Welcome to a new segment of my blog where I sit down (virtually) and talk with people from the bookstagram community.
Today, I am in conversation with Rossy Valoshka Duorado from the page @rosssy_reads.
Before we get into a fascinating dialogue with her, I would love to formally introduce her to the readers:
Pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Physics from Smt. Parvatibai Chowgule College Of Arts and Science, 19-year-old Rossy resides in South Goa. She is an avid reader, a book reviewer and a bookstagrammer with myriads of books.
She credits her love for reading and collecting books to the lack of a great library. She says, "All my past years, I have searched and searched for a Great Library or a reading area, but never came across one- neither in school nor in College! So I started buying books and building my own collection and am on the path to build my own library someday!!"
She is also fond of writing and editing and shares her works with the world in the form of articles and reviews. Through her page, she interacts and works with many authors and promotes their books.
Furthermore, Rossy is mesmerised by space and astronomy. Her interests also span to the world of music; A skilled violinist, Rossy holds three grades from Trinity College of Music, London.
In addition, she tutors school students in mathematics and science, and enjoys physical activities to make her feel her best self.
Rossy is also a part of LGBTQ+ community and advocates for the same on her platform. She spreads positivity and love through her platform. 🏳️🌈
With a strong family of 2,260 Roses (is what she affectionately calls her followers), Rossy is excited and thrilled "to be a part of the bookstagram community and the bookish family online" and share her love for books.
☕️ Grab yourselves a cup of your favourite beverage and enjoy this interview ☕️
- What made you want to start @rosssy_reads?
I was using Instagram with my personal account through which I connected with a lot of bookstagrammers, and through that, I would share my love for books, my new reads, new book purchases, but my followers really wanted to know more about my monthly reads, my reviews, that’s when inspired by a lot of bookstagrammers such as @elizabeth_sagan and @grumpyreads and many more, I decided I would create my own Bookstagram with ‘Roses’ who would appreciate, enjoy and motivate me to continue my reading journey.
- You made your first post on April 6th, 2019. How has the journey been so far?
The journey has been excitingly unexpected; I have grown a lot as a person, as a writer, as a reader, a blogger through my account. And my roses have always been so supportive. One thing they have thought me is ‘hard work pays off’.
- Being a BSc. Physics student, it must be hard balancing studies and reading. How many books do you manage to read in a year, and what’s the process of choosing your books?
As a student, in general, we can get carried away. I am sure most of the students relate to this, who balance social media, reading and studying. But with proper time management, everything is possible. There are a lot of times I feel lazy or just overwhelmed with my bookstagram, and then I just take a break for a few days and pick up where I left. I try to wake up early and study, followed by college usually then I am back home, I click pictures, post and then I am mostly relaxing and reading. So this way, I can give time for everything that matters, I am able to do some while missing out on others, so it takes quite some time to really stay motivated.
Last year I manage to read 51 books including review copies, e-books and paperbacks. This year I set a goal for 100 books, but so far I have read 13, and I will try and reach as many as possible.
The process of choosing books is mostly on reading challenges, the month dedication or simply my mood at times. Bookstagram community is a huge influence on what I read.
- You also read a large variety of books in terms of genre. Which is your favourite genre and why?
For a very long time till last year I loved, adored the conventional Heterosexual Romance Novels but this year I joined #readnonfictionwithus hosted by Amit (@amitgenre & @bookxp) and it motivated me to read and research Non-fiction; I truly enjoy Autobiographies, Memoirs and Science a lot. Also, I have realised, I have a lot of fiction books which I might never read and enjoy. I look forward to buying more Non-fiction books. I am also rooting for LQGBTQIA+ books.
-What do you do when you’re not reading?
When I am not reading, I practice my violin, watch TED Talk videos, and you’ll find me binge-watching a lot of LGBTQIA+ movies or series on Netflix like Elisa & Marcela, Sense 8, Holding the man, Feel good, and even Money Heist, etc. I am currently watching Orange Is the New Black or I am on youtube watching gay husbands have kids, lesbian documentary or LGBTQ Tiktok compilations, basically I consume wholesome LGBTQ+ content. Space, Astronomy and Cosmology have me on my toes, so this is something that has my time when I am not reading.
- Do you have a list of must-read books? Could give us a top 3 all-time favourites?
My top 3 all-time favourites are "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini, "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and "The Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking (I just love his way of mixing humour and science).
I have recently made a list of LGBTQIA+ Nonfiction books, and I am really looking forward to reading them. I feel the books I read in the past and the books I want to read henceforth are very different, so I am still looking forward to books that will wow me in incredible ways, but Khaled Hosseini’s books have my heart, and I love to read books by Roxane Gay.
- You have openly stated on your page that you are a Lesbian and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community? How has it been received? Has the community been accepting of you?
This was been a part of me that I had kept hidden for almost 4 years, until I came out, in late 2019, to my friends and my siblings. This has a very funny instance- so I was friends with this boy, who had this cute female friend, and at that time, I myself was very reluctant to accept my own identity. I would hang with these two people quite often, thinking I liked the boy very much, but over time, it turns out that I liked the cute female friend and not the boy. Since then I am out as a proud lesbian.
But when I came out on my bookstagram, I have received immense support regardless of my sexual orientation, and my Roses continue to love, support and encourage me just as they did before I came out. I am grateful and I hope this encourages and spreads love to others who feel uncomfortable or afraid to come out. My dearest Roses reading this, I love each and every one of you. Thank you for your endless support.
- What are your top 5 books which deal with the themes of LGBTQ+?
I have only read few LGBTQIA+ fiction books, which are Simon v/s the Homosapiens agenda by Becky Albertalli, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and a lot on Wattpad. So this is something I will read and share in the comings days- I feel this will really help me and my Roses because I get asked about LBGTQIA+ recommendations frequently.
- What is your take on representation of the LGBTQ+ community in books? Do you think it’s progressing?
It is definitely progressing, from portrayed as mere side characters, we have so many LGBTQIA+ protagonists, for example, Stephen King, in his novel "IT" has portrayed Richie who is a closeted gay man in love with his childhood best friend, Eddie, and it’s a very subtle portrayal. Now the authors have grown courageous and times have changed. Wendell Rodricks is another great inspiration, who was a fashion designer, a Goan gay man, an activist and an author, he received Padma Shri in 2014. It broke my heart when he passed away on 12 February 2020 because I wanted to meet him and get my copy of his book signed.
I am looking forward to more LQBTQIA+ books to be written in the future and to read the ones already existing.
- Authors such as J. K Rowling are accused of queer-baiting. What are your thoughts on it?
For me, I firmly believe in ‘You do you’, so if authors want to include any LGBTQIA+ character let them, if a reader likes it; read it. If you don’t, just pick some other book. We are all different people with different opinions and perspectives, and there are so many great books to be read, so little time to judge and cliticise anyone.
- As a fan of your page and the pictures you post, I always have wondered what might be your process of taking such beautiful pictures. Do you have any tips for aspiring book lovers- for example, props, lighting, the kind of camera etc.?
Oh! That’s very flattering. I use my sister’s phone camera and edit my pictures in Google Photos. There are a lot of editing apps, but you should always use what you are comfortable and the app you understand best. Snapseed is another great app for editing photos.
If you see my earlier posts, I used to click pictures with props that were already there in the house and that would increase the aesthetic of the book and the post. Like my sister’s accessories or her art supplies, or just some artificial flowers from the sitting room.
The time when you post on your page is very very necessary and a lot of beginners miss out on that, just make sure that your posting time coincides with when most of your followers engage or are active the most, and you can see this in your Instagram insights.
Don’t forget to add meaningful and exciting captions, because ‘Words have the power to conquer the world’.
And even the hashtags you use make a big difference; I can go on about blogging and social media handling, but for now, take the above notes.
You can follow Masha Varnavski (@masha.socialmedia) on Instagram for free social media and Instagram tips.
- Another unique aspect of your page is the incorporation of face painting corresponding to either your background or the books. How much time does one look take to be created?
If you follow me on my Instagram, you will see I have a theme in which I combine makeup and books. So based on the feel and the colour of the cover of the book, I decide about the outfit, the makeup and start by 3 pm, maximum it takes 45 minutes to an hour to finish the look and the outfit, and then 15 mins to get a good picture. I have a great view and a garden that I include, and always use the natural sunlight as lighting, therefore it's very important that I click my pictures before the sun sets, or when my garden is good.
- You have stated that you also enjoy writing. Have you been writing lately? If yes, then what are you writing? Can you give us a sneak-peak?
I mostly ramble about my views on different issues like Adultery not being a crime in India, LGBTQIA+ rights, education, love, relationships, science, etc. because that motivates me to read further on those topics, understand and view different perspective and get insights. I also pen my experiences with a certain type of people, how I feel, how I would want to feel, and how life has taught me lessons. I also really do want to write a fictional work with all my close squad as characters and place my perspective about them, and how they actually are.
- You have almost 2,500 followers on your bookstagram. Have you had any interactions with your followers that are memorable? Would you like to share them?
Oh! My Roses are the sweetest. I have received love and along with that a lot of books in giveaways and as gifts. Some earliest bookstagrammers like Sumith (@thebookreasearcher) who was one of the people on the platform who reached out to me via phone call and it was very uplifting.
Dr Vrund (@paradoxy_moron) who is very insightful and someone I respect. Milan, the Bhai (@areaderguy), was the first person whom I came out to on bookstagram. Shreyasi (@ladythor_bookblogger) and Aishwarya(@dr_snob) and their immense work with review projects, and Akhlaq (@readwithak_) who helped me in many ways. We are still in great contact. And recently, Candida (@wanderingtealover), who is a sweetheart and is always in contact regardless, Preethi (@booksandbrewing) and so many others, the list is long. I cherish every deed towards me, and I am grateful for each and every one!
- What can we expect from @rosssy_reads in the future? Any exciting projects you’d like to share?
Being consistent on my bookstagram is something I struggle but I am coping, hopefully. I will definitely start my blog, something I have been really wanting for a long time, and a lot of LGBTQIA+ and Non-fiction reads, so stay tuned. I also really wish to meet my fellow bookstagrammers in a book-fest or a book signing event.
A Word to Preethi
Thank you so much, Preethi, for this opportunity to answer your questions for the blog. This is my first time being interviewed, and this makes me feel so warm about this whole experience. You are the sweetest and a very hardworking Rose, keep up and happy reading. I hope this inspires others and hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing my responses, and I am immensely grateful for your time and patience.
Thank you Rossy, for sitting down with me (virtually) and agreeing to do this. This was a new experience of me too and one I'd remember for a long time. You were supportive since the very beginning and were on board with the whole idea instantly. I wish you the very best in every adventure ahead.
Do check her Instagram page- her content is truly beautiful and inspiring.
☕️I hope you guys enjoyed this conversation🧡
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