Student of the Month: Jen From Makeshift Bookmark!

Student of the Month is an original feature where we spotlight bookish college students by means of either an interview or a guest post regarding the college life and books/blogging/writing. We also will sometimes spotlight fictional characters who are college students.


I'd like to personally introduce you to one of my blogging bff's--Jen from Makeshift Bookmark. Jen is incredible and you should probably check out her blog if you like YA fiction, keysmashing and HILARITY..and not mention great music and enthusiasm! She's a riot to talk to on Twitter as well. She's the type of blogger that makes you feel like you are talking to your best friend about a book...and she somehow manages to read and blog with her crazy busy life as a student, wife and full time employee.

 Major/Expected Graduation Date: Nursing. I'm HOPING to graduate in December of 2011... supposing I don't flop hardcore.

When did you start blogging and why did you decide to start a blog?

I started Makeshift Bookmark in September of 2010. I had been blog-lurking for the longest time and figured I didn't have anything new to contribute to the community. I actually meant to start in June 2010, but that didn't happen. I wrote lots of reviews on GoodReads and people seemed to like them, so I figured why not? Thanks, GoodReads folk, for giving me the kick in the arse I needed.

Describe your blog in 6 words or less. Keysmash. Fangirl. OMGWTF. Verbose. Kitten-y. Bitchin'.

What does a typical day look like for you?

On school days, my alarm goes off at 6:00am. 6:20am rolls around and I finally wake up. I get ready, make my lunch and soy chai for the day and am out the door by 7:00am. I fight the stupidstupidstupid morning traffic and roll up into class around 8:00am. Class goes from 8:00am - 3:00pm. My sanity is in question the whole time, especially when we watch birthing and epidural videos. After class, I usually will try to sneak in a Borders or Half Price Books trip. It rejuvenates me. 4:30pm rolls around and off to work I go. People scream in my ear until 11:00pm. I get home around 11:30pm. If I don't have school the next day, I'll usually stay up til about 2:00am to get my reading in. Then sleep comes. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Please explain how the heck you manage to balance working full time, college, being a wife, reading and blogging?

I usually feel like a zombie 99% of the time, so zombie superpowers seem like a good answer. Honestly, I just make it work. If I don't have time to blog, I'm not gonna blog. If I don't have time to read, I'm not gonna read. School comes first. Then work. Then Mr. Jen (poor Mr. Jen. He is totally awesome and supportive, however, and knows that it'll all be worth it once I'm making more money than him) and the rest falls into place wherever I can fit it. Oh! I have an awesome blogger support system that allows me to complain and cry and bitch and scream about my world coming to an end because there aren't enough hours in the day. I'm a little dramatic. Thank you, to my blogger friends, for keeping me sane. And a special thanks to my blogger "shrink." ;)

Tehe. Oh yes..I have one of those. She's pretty bitchin. One piece of advice or some encouragement for those trying to balance working FT and college (in addition to blogging/reading):

Do what you can, when you can. I was so nervous about starting school back up because I would have absolutely no time for blogging or reading for two or three straight weeks. But you know what? The readers that love you are always going to be there when you get back. Blogging isn't a job, nor should we make it out to be that. Also, know that it's okay to have a cocktail or six to reward yourself for a hard day's work. ALSO, throw caution to the wind and buy you some books at any time and in any quantity you see fit. Because hey, you deserve it, champ.

Most interesting required reading you've had for college:

In the nursing field, it's all about interventions and therapeutic communication with patients. In my third semester, I'm tackling the beautiful world of obstetrics. Of course, they make us watch the scary birthing videos. I endured that and got over it. During my most recent study session, I stumbled upon a paragraph explaining what to teach pregnant patients and their partners. This just so happens to include suggesting the most comfortable and pleasurable sexytimes positions to patients. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. I am SHAMELESS and am pretty open about most things, but there is no freaking way I'm gonna tell complete strangers how to get their freak on. I'll hand them a kama sutra book and call it a day.

You are known for having bizarre dreams about books, authors and bloggers. Please share one of the strangest dreams you've had recently.

Well, of course there was a Laurie Halse Anderson/Humanoid dream. More recently, I dreamt that I went to London for whatever reason and Carla from The Crooked Shelf was there waiting for me with a cup of tea. I'd like to make this happen, please. Also, Melanie from Reclusive Bibliophile was in a dream I had, too! (I actually don't think I told her about this yet.) We were at an amusement park and there was this shoddy old roller coaster that I absolutely refused to ride. There weren't even lap restraints! Melanie proceeded to make fun of me incessantly until I finally gave in. I ended up flying out of my seat, thanks to the lack of restraint, and falling to my untimely doom. THANKS, MELANIE.

If you could do a mashup of any two books, movies, tv shows what would it be called and describe the premise of it.

MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch between the Twilight vamps and the Vampire Diaries vamps. My powers of deduction have led me to believe that Edward and Stefan would both probably brood themselves to a boring and uneventful death. The Cullen parents are too compassionate, so I think Damon would catch both of them off-guard. Katherine, being a ruthless wench, would likely knock off the rest of the Cullen clan. Well, except for Alice who can see Katherine's future moves. It would be a long, drawn out battle between the two but Katherine would perish from a fatal headbutt from Alice. Those spikes should be outlawed. Damon automatically wins because the battle would end with close-up scene of the Smolderstare with some singer crooning heartbreakingly in the background and the obligatory tear would fall. Alice would drop dead as a result of the hotness of it all. Caroline wouldn't even be in the fight, because the Cullens don't deserve to fight her. She is THAT awesome.

You've been put in book blogger jail for a crime. What would your crime be, which blogger would in there with you and how would you escape?

I'd be incarcerated for attempting to "borrow" The Story Siren's bookshelves. I would totally be meaning to give them back and all, I promise. I'd need help from pretty much every blogger in existence, because well.. it's an entire wall we'd be moving, ya know? And books are heavy. But Xander wouldn't hear of it, so me and hundreds of other bloggers would all be locked up. It's a pretty serious crime, so I don't think they'd be letting me out on bail... nor could I escape. It'd be a max security prison. Yep, I'd be a lifer.

There you have it, folks. Do you understand why I love her so much? Go check out her blog. You'll see that it's full of awesomeness. I don't know HOW she manages to find time to do it all. I swear she's got more hours in the day. :P

Student of the Month: Kody Keplinger

Student of the Month is a monthly feature here at The Broke and the Bookish in which fellow college students will be in the spotlight with an interview or a guest post about being bookish college students. This month we are talking with Kody Keplinger--author of the YA novel, The DUFF, and full time college student! I know how stressful being a college student is and I just HAD to know how she does both. Welcome to the blog, Kody!

Student at Ithaca College
Major: Writing
Year: Sophomore

What inspired you to be a writer? Do you have any authors that have particularly inspired you? I have always loved to write, but I think it was JK Rowling and the Harry Potter books that really made me realize how powerful and amazing a good book could be.  That made me want to write, too.

What does a typical day look like for you as a college student?

Lets see . . . something like this:

1. Roll out of bed half an hour later than planned.
2. Go to class.
3. Do homework.
4. More class.
5. More homework
6. Eat at some point.
7. Write as much as I can before I fall asleep

It's not very glamorous, honestly. 

Knowing what the hectic schedule of a college student is like, what is your writing process like?  I write best late at night.  Which can be a pain when I start falling asleep over my computer - haha.

How has majoring in Writing been most helpful to you as an author? It's been a great way to learn how to write in other genres.  I'm learning how to write in more adult genres. It's good to have those options open.

As a full time student and writer, how do you balance schoolwork, writing and your free time? Truth? I don't.  I can't keep up with all of it all the time.  Sometimes my writing is put on the back burner. Sometimes it's my social life. Sometimes its my sleep.  I haven't mastered the juggling act yet.  Its tough.  But it's worth it.


Favorite class you've taken in college so far? Why? Girlhoods in Literature - we read children's and YA books from 1800s until today, all featuring female heroines.  It had the best reading list of any class I've ever taken.

That sounds like an incredible class! How do your professors and fellow classmates respond to the fact that you are a published author?  Not all of them know. The ones that do are happy for me and cool.  But I don't necessarily walk around telling everyone I meet. I am treated like any other dopey sophomore! Haha.

What genres/authors do you like to read? I like to read mostly young adult books. Too many authors come to mind to name them all, but if it's in the Teen Section of the bookstore, chances are I'll read it.

Do you have any advice for other college students who are aspiring writers? Take chances.  Seriously, don't miss out on opportunities now.  You'll regret it later.

One piece of advice for college freshman? Take classes in all the subjects you MIGHT be interested in.  Pick a major a little later.  Trust me, it's so helpful to do it that way. You'll be happier for it.

Favorite college experience so far? My friend Rachel's birthday last year.  We threw a party in a tiny dorm room and danced and sang and had a great time.

Dance parties are my favorite! I'm sure you've had your share of late nights and all-nighters! Give us your survival kit for a successful all-nighter.  Loud music, Mountain Dew, and Starburst.  Best thing EVER at 2:00 am.

Thanks for stopping by the blog, Kody. Good luck with your studies and your writing! I don't know how you do it but I'm thinking back at myself as a dopey sophomore and I know I couldn't have handled it.  Make sure you check out Kody's website, blog and book!

What about you all? Are you an aspiring writer? How do you juggle everything? What does your survival kit for a successful all-nighter look like?

Student of the Month: Steph Su

Student of the Month is a brand new monthly feature here at The Broke and the Bookish in which fellow college students will be in the spotlight with an interview or a guest post about being bookish college students. 

For our first Student of the Month post,  I have the pleasure of introducing you all to Steph Su from Steph Su Reads. I've gotten the chance to meet Steph and she is incredible! If you have ever visited her blog, you will see how incredibly well maintained it is. She is seriously superwoman as she is a full time student in college and she runs an awesome blog and somehow manages to read like crazy! It seems fitting that I just had to, for our first post, get the lowdown on HOW she balances being a very successful book blogger and a college student.


Jamie asked me to write this guest post about book blogging as a college student back in early September. I think the fact that it took me over a month to get this back to her says quite a bit about the state of attending to blogging business as a college student!

For me, the best way to think about blogging is as a break, as a complement to my schoolwork. Is reading 10-12 more books a month than I would have if I didn't blog time-consuming and at times even stressful? Yeah! Do I have to take the time out to write reviews instead of working on essays or thesis research? Yeah! Blogging, like so many other elaborate and involved passions, takes time and energy, two things that college students unfortunately usually don't have enough of.

But then I consider how much richer my college life has been since I started blogging. And not just as a conversational device. It feels wonderful to know that I have friends outside of the lush green lawns of my campus; that so many of them are international, living in places I've wanted to visit all my life, is just a bonus. While many of my classmates' reading habits seem to be restricted to the books and essays assigned them in classes, I am so fortunate to be able to say that I've read far beyond just what's assigned to me, and that required reading in college has not sapped the love of reading out of me.


And most of all, blogging is like the best "study break" of all. I'm pretty A.D.D. when it comes to doing work, never being able to do more than an hour or two of work on a particular thing at one time. By switching back and forth between schoolwork and work I do for my blog, I end up accomplishing twice the amount of work I would've done otherwise, AND feeling happier as a result!


Don't get me wrong: good blogging requires a lot of hard work, and not everyone will feel like it's in their best interests to blog and be a full-time student. But blogging has only enriched my life; it has made me happier, more relaxed, instead of more stressed out. And I don't think I could say that about many other elaborate and involved hobbies.

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http://stephsureads.blogspot.com


Thanks Steph! I don't know how you do it having been a college student not too recently myself! You are definitely a role model to student bloggers!

So, fellow students, how do YOU balance it all?