About the Blogger
Hey there! If you’re reading this, then that probably means you’d like to get a more in-depth look at the “woman behind the blog,” so to speak–in which case, thank you for your interest!
Introductions
As stated in my mini-bio, I’m Risa. I live in the great state of Michigan, where I was born and raised. I’ve been blogging for over five years, where I first started as a product reviewer then after a few unforeseen circumstances, I focused on blogging about books–mostly reviewing, though I’ve recently started adding some themed monthly posts. I’m a freelance proofreader/editor and an amateur graphic designer and I hope to one day have my own books published (keep an eye out for my name on a bookshelf near you!)
A Little Background Info
I have several creative writing and psychology courses under my belt and have utilized both in my work–whether that be in writing, editing, or reviewing.
I attribute my love of books to my mom, who always read to me growing up, and we’ve swapped book recs ever since I began reading on my own. She also has her own editing business, where I work with her. For more information, please check out Mitzi Carroll Editing 🙂
Story Behind the Name
Why Alated Bibliophile? Obviously, the “bibliophile” is self-explanatory, but “alated” is a word I came across when I was researching for my blog title. I knew I wanted something a little different and I preferred to have some sort of “flying” theme. I’ve always been fascinated with flight, especially regarding birds, butterflies, bats, faeries–anything beautiful and fantastical. So, I began searching for words that held some sort of “flying” or “in flight” meaning. Alate means having wings, which was pretty much perfect, so, the name that has come to hold so much meaning for me was given to my blog and I’ve been known as Alated Bibliophilie ever since ☺
Faith
I love Jesus and consider myself to be a child of God. My family and I have been through a lot in our lives and I’m thankful to have my faith as my rock in times of turmoil. Prior to COVID and a few of my own health challenges, I regularly sang in my church’s praise team. This is a joy and a wonderful way of using my creativity and gifts for music and I hope to get back into it one day soon.
Personal Challenges
After losing a few close family members and friends from the ages of 10-12, I fell into a deep depression. Not knowing how to cope with the despair, I resorted to methods of self-harm, something I did fairly regularly for roughly eight years. When I was 16, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder and depression. After years of chronic pain and headaches, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and chronic migraines in 2012. A few years later, I was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism, TMJ, and ME/CFS.
I still struggle with my mental and physical health, but I no longer have feelings of hopelessness. I have a passion for mental health and would like to write more on the subject–something I’ll be adding to the blog here and there.
My Own Love Story
In 2016, I was blessed enough to marry my enemy-turned-best-friend-turned-lover. We worked together several years before we reunited when he had a crush on me, but I was seeing someone else and I couldn’t stand him 😝 Years later, after said boyfriend broke my heart, he found me on Facebook, we struck up a conversation and spent many nights talking…and the rest, as they say, is history 😊 (and yes, I plan on writing our crazy story someday 😉)
A Few of My Favorite Things
I’m a huge fan of anime and I’m always looking for new recommendations, so hit me up if you have any 😉 I also love music–I sing, play guitar, bass, and ukulele–video games, Webtoons, Asian dramas, K-pop and drawing.
A Note On Recent Challenges/Hiatuses
The last few years have been challenging for my family and me. We unexpectedly lost my papaw in 2019 and at the end of 2020/beginning of 2021, we almost lost my mom after she fell ill with COVID-19 and pneumonia. It’s been a long road of recovery for her. My mom is my best friend and my biggest cheerleader and not knowing if she would pull through was terrifying. I’m so beyond thankful that she’s still with us and I’m so grateful for modern medicine!
I’ve struggled with my mental health the last two years, but this year has been incredibly rough. I’m struggling with some PTSD from almost losing my mom and I’m still trying to get to a place where anxiety isn’t ruling my every waking moment. Thankfully, I’m doing much better than I had been, so I just need to get back in the swing of things. I’m slowly getting back into ARC reviewing and will hopefully be back to where I was prior to the pandemic and losing Papaw.
And now, you’ve made it to the end!
Thank you for reading thus far! I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about me. This page is a slight work in process, so if you’re ever curious to know if I’ve added or updated anything, please feel free to check back!
Here are just a few extras…
Some of my favorite books include (but are not limited to):
Click here for my Goodreads profile and here for my Bookbub profile!
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