I love blogging duo’s, trio’s and more! As with most of us, the reason we started to blog was because we wanted to discuss the books we’ve read with someone. Well, Kyle and Hannah are the book blogging team behind But, First, Fiction. They have such a fun vibe on their blog. As soon as you search their Menu and see Monday Mumblings and Wednesday Wordlings you know you’re in for a treat! If you haven’t visited But, First, Fiction please click the link below. But, First, Read their answers to my 10 questions!

But, First, Fiction

Blogging is universal and even though we inhabit the same community, we don’t always live in the same country. What country do you live in?

Kyle: We live in South Africa. People often ask us, “Where is South Africa?” to which we reply, “Northern Africa, as the name implies.”

What is the view outside your front door?

Kyle: The sprawling wilderness of Johannesburg is visible outside both of our respective front doors. Wild gazelle stroll across the vast plains of Africa.
Hannah: Kyle is a very serious person; I’m sure you can all tell 😉 Neither of our front-door views are anything to write home about, but the view from Kyle’s balcony is breathtaking!

Most blogs have a fun story of origin. Please share the story behind your blog’s name and/or why you started blogging.

Hannah: Well, I have a terrible book-hoarding problem. Kyle and I met each other in a bookshop last year…
Kyle: …and couldn’t seem to get rid of one another after that, so we figured if you can’t beat them, start a book blog together.
Hannah: Seriously though, so much of our relationship is predicated on the fact that we both love stories as well as the meanings we derive from those stories.
Kyle: We’d often find ourselves discussing into the wee hours of the morning how these meanings influenced our perspectives on life and one day we just thought, “Hey, we should probably write these thoughts down!”
Hannah: And so our blog came to be. We’re also coffee addicts and think to ourselves every morning, “We’ve got all these things we have to do – but first, coffee.” We apply that same principle when it comes to reading – we’ve got all these things we have to get through in life, but first: fiction. Kyle wrote the best poem for our homepage that perfectly encapsulates this idea.

Describe where you write your blog.

Hannah: We pretty much write all over the place. Most of the posts I contribute to the blog are written from my work computer when I’m in between projects.
Kyle: Exclusively nightclubs, disco raves and cemeteries. My ideal combo would be anywhere that contains police sirens, screaming babies and barking dogs. This really gets them book-blog juices flowing.

Most of us have a stack of books sitting next to our couch or bed waiting to be read. What books are in your stack?

Hannah: HA! I have over 100 books in my apartment that I haven’t read. (Remember that book-hoarding tendency I mentioned previously?) Here’s a photo of my bookshelves, for an idea of what I’m up against…

My soon-to-be-reads include the latter two books in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle (which is also the closest I come to cycling) and the final book of Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy: Always and Forever, Lara Jean.

• 

• 

Kyle: Making my way downtown… the Patrick Ness series Chaos Walking; I’m about to start the final book, Monsters of Men, so I guess you could say the Chaos is currently at a sprint.

If you have had a bad day and want to spend an hour reading a book, what is your go-to genre or favorite book that will lift your mood?

Kyle: My favourite genre is basically anything that has magic, time travel or knights.
Hannah: I’m definitely a fantasy girl, through and through.
Kyle: I’m also a fantasy girl.
Hannah: No wonder we work so well together! I love dragons, magic and romance, especially romantic dragon magic. If I pick up anything by Gail Carson Levine or Laini Taylor, I guarantee my mood will be improved in minutes.

When you aren’t blogging, how do you spend your time? Work, Play, School?

Kyle: We’re actually professional ninjas, but according to my mom, I’m in healthcare.
Hannah: I’m a book cover designer in my dreams and a packaging designer in real life. I illustrated this cartoon of us for our blog:

Here’s what we look like in live action, though:

What is your favorite blog post you’ve ever written?

Hannah: My favourite post has actually just been published this week! I took part in the ABC Book Challenge and discussed books and book characters beginning with the letter V. I found it viciously vexing at first, but eventually was victorious! You can read it here: www.butfirstfiction.com/2019/03/18/a-very-vicious-venture.
Kyle: My favourite post is our homepage, because homepage is where the heart is. The link is plain and simple: www.butfirstfiction.com. 

Have you ever met one of your favorite authors? If so, what did you say to them? Looking back, what do you wish you had said instead?

Hannah: Not a lot of authors come to South Africa – weird, I know! I went to a book-reading by Anthony Horowitz when I was in my tweens, but didn’t actually meet him. I’d probably thank him for all the plays on words he managed to work into characters’ names in the Alex Rider series – I’m a big believer in puns.

If you could sit down with an author for a slice of cake and a question, who is the author, what kind of cake would you serve, and what is the first question you’d ask?

Hannah: Can I have a tea party instead? I’m wildly indecisive! I’d host Rainbow Rowell, Amie Kaufman, Laini Taylor and Jane Austen (this is a fantasy, after all). We’d snack on lemon cheesecake, cherry turnovers, chocolate chip cookies and decadent mocha-chocolate cake. I wouldn’t even ask questions – just bask in the glory of the company! Somebody should probably reign me in.

Kyle: I think both Hannah and I would actually like to sit down with Patrick Ness. He can choose the cake provided he answers one simple question: “WHYYYYY?!” (For context, read the Chaos Walking series… or don’t, because the emotional trauma is real!) 

• 

• 

I LOVE Kyle and Hannah’s sense of humor and their writing is so clever. I haven’t read a few of the authors they’ve mentioned and am excited about their recommendations. Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking for sure. I need to know WHYYY??? LOL. Drama works apparently. 😉

If you have enjoyed reading Blogger to Blogger and would like to participate, please let me know!

Thanks for reading Blogger to Blogger!

Deb