Back in March 2012, I started an interview section on my blog where each week I featured men and women bloggers in the spotlight. I never realized how much fun it would be showcasing other bloggers and introducing you to people who have affected my blog experience. I wanted to start this section up again and start this week off with Bren Lee from Pibbles & Me and My Girly Parts.

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your blog?

Hi. I’m Bren and I’m Author of Pibbles & Me and My Girly Parts. Pibbles & Me started back in 2010 when I rescued a pit bull mix.

Being my very first pit bull, I wanted a diary of his rehabilitation and wanted to share pit bull awareness with the world. My Girly Parts is a new blog and a fun one at that! There we talk about all the wonderful and not so wonderful things a woman endures during her lifetime.

What most influenced you to launch your business?

I would not call either blog a business as I do both of them for fun and to interact with other like minds. 

What is the biggest challenge you have faced so far with your blog?

Timing is one of my biggest challenges. I work full-time then go home to a needy pit bull that needs constant training plus my other wifely duties.

What role do social media play in your blogging life?

Ahh…. social media, the way to interact with the world from sitting right at your desk. My favorite for getting blog exposure is Twitter. How do I know? It traffic stats tell me. My second favorite would be my Facebook pages and up until recently, they slacked, however I have learned to be more interactive with my fans and friends which in turn, has gained me more LIKES and more traffic to my blogs. Recently, I have used Triberr which I find to be a fabulous source for getting out my blog posts.

How has blogging affected your career?

The two are totally separate and I like it that way, so no effect whatsoever.

What advice would you give to aspiring bloggers?

What I learned the hard way. Don’t try to keep up with the big bloggers! Be yourself and don’t try to be something that you’re not. I appreciate a blog that is REAL. A real person sharing real stuff. Don’t get me wrong though, I thoroughly enjoy some techy blogs as well but life experiences are where it’s at for me…so again, be yourself. Also, don’t clutter your blog with ads and such. Ugh, I really dislike that.

What aspect of social media has helped your business?

Being my blogs are not a business for me, it really has not helped. However, Pibbles & Me has helped some people who fear either pit bulls or large dogs, get over their fear. How do I know? Because they’ve told me so. I have shed a more loving side of pit bulls and showed that even a dysfunctional untrained pit bull, can be trained and have his/her life turned around for the better.

What would you say is the single biggest reason for your success?

I do not know how successful I am, but I do know there are more successful ones out there. I think interacting with other bloggers and becoming “friends” and having them share my posts or even having me guest post on their blogs, has attributed to my readership.

If you could step back in time to when you were just starting out, what advice would you give yourself knowing what you know now?

Haha Oh my! Bypass all the free blogging platforms and go directly to self-hosting with WordPress.org! And like I said above, don’t try to keep up with the bigger bloggers. Don’t try and post every day because you’ll get burnt out. Post when you good content and something significant to say. Overall, Be Yourself!

Do you have any big projects in the works?

Nothing big at the moment other than obtaining a few good Affiliates to add to my blog-ship. I recently joined up with Fancy Lingerie Store and Gusty Girls on My Girly Parts blogs. These are two quality places that I love to shop and I only hope my readers will check them out and enjoy what I have enjoyed with them.

I have also joined up with a few pet related Affiliates on Pibbles & Me. Trying to get the best prices for pet owners is something I attempt to do. Sharing the knowledge is well worth it.

I’m also trying to spend a bit more time on My Girly Parts and getting more exposure. Again, it’s fairly new (months) and I have such high hopes for it. I want it to be a place where women aren’t afraid to share their thoughts. By having featured guests, it gives other women an opportunity to write a post outside their own blog niche, and so far, they like it (as well as so do I). I am looking to expand our Facebook page possible to a group so people can talk at ease and not worry about the public reading it.

What websites do you visit most?

Oh my, there are so many! My favorites that I’m absolutely loyal to are:  Inspire To Thrive, Richly Middle Class, Say What U Wanna, Ellen M. Gregg, Menopause Matters, and Logallot. These are sites that are truly inspirational to me.

As far as pet bloggers, I love Blog Paws, Pauley James Former Foster Baby, Pawsitively Pets, and Keep the Tail Wagging.

What is the best way for our readers to learn more about you or contact you for more information?

The best way to contact me is via email at either pibblesnme (at)gmail(dot)com or mygirlyparts(at)gmail (dot)com. There are contact buttons on each website where I can also be reached. Other options are:

• @PibblesNMe 
• @MyGrlyPrts
• My Girly Parts Facebook page.
• Pibbles & Me Facebook page.

Thank you B, for being apart of this series and letting the readers get to know you. BTW, I love My Girly Parts!!!