HF Virtual Book Tours is fortunate to be working with the most fabulous bloggers in the blogospere and today I would like to spotlight Erin from Flashlight Commentary with an interview. Erin is a fantastic reviewer and it has been a lot of fun getting to know her over the years and I hope you enjoy getting to know her as well! Her blog is one of the best out there and I recommend you checking it out if you haven’t done so already!

To begin, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Well, let’s see. I’m twenty-seven years old. I was born in a little town few have ever heard of, but raised all over the western United States. I live with my husband, our two children, and what might very well be the most spoiled dog known to mankind.

I can’t remember a time before I became a reader which is probably due in large part to my mother. A casual reader, she surrounded me with books hoping I’d develop a love of learning at an early age. What developed was a full blown addiction to the written word.

How long have you been blogging and what was the inspiration for starting your blog?

My story isn’t much different than most really. I started blogging during my stint as a stay-at-home mom. At the time, I was one of the few in my close circle of friends to have kids and though we were still close, a certain degree of distance had started to grow and it was wearing on me. I loved the moms I was meeting, but I needed an outlet to discuss things besides developmental milestones and when to start different foods.

I’d always been a reader and reviewing offered me an opportunity to connect with other book lovers between play dates and nap times without detracting from the time spent with my daughter.

Now, two years later, the site is still going strong.

How did the name of your blog come about?

Ever see pictures of children hiding under their blankets with a flashlight and book? That was me as a kid and though I’ve graduated to book light and don’t have to conceal myself in the sheets anymore, not much has changed.

To this day I do most of my reading late at night. My reviewing too for that matter. Connect one to the other and voila! Flashlight Commentary.

What genres do you review?

Mostly historic fiction since it is my favorite, but I’ll pick up fantasy, historic nonfiction, biographies and, on rare occasion, contemporary fiction.

What other hobbies do you have beyond reading and blogging?

I enjoy traveling a great deal. Having moved around a lot as a kid I developed a real affection for site seeing. Closer to home I spend quite a lot of time cooking, crafting and dabbling in photography.

What is the novel that introduced you to the HF genre?

That’s a tough one. I’d read historic fiction as a kid, books like The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Sing Down the Moon, Julie of the Wolves and The Sign of the Beaver are still very near and dear to my heart, but the book to which I attribute my obsession with the genre is Elizabeth Chadwick’s The Champion. I was fourteen when I discovered it and have been hooked ever since.

Who are your favorite HF authors?

Oh goodness, we might be here a while. Elizabeth Chadwick, Kate Quinn, Pam Jenoff, Peter Yeldham, Sara Donati, Ann Moore, C.W. Gortner, Michelle Moran, Christina Courtenay, Anna Belfrage, Carol K. Carr, Deanna Raybourn, Ken Follet, Robert Alexander, Jeanne Kalogridis, Anya Seton, Sharon Kay Penman and Tasha Alexander.

What is your favorite time period and/or setting to read?

If I had to pick one I’d say WWII era fiction, but it’s a close race. I also really drawn to English fiction from the Norman Conquest clear through the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Colonial America, the Victorian era and the Gilded Age.

What HF books have you recently read and enjoyed?

The Turncoat by Donna Thorland, Forbidden Frontier by Zana Bell and The Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle.

What HF books are at the top of your wishlist?

The Lion and the Rose by Kate Quinn, Empress of the Night by Eva Stachniak, and House of Bathory by Linda Lafferty.

What is the HF book you would want to read again for first time?

Peter Yeldham’s Barbed Wire and Roses. Heart wrenching story, but beautifully written and hauntingly memorable. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

HFVBT thanks Erin for the interview and for being such a wonderful tour host, we are truly lucky to have her!