An interview with Melissa, the author of Mental Multivitamin, reviewed here.

What inspired you to launch your blog?

When I started “Mental multivitamin”(nearly seven years ago now — wow), I had only one idea: to chronicle my reading and other learning adventures and synthesize what I was learning. Okay, I actually had two ideas: Given the glut of “mommy blogs,” I wanted my blog to do and say something else, something not that, if you know what I mean.

What has kept you motivated to keep at it?

I enjoy what I’m learning, and I enjoy writing about it.

How much time do you devote to the blog on a weekly basis?

Some weeks, just an hour or so; other weeks, more.

How has your blog gained an audience?

When I began blogging in 2003, I was active in a vibrant homeschooling forum. Many readers arrived at Mental multivitamin via my posts there. Later, M-mv earned readers through its nomination in the literary blogger category of an annual blog competition. I don’t think of my site as a literary blog, but I appreciated the new readers. Later, my site also earned readers through similar contests hosted by homeschooling sites. I don’t think of my site as a homeschooling blog, either, by the way, but again, I appreciated the increase in readership. Then in September 2006, I began receiving review copies and ARCs from publishers and publicists, andMental multivitamin was mentioned in the Los Angeles Times (”Booked-Up Publishers Could Be in a Bind,” October 1, 2006). Naturally, there was a swell in readership following that. And so on. By late 2007, I had grown weary of all of the hype surrounding blogs and their marketability. That wasn’t — isn’t — what I do this for. So I stopped tracking readership for nearly two years. I later reinstalled one site meter, but beyond providing content that I think would appeal to other readers, thinkers, and autodidacts, I don’t really do anything to increase readership.

Do you have an approximate estimate of the number of regular readers of your blog?

There are about 250 unique visitors to the site daily. I have no idea how many more are reading via sites like Bloglines.

Do you have any literary blogs or websites you highly recommend?

Bud Parr

Edward Champion

Jessa Crispin

Other blogs I love, perhaps not literary blogs but certainly blogs with a bookish bent:

■ Magnificent Octopus: Literary responses to good and great books.

■ Pages Turned: An electronic chapbook, a few cats, and an affinity for towering TBR piles.

■ Semicolon: Book reviews, “Lost” talk, film recommendations, and a voice I enjoy hearing.

■ The Sheila Variations: Unabashed opinions on books, films, and life.

■ Book Moot: Compelling commentary on children’s and YA books with a dose of humor and fun.

■ Girl Detective: Reviews of books, movies, and television programs interspersed with the occasional parenting post.

Why have you disabled comments on your blog?

I have no real interest in sorting through comments of either the “Oh, I totally agree. Blah, blah, blah.” variety or the “You dumbass! What makes you think you know… blah, blah, blah.” sort. If someone must say something to me, he or she can use the email link provided in the sidebar. Of course, I still receive some “blah, blah, blah,” but nowhere near as much as I would if I allowed comments. More, I receive some truly excellent correspondence, messages that make me think. Sure, this might have happened in the comments, but I simply am not generous-spirited enough, I guess, to endure either the small talk and chatter or the arguments that can develop in the comments.