Welcome to another edition of Savvy Bookstagram Saturday today we get to meet and talk to the amazingly cute, funny, all things smut- loving Candice and host of What the Smut Book Reviews on YouTube. I need to know all the things so let’s get on with it.
1). Hey gorgeous first thing first I’m a realist that song just popped into my head lol back on track here for people that don’t know you tell us some things about yourself and your platform.
C).✨ First things first, my brain automatically played that song in my head, when you said that. Lol! I’ll have to dredge the recesses of my personality to find anything worth knowing lol, but I’ll give it my best shot! My name is Candice. According to the calendar, I’m 38 years old, but mentally I’m 16 and physically, I’m 97. I live in the armpit of the United States, South Carolina. I’m married and have a 6 year old daughter, who is the spitting image of her father but with my attitude. God save the world. Lol. When I’m not on Bookstagram, I’m working full time from home, chauffeuring my family around, or engaging in one of my many hobbies. Which I have too many of. It’s fine, because it lets me complain about how stressed out and stretched thin I am. Lol! Some of those hobbies include reading, obviously, but I also have a side business of an Etsy bakery, I paint mediocre art, and most recently, make book inspired paper roses.
2). I love your brazenness, were you nervous at all when starting how your audience would receive that. How long have you been reviewing books and what’s your favorite part about it?
C).✨ I’ve had moments of regret, where I fear that I’ve come across too bitchy or outspoken. But for the most part, I just try to be my most authentic self. I started my YouTube channel a little over 2 years ago, but I’ve been reading for much longer. I think I picked up my first romance novel when I was around 17? It was before the days of indie authors or things like dark romance, so naturally, it was a Scottish highlands bodice ripper. Lol! I was no stranger to sex, having a very rocky childhood and a very progressive mother, but I loved the way the book made me feel. Not just during the sex scenes but any time the interactions between the two main characters would become intense and I’d get the buzzing sensation beneath my skin. I was addicted and needed more. I’ve been reading ever since. When I started my channel, it was more as a hobby and something to kill time. Then I started my Bookstagram and, while I wanted to grow a following and in the background of my mind, entertained the notion that I’d be famous one day and could just review books for a living, lol…at the same time, I didn’t want to just “follow for follow”. I wanted to interact with people. Form lasting friendships (something of which I severely lacked growing up), and share my love of books with people, on a personal level. Because of that, I very rarely worry about my follow count or even seek out other pages to follow. I’ve been perfectly content to sit and let people find me, knowing they’ve done so because they like my personality and what I have to offer. Not just as “another Bookstagram to follow”. 🙂
3). Do you ever receive negative feedback or comments? And if yes, how do you take them for what they are and move on?
C).✨ Yes, I’ve gotten a few. Some I’ve mistakenly engaged with, in the hopes that I’d be able to get my point across and maybe change the mind of the person that’s swiped at me. Sometimes I get them and I just delete them and ignore them. I think I’ve reached an age where I’ve come to the realization that I don’t have the energy to try and change anyone’s mind about things. Sometimes you try and it works and that’s great. But most times, it doesn’t and you realize it’s just physically and mentally exhausted you. So I’m perfectly content to live in my little bubble, where I can control most things and the things I can’t control, I have Xanax for. Lol.
4). I binge-watched so many of your videos prepping for this interview. I loved the authentic approach you have to all things whether you are reviewing or defending an author in your segments a 5* rant for a 1* review and I’m curious what are some of your biggest pet peeves about people who give 1* reviews besides that you disagree?
C).✨ Omg, first of all, I’m so sorry you had to endure hours of my personality in such a short span of time. LOL! I think my biggest pet peeve with 1 star reviews or negative reviews in general, is that they’re rarely informative as to the flaws of the book. I’ve found that a lot of times, the reviewer ends up personally attacking the author, rather than pointing out the things they didn’t like about the book. It also makes me rage when I see 1 star reviews that are just based on ignorance. Prior to creating my Bookstagram, I had absolutely no idea that “indie” authors existed. I didn’t know you could publish your own books, through Amazon. And I had no clue that there were as many different types of books or tropes, as there are. And that for each one, there IS an audience that loves it. So when I see a 1 star review for something that they believe is SO OUTRAGEOUS that it can’t possibly be liked by anyone…but it is, I get annoyed. Lol.
5). How does an author approach you to review their book?
C).✨ Well, when I first started my account, I would’ve given my right arm for authors to ask me if I wanted an ARC for their book. No matter how big or small the author was. It felt like such an honor, placed so high up on a pedestal, that to be able to reach that level and feel that sense of worth, was amazing. The fact that someone actually gave two shits about my opinion, enough to freely give me something they invested hours and hours of their life on…mind blowing. And I’m still appreciative of each and every person that DMs me, asking me to check out their book. Whether they’re offering me an ARC or just pointing me towards it in KU. These days though, unfortunately, I don’t get to take on many ARC requests. Simply because of time constraints and real life, and my inability to handle any kind of deadline without freaking out lol. I always make sure to respond to authors that ask though. Because I understand how disheartening it can be, to message so many people, to try and hype your work up. And not everyone is nice.
6). What are 3 things people might not know about you?
C).✨ I suffer from chronic head pain. It impacts everything I do in life. It’s hard to tell, when I review books on camera, or during Instagram stories, that I have constant pain, there in the background. If it wasn’t for prescription meds, I don’t know where I’d be. It’s an unfortunate circumstance that I’m now dependent on medications to get through day to day life. I try my best to keep a positive attitude most of the time, but sometimes it bleeds through the cracks and my family suffers for it. And I hate that.
✨ I eat a bowl of frozen strawberries every night. It’s no longer a want but, I think, a compulsion. Lol.
✨ I had gastric bypass in 2018. At my highest weight, I was 340 pounds. I’ve always struggled with my weight, but I got to the point where I no longer recognized how unhappy I was. Because that “unhappy” had just become my “normal”. I hated myself. The way I looked, the way I felt, the way I knew/thought others saw me. Regardless of the issues I’ve had with my digestion since, I don’t regret getting the surgery. I lost half of myself and most of that was the self conscious parts of my personality. There are still things I don’t like about the way I look, but I’m much better than I was, and I’m grateful for that.
7). As a lover of all things Smut, do you have a favorite trope?
C).✨ Eeeek! I had a feeling this would be one of the questions. Lol. I love a good age gap. I’m also a massive sucker for the “he falls first” novels. They’re my kryptonite.
8). Do you secretly read other genres r do you wave your smut-loving flag freely lol?
C).✨ I am 100% a smut ho. In my youth, I may have tried picking up a classic or a thriller, but these days, I need a bit of sex with my plot. Lol.
9). What are some of the dos and don’ts an author should know before sliding into your Dm’s?
C).✨ I don’t like authors that bash other authors. Knowing how much of yourself you put into your books, you should understand how much it took for that other person to put that out there. It puts an immediate sour taste in my mouth, when an author says something negative about another author. Other than that, I don’t think I have anything else that would turn me off of an author that sent me a DM. Just pitch your book, however is most comfortable for you. If the sound of it grabs me, trust me, I won’t worry about how you approached me. Just gimme the book. Lol!
10). I’m looking to start a new book, convince me what to read using a line from the book.
C).✨ “When you’re obsessed with something for so long and finally obtain it? It feels like coming home to God. And nobody gives up their fucking spot in Heaven.” -The Maddest Obsession by Danielle Lori
12). First book that comes to mind when someone just starting to read smut asks for a recommendation.
C).✨ Public Secrets by Nora Roberts. It’s my favorite Nora Roberts standalone and it’s from a generation where you didn’t have full blown sex within the first 2 chapters. Lol. It builds and definitely has sex, but it’s not graphic and the plot is perfection. A seamless blend of angst, suspense, and loooooooove. Lol.
Thank you, Candice, for some laughs, honesty, and a sprinkling of I was going to say hoe dust but that sounded way wrong 🤣🤣. So we will say pixie dust cause I enjoyed the laughs. If any of my readers want to catch up with Candice, you can find her on Instagram @what_the_smut and her YouTube channel what the smut book reviews.
Till next time my smut loving ladies,
Love, smutty Magnolia xx
Rustic Magnolia 