Words with a Blogger Wednesday

It's Words with a Blogger Wednesday!

This week's blogger is Miranda,

The Blond Duck

from
A Duck in her Pond.

She is an author, who writes wonderful stories for children as well as adults!

Tell us about yourself!
In the world of the Internet, I am the Blond Duck, a whimsical children's and young adult writer (though I think my stories are as much for adults as kids!)

Some of her books:

I am also a pie aficionado and apt to write long odes about delightful things like meatballs and barbecue and tacos and waffles--generally, if it's bad for you, I'm going to write an ode about it. I also feature recipes and fun little tales about what's happening at the Pond. In the Real World, I work for a major metropolitan newspaper as a feature writer. The fun part of my job is I write stories about a lot of restaurants! I also love to dance, kickbox and spend time with my husband and two chihuahuas, Bitty and Bear.

Do you make money from your blog?
I make a teensy amount (like $2) from Google Adsense and a little bit from an ad on there, which will go down in May. And I advertise my published books on my blog. But I definitely couldn't quit my day job--I couldn't even use the money on a fancy evening out! I had dreamed of making millions and millions, but I want to have fun and write my stories more than I want to worry about marketing 24/7. Maybe when I quit my day job.

How frequently do you post?
Six days a week. We have three never ending stories (serial stories that post once a week), one recipe a week and two random whimsical picture stuffed posts a week. There's something for everyone.

My husband only reads the ones with pictures, incidentally.

Do you have a favorite blogger(s) that you just can't live without reading?

I do. I have a lot of favorite bloggers. And I'm not going to list them, because I'm terrified of hurting someone's feelings.

Have your readers influenced you in any way?
I love the comments they give me on my stories. There's a lot of times their words will spark a new idea and the story will go a direction I never imagined. Or there's a lot of times that they give me encouragement and inspiration when I've gotten real down about the perilous publishing world. I consider the folks that read my blog Invisible Friends, not readers. Because that's what they are.

Has blogging changed your life in any way?
I think my husband sometimes wishes I never started it, simply because I became so consumed by it for awhile (when I was trying to create the Blond Duck revolution and take over the world with my whimsical little stories!) Now that I've realized I can't have a blog like the Pioneer Woman's and write books and post six days a week and work out and go to work and cook dinner and sometimes kiss my husband and pet my dogs....I've calmed down a bit. I'm focusing on quality over quantity, and I think my Invisible Friends reflect that.
What do you do when you get writer's block?
Dance or take a walk. There's so much joy and whimsy in nature, you can't stay blocked for long.

Any other advice you might have for newbie bloggers?
Visit food bloggers. They tend to be some of the nicest, most welcoming people. When I first started writing I'd visit mommy bloggers and teacher bloggers and artist bloggers....my core group of Invisible Friends are the first people that came to my blog, and the majority of them are considered food bloggers.

Thanks so much, fellow blogger friend!!