Where did you get your love of books?

cj Sez: Do you have a huge to-be-read pile on your nightstand?

   Is there one particular book you can point to as THE BOOK that captured your imagination and started you reading more and more and maybe thinking about being a writer?

   As a child, did you have a parent that read to you?

   Did you have a home library of books?

I’ll answer first:

  Nope, I have a small TBR pile and another small list of TBR Kindle books. I blame that on my eyes, and the fact that most books put me to sleep after about four chapters. Obviously, I'm a slow reader...unless I get "in the zone."  

   Yep, THE BOOK for me is "Last of the Mohicans," by James Fenimore Cooper. At age ten, when it was still safe for a kid to walk the city streets at night, I spent Friday evenings crunching through icy snow to go to the Mark Twain Library in Detroit and find a quiet corner to read a few chapters. 

   Based on the French and Indian war and touching on interracial love, the story whetted my appetite for exciting adventure. Of course, I had to see the movie when it came out, and, no matter it wasn’t a box-office smash, I fell in love with Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis).

   Nope. Or at least I can’t remember that either of my parents read to me.  

   

Nope, no home library, although I do remember reading comic books and some Golden Books. I don’t think the Golden Books were mine, though.

   All of that is to say don’t compare your writing or reading life to anyone else’s. Sometimes, all it takes is a single story to bring about a love of books and spark one’s imagination.

   I do believe I can point to my not being introduced to reading as a child as at least one reason why I am such a slow writer…but I love the lyrical syncopation of words and syntax, and I am writing. In fact, although I’ve been working on two novels for “years,” I had original short stories accepted into two different anthologies this year, and I’m working on a third short story.

   What sparked your love of reading and/or writing? Can you pinpoint a single story or book? Or was it the cumulative effect of childhood experiences?

Of Note this week:  

   Sept 8 is U.N. International Literacy Day and National Grandmothers’ Day. 

   September 11 is Patriot Day and the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks of 2001 (please pray for the survivors and the families of those lost in the terrorist attacks).

   September 12 is Johanna’s birthday (my granddaughter), and 

   September 13 is Friday the Thirteenth.

   By the by, as the masthead of Lyrical Pens says, if you have a book you want to promote, let me know. We can arrange a blog date…the only caveat is that this site is PG 13.

   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. See you next week?

cj

   CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR are quick reads chock full of adventure with a touch of sassy banter and sweet romance. Get your Kindle copy on Amazon…visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj for more information about my stories.

TO ORDER an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, HOMETOWN HEROES, and/or THE POSSE, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice.

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