![](\"http:\/\/www.blaine.org\/jules\/kelly(6).jpg\")
You know how with each of our blogger interviews we have explained to you, dear reader, why we love our chosen blogs so much? Well, with Kelly Herold at Big A little a<\/a><\/strong>, we just don’t know where to begin, honestly. There are many things to love about her and her blog.<\/p>\nFirst of all, just how professional is she? (Rhetorical question; you’re supposed to just nod and say “amen”) . . . Truly, she always writes with the utmost courtesy and respect and professionalism, yet she’s far from a stick-in-the-mud, too. She is witty, smart as hell, has a refreshing sense of mischief when needed, and can really appreciate a good joke. But you’ll never see her spewing forth negative energy or getting downright silly on her blog or<\/em> saying “dude,” which we — unfortunately — slip into entirely too much here at 7-Imp (the new abbreviation for our blog’s title that has just stuck — isn’t it wonderfully naughty?). Essentially, we feel like the cheap, dollar-store knock-off of Big A little a and strive to one day be just like her. To continue with the junior high school analogy<\/a><\/strong>, she’s the President of the 7th grade Student Council, but she’s seriously hip and terrifically nice, too. And we all admire her and want to a> be as cool a leader as she is and b> sit next to her at the pep rally (those of us who attend pep rallies and don’t go sit in the library, as Jules did in high school. Seriously. No kidding. Nerd alert. They were just too peppy, dude . . .) and be her friend. (Um, Eisha feels compelled to admit that during pep rallies she could usually be found making out with her boyfriend in the band’s storage room. But she would have shared her fries with Kelly and Jules at lunch.) <\/p>\n She’s also — lucky for us — wonderfully prolific. She’s founder of and Editor and Webmaster of The Edge of the Forest<\/a><\/strong>, created a year ago; she’s co-founder (with Anne Boles Levy<\/a><\/strong>, whom we also long to interview) of The Cybils<\/a><\/strong>; she rounds up and brings us weekend reviews of children’s literature titles; she ushered in Poetry Friday from the academic blog world into the kidlitosphere; and she manages two to three book reviews a week. Whew. She’s also extremely friendly to new bloggers and extends a welcoming hand to kidlitosphere newcomers by introducing herself on their sites as well as mentioning them on hers. <\/p>\n Kelly falls into that category of Bloggers Who Have Been Doin’ Their Thang for More Than One Year (a category Jules just made up on the spot), so for that reason, we cannot help but see her as rather . . . well, maternal (and we have no idea how old she is — we see her this way whether she’s 21 or 41), as in one of the Matriarchs of All the Kidlitosphere Blogs. And we mean this in a lovely, respectful way (and hope it doesn’t make Kelly uncomfortable for whatever reason). And a hip way. Not one of those moms who has let herself go and listens to too much Raffi to know what’s going on in the outside world anymore and wears Mom Jeans that sit just under her bra line and smiles so big at everyone a little too enthusiastically but then goes home and has a martini or two while the kids nap. No, she’s the hip, smart, savagely cool Mama who is in the know, stays active, and to whom everyone goes for advice. <\/p>\n She is also the inspiration for our blogger interviews, though I don’t think she knows this. One day in the not-so-distant past and after many days of regularly checking Big A little a, I (Jules, that is) visited the blog once again, clicked on her profile<\/a><\/strong> for some reason, and saw that Kelly is a professor. I had assumed all this time that she was, like most of us, a librarian. Okay,<\/em> I thought. So, she teaches children’s literature probably.<\/em> No. Who knew she was an Associate Professor of Russian (as you’ll read below)? Jump back. It was then that I realized how much I don’t know about all these bloggers whose writing I admire. And Eisha said, word, dude<\/em> when I shared this with her, and thus was born our blogger interview series.<\/p>\n And, in case you were wondering, her blog’s title comes from the first part (“Big A little a, What begins with a? Aunt Annie’s alligator A a A”) of Dr. Seuss’s ABC<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n So, enough of that. Let’s find out who she’d invite to her Fantasy Author Wine\/Coffee Soiree, shall we? First, of course, the Perfunctory Curse Word Disclaimer<\/em> (are you as tired of reading that as we are? Well, it’s necessary, we suppose): Remember that we use the Pivot Questionnaire<\/a><\/strong> in our interviews. Remember that it includes the what-is-your-favorite-curse-word question. It’s optional for folks to answer, but if they do, we will not edit their responses in any way; yup, we’ll post their responses exactly<\/em> as they send them to us. Some people might not use “*”s to edit their saucy words. If you’re easily offended, just don’t read that question.<\/p>\n What do you do for a living? <\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>I\u2019m an Associate Professor of Russian at a liberal arts college in the Midwest. I teach Russian Language and Literature (the novel, Tolstoy, Nabokov).<\/p>\n How long have you been blogging? <\/strong><\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Two years in February.<\/p>\n Why did you start blogging? Why do you continue to do it?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>I\u2019ve been writing for years. I read somewhere that if you want to write in a certain genre (for me, Middle Grade fiction), you should read 300 books in said genre. So, I went to the public library for the first time in years and began checking out books. Then I found myself alone with these books and with no one to talk about them. So I started my blog. And I found my community. Truly, blogging has brought me so much emotionally and intellectually. When I began my blog, there were only a few of us out there. Camille at Book Moot<\/a><\/strong> was the first to talk to me. Then I found Tasha at Kids Lit<\/a><\/strong>, Michele at Scholar\u2019s Blog<\/a><\/strong>, Anne at Book Buds<\/a><\/strong>, Gail Gauthier<\/a><\/strong>, Susan at Chicken Spaghetti<\/a><\/strong>, Jen at Jen Robinson\u2019s Book Page<\/a><\/strong>, Leila at Bookshelves of Doom<\/a><\/strong>, Cynthia Leitich Smith at Cynsations<\/a><\/strong>, and Liz B. at A Chair, A Fireplace & Each month there\u2019s another great blog and another voice in the conversation. You guys and MotherReader<\/a><\/strong> make me laugh, A Fuse #8 Production<\/a><\/strong> just rocks, I love the ladies at Blue Rose Girls<\/a><\/strong> and A Year of Reading<\/a><\/strong>. Little Willow<\/a><\/strong> always knows what’s new and hot for teens. Oh, and there are the writers\u2026Mitali<\/a><\/strong>, Robin<\/a><\/strong>, Greg<\/a><\/strong>\u2026the list goes on and on and on!<\/p>\n Which blog or site would you take to the prom to show off and you love it so much you could marry it?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>I\u2019m a long time reader of academic blogs. Most of them, because of the whole tenure thing, are pseudonymous. I thought I\u2019d start one of those first and even began one with two posts. It became clear to me, however, that all I\u2019d do on such a blog is complain. And, I\u2019d be BORING. However, there are a few academic bloggers I rely on to this day. The blogs I\u2019d take to the prom are Phantom Scribbler<\/a><\/strong> (her Wednesday Whining is to live for), Profgrrrrl<\/a><\/strong>, Bitch Ph.D.<\/a><\/strong>, scrivenings<\/a><\/strong>, and writing as jo(e)<\/a><\/strong>. Besides these mainstays in my life, I love, love, love the entire kidlitosphere.<\/p>\n What are your other favorite things to do, other than reading and blogging? <\/strong><\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Writing. Being with kids and the husband. Being with my small extended family. Traveling.<\/p>\n What’s in heavy rotation on your stereo\/ipod lately?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Would it bore you to hear that Richard Ford<\/a><\/strong> is in heavy rotation at the moment? I have to admit, since the advent of the easy audiobook download, I\u2019ve pretty much given up on music. Now I can read while cleaning! While driving! While walking to work!<\/p>\n If you could have three (living) authors over for coffee or a glass of rich, red wine, whom would you choose?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Oh, this one is easy for me. I have three favorite writers at the moment \u2014 no more, no less. And, I hate to say that they all hail from the British Isles. I would invite all three together, because I\u2019m sure they\u2019d get along like a house on fire. My three favorite writers share the same qualities \u2014 they write gorgeous, complex prose and each has a subtle sense of humor. They are:<\/p>\n Can I have them for wine and coffee? How about for dinner? My husband\u2019s a great cook. I do an okay salad. We\u2019ll buy good wine and good coffee, I swear!<\/p>\n What’s one thing that not many people know about you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>I\u2019m pretty much an open book. Does that count? No? Okay, then, here\u2019s the drama: I\u2019ve had three near death experiences \u2014 one on an airplane, one on the streets of Berkeley, and one on the streets of Moscow.<\/p>\n The Pivot Questionnaire:<\/p>\n What is your favorite word?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Three-way tie: “Aegean,” “kerfuffle,” and “kvetch”<\/p>\n What is your least favorite word?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>“Chunk.” When I hear the phrase \u201cchunk of X\u201d I want to throw up. I also hate \u201cpadded,\u201d as in \u201cshe woke up, stretched, and padded to the fridge for X.\u201d So overused. And, buildings should no longer be \u201clowslung,\u201d even if they are.<\/p>\n What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? <\/strong><\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Warm rain. Beautiful cities (New York, London, certain areas of Los Angeles or Moscow, Chicago, parks in Cologne, Paris). A long walk.<\/p>\n What turns you off?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Really ugly words with short [u] or [i] \u2014 like “chunk,” “hunk,” “hug” (I know it means well . . .), “twig,” “prig” . . . <\/p>\n What is your favorite curse word?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Oh, this one is easy for me! I love the British \u201cshite.\u201d So much better than our short-voweled American counterpart. I use it all the time.<\/p>\n What sound or noise do you love?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Cliched, but rain.<\/p>\n What sound or noise do you hate?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>You know, my stove has a broken timer. If you forget to unplug it, it will start beeping after 1 hour and 59 minutes. Because I often forget to unplug it before I have a nap (on the couch with a book), I hate this sound most of all.<\/p>\n What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Writer. It\u2019s the only other profession I aim for. I like my day job.<\/p>\n What profession would you not like to do?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>Oh, so many. I\u2019m truly lazy. I\u2019d hate any position of authority. President of anything. I have a horrible gag reflex, so I\u2019d hate to be a doctor or a nurse. <\/p>\n If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Kelly: <\/strong>\u201cYou were wrong. Welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You know how with each of our blogger interviews we have explained to you, dear reader, why we love our chosen blogs so much? Well, with Kelly Herold at Big A little a, we just don’t know where to begin, honestly. There are many things to love about her and her blog. First of all, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogger-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
A Tea Cozy<\/a><\/strong>. They\u2019ve all been blogging for about as long as I have or longer. <\/p>\nIan McEwan<\/a><\/strong> (favorite novels: Enduring Love<\/a><\/em><\/strong> and Atonement<\/a><\/em><\/strong>);
\nKate Atkinson<\/a><\/strong> (favorite novels: Okay, I\u2019ve read everything she\u2019s written ten times each);
\nPhilip Pullman<\/a><\/strong> (His Dark Materials<\/a><\/em><\/strong> comprise the best children\u2019s fiction ever written) . . .<\/p>\n