Writers as Readers

A lot of genres interest me when it comes to reading. One of my favorite books is a fantasy novel about a princess and some dragons. I am also a big fan of the Twilight saga. I guess fantasy would be one of my favorite genres then. I also like horror and mystery. Poetry is fun to read too, but it is something I have to be in the mood for. When I was young I used to read A LOT of non-fiction books from the library. I liked to learn about dinosaurs and space.  I’ve read a lot of comic books throughout my life. I’m not sure what that genre would be. Action I guess?

My first reading teacher was my mother.  When I was young she was a stay-at-home mom; something I am very grateful for. She taught me my ABC’s (with the assist of Elmo and more of his friends from Sesame Street). She taught me how to read, and she read to me up until I was about 11 or 12. She had me reading before I even stepped foot into preschool. Because of this, my scores on reading tests have always been very high. Honestly if it wasn’t for her, I may not to love write as much as I do. I feel like writing and reading go hand-in-hand.  

One of my best memories related to reading is probably the time I met Janet Lee Carey. She wrote my favorite book Dragon’s Keep. I met her at some-sort of Authors Day at MSU when I was in 4^th grade. She did a presentation about the books she had written. My class sat in the first row. Most of her books are fantasy based. They all sounded pretty interesting, but the most interesting was Dragon’s Keep. After we listened to her, we heard a few more authors speak. Honestly, I can't remember who the rest of them were. At the end of the day we went into this big room that had stands that had the authors’ names on the front of a table with a display of their books. Most of the stands were empty, but Janet Lee Carey was sitting at hers. I was shy at 11. I sauntered over and fidgeted as she greeted me. I picked up a paperback version of Dragon’s Keep, only to find that I had just enough money to buy it. Janet offered to sign it for me and asked me what my name was. I remember having to spell it out for her, and smiling shyly and thanking her before getting in the long line to pay. It’s weird looking back on that day. I had no idea I was buying a book that I would read six times over, and probably more to come. I had no idea that I was speaking to my favorite author.

Dragon’s Keep is the first book that made me excited to turn the page, and the next, and the next after that. The last time I read it was my sophomore year, and I found myself having that experience with it again; it had been a while sense I had read it. Funnily enough, All My Friends are Dead was a page-turner as well.

I know for a fact that I will write a book someday. Whether it be a short novel, or a children’s book with my own illustrations, or even a graphic novel, I will write a book.  Hopefully more than one. I have a lot of ideas, a whole sketch journal full. It is just hard to find the time to put them into action sometimes. I’m not sure what the “About Author” column will say, but I know that the first book I write will be dedicated to my mom. Like I said before, she is the reason I got a head start in reading, and probably the main reason I have always found so much enjoyment in writing.