Let me introduce you to two fabulous women, Carrie and Barb.

Both are voracious readers, bloggers, magazine editors, and the best friends to authors that I’ve ever met! These ladies have written, raved, reviewed, tweeted – you name it – in sharing books.

As an author, I’m so grateful for both of these women, who voluntarily trumpet about the good books they read. They’ve helped authors reach an untold number of new readers with their promotions, articles, and reviews. They are the avid readers authors write for. And, they’re both responsible for the addition of dozens of books to my personal to-read list!

An author's best friends: Interview with avid readers Meez Carrie & Franciscan Mom Share on X

Let’s get to know Carrie and Barb better, and then be sure to follow them and their endeavors and check out their beautiful magazines!

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What book from your childhood do you most treasure?

Carrie: I still have my yellow box set of the Little House books – the same copies my parents read to me every night. While I wouldn’t point to these as my very favorite reads from childhood (that honor goes to Nancy Drew), they are my most treasured reads because of the memories.

Barb: I can only pick ONE?! I’m going to interpret “childhood” as “10 years old or younger” and go with the Little House on the Prairie series. I still have my original box set. The books are falling apart. (I kind of want to reread them now.)

Setting aside for a moment your good manners and the need to be polite, is there anything you would like to say to people who simply don’t read books?

Carrie: Well, first… WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? Ahem. Then I might add that they are missing out on some of the greatest adventures of their lives – and the chance to beat everyone in trivia games since you know stuff from the books you read (even fiction!)

Barb: That idea both leaves me speechless and makes me sad.

Be honest. Just how big IS the to-read pile?

Carrie: It’s really more of a universe than a pile, at this point.

Barb: If all the Kindle books I have yet to read were in print form, those plus the print books already here would pretty much fill my 9’x10′ office.

If you had to choose only one genre, what would it be?

Carrie: Romantic suspense – because it combines the two genres I love most and can come in contemporary or historical – the best of all worlds. LOL

Barb: Fiction. Catholic, preferably, and set at any time in the twentieth century and up to present day.

Tell us about your book- and reading-related ventures.

Carrie: Oh gosh. It all started with my blog Reading Is My SuperPower in 2015, which led to starting the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat (for readers and authors) with Bonnie Roof and Annie (of JustCommonly) in 2016, which led to becoming part of the blogging team at Seekerville (such an honor!) in January 2018 and starting JustRead Publicity Tours with Annie in February of 2018. Also, at some point along the way, God gave me a dream to start a magazine that hadn’t really existed before – a magazine for avid readers by avid readers, with professional reviews and articles that celebrate books and the reading life. That dream came true in October 2018 when Hope By the Book was born, in conjunction with Hope for Women and my editorial team (Beth from Faithfully Bookish, Rachel from Bookworm Mama, and Annie from Just Commonly).

Barb: I’m editor at CatholicMom.com, which involves shepherding the work of about 145 volunteer writers each month. I generally function as an editorial border collie, lining up everybody’s articles and images and putting them in the right place in the schedule.

I’m also managing editor at Today’s Catholic Teacher magazine and its website, CatholicTeacher.com. I assign and edit articles for the quarterly magazine, add magazine content to the website, and assign and edit several web-only articles each month. I’m also responsible to organize the entries for the magazine’s Innovations in Catholic Education contest, give a presentation at the awards banquet for that contest, help at the trade-show booth at the NCEA convention, and arrange a photo shoot for the teachers who appear on the cover.

How do you juggle all of those responsibilities?

Carrie: This question assumes I DO juggle them well… LOL …but honestly I don’t get nearly enough sleep. Haha

Barb: Not as gracefully as I’d like to. I make many lists. I have a lot of colorful blocks in my Google calendar. And I spend a good amount of time with a slight undercurrent of panic.

I’m blessed that I can do the majority of that work from home, with the exception of two travel weeks in April. That means that if I need to step away from my desk and handle a family member’s medical issue, I can do that. It also means that if I feel like starting work at 7 AM and taking a break to attend daily Mass, I can do that.

You do so much to promote authors, including lesser-known indie authors. Why do you do it?

Carrie: Because I love story. I love books. And I love authors. And the more I’ve gotten to know authors, the more I see how much of an uphill battle it is sometimes in the publishing industry. So, any time I can give them a hand up and a virtual (or in person) hug, I take that opportunity to do so.

Barb: The opportunity to do that has been a real gift. I don’t even remember how that started – probably with the offer of a review copy from someone who read my blog, back when I didn’t neglect my blog … but I do love telling people about books I’ve enjoyed. And it’s been fun to discover that there are many excellent books out there that are independently published or from small publishing houses. In many ways, those books have spoiled me when it comes to the mainstream stuff!

Paperback or ebook?

Carrie: Both. Either. Yes.

Barb: Yes. (For nonfiction, ONLY paperback.)

Coffee or tea?

Carrie: Neither. McDonald’s Diet Coke 🙂

Barb: Yes. I always start the morning with a cup of good strong tea. (Just sugar, no milk or lemon.) I do love coffee, though, but caffeine doesn’t love me, so I’m mostly decaffeinated.

Favorite place to read?

Carrie: In bed with warm jammies and a soft blanket.

Barb: If I’m on the couch in the living room, I’m reading. What I wouldn’t give for a chaise lounge … I’d probably never get up.

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Social Media Links

Carrie Schmidt

Facebook: https://facebook.com/meezcarriereads

Twitter: https://twitter.com/meezcarrie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meezcarrie/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/meezcarrie/

Hope by the Book

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HopeByTheBook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopebythebook/

Just Read Tours

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustReadTours

Instagram: https://instagram.com/JustReadTours

Barb Szyszkiewicz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franciscanmom

Twitter: http://twitter.com/franciscanmom

Instagram: http://instagram.com/franciscanmom

CatholicMom

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity/

Today’s Catholic Teacher

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CatholicTchrMag

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