Posted by M.R. Merrick on Nov 5, 2012 in Blog Events, Blogger Alert, Book Reviews, Interviews | 2 comments

So in light of Exiled going free on Friday, and some other things that came up, I had to postpone this a few days, but today it is postponed no more! May the awesomeness that is Parajunkee be unveiled. I had the pleasure of being introduced to Parajunkee through Twitter earlier this year (If you haven’t noticed, I meet all the greats on Twitter, so you should be there), but I’d been captivated by her work for quite some time. Parajunkee is not only the great talent behind this websites design, but a ton of other ones as well, not to mention she’s done some phenomenal book covers. But it’s not only her talent as a designer that had me interested in spotlighting her for the month, it’s what she gives back to the book blogging community. Parajunkee Designs is amazing, but Parajunkee’s View is something else entirely. A whole website dedicated to not just book reviews, but author blog tours, promotion, and giveaways. And let’s not forget the blogging advice that people flock to her for, or the special topics she runs each week that encourage and help other bloggers develop their sites. And lastly, my favorite part is when she hosts discussion posts. Parajunkee has built such an audience that these posts draw people in from all over the blogosphere to become involved. She isn’t afraid to take on touchy topics, and she always tries to work from both sides of the argument. Parajunkee is a gem in the blogging world, always helping others and truly offering something back to the community she is a part of. I’ve invited her here today to be assaulted with ridiculous questions, and to spotlight what I believe is an incredible contribution to the book and blogging community. The Interview   1.    Let’s talk Parajunkee design first. When did you figure out this was something you loved, and what made you decide to turn it into a business? This is a long answer. How does one define a life path? I actually have a degree in Graphic Design, it was a last minute switch, when I realized a degree in English Lit really only had one possible viable outcome – teaching. With the English / Graphic Design mix I was quickly sucked into corporate Marketing, or what I would describe as the seventh circle of Hell. Imagine Devil Wears Prada, but instead of just one boss/client, you have about five. The funny thing was I really loved putting together marketing plans for clients, designing their campaigns and conceptualizing new products. But, in a Marketing Department, or at least the departments that I worked within, it was never the clients, it was always the other co-workers that made things very stressful. It was just a very cut-throat industry. You are only as good as your latest greatest idea. Not to mention, the moment a company does...