All-Leo Asks…Sara Louise, Blogger
Sara Louise is the creative force behind the wonderful Sara In Le Petit Village, blog charting her new life since upping sticks and moving to her boyfriend (now husband)’s tiny home village in Provence.
Why did you start blogging?
Before moving to France to live with my boyfriend, I knew I would have to find something to occupy my time. I had been working 55+ hours a week in Dublin and since I was transitioning to a housewife role in a very rural area, blogging seemed like a nice way to flex my writing muscles and keep me sane.
What do you enjoy most about it?
When I started blogging I didn’t know what to expect as I had never read any blogs before. It may sound silly but blogging has given me a feeling of purpose again. Going from living in a metropolitan area to a small village of two hundred people where you are not yet fluent in the language can leave you feeling isolated. Every comment makes me happy and helps me feel connected to the rest of the world.
How do people featured in your blogs react to reading about themselves?
So far the reaction has been pretty well. One of my husband’s friends who features in my blog often, loves all the female attention he’s been getting and is quite chuffed with himself. But my mother has made a couple of comments about coming off ’ditzy’ but I did remind her that anything I’ve written about her has been completely accurate (sorry Mom). However, no ones real names are used in my blog or the name of the village where I live, so it’s fairly anonymous.
How do you publicise your blog and which methods work best for you?
I haven’t really publicised yet. I am a member of a few expat blogging clubs and I think that gets me some notice, but otherwise, it’s from being lucky enough to be on other bloggers blogrolls. But I do have a Facebook page and I’m on twitter too.
Do you have a particular policy when it comes to accepting products for review/mention?
If the product is something that I would actually be interested in, or would be something that I would use then I have no problem reviewing it. But if it’s something that I wouldn’t normally use, or be interested in like, tools or car stuff then I’d probably pass.
Have you formed relationships with other bloggers through your writing?
I have been lucky enough to meet a few people. My French tutor is someone who read my blog and then sent me an email. We emailed back and forth and skyped a few times before she started tutoring me, so that was very fortunate. And a couple of other expat bloggers and I have met up. The great thing about meeting someone through blogging is that it already seems like you know them a bit when you meet so no awkward silences. And that’s a good thing.
