do, because the evil monsters in our heads are that terrible) loves and encourage me like your husband does. Your blog aesthetic is everything, so wonderful. It was such a delight having you on here!

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