Day 16

Day 16 is supposed to be a picture of someone who inspires me.  I don't know if I am inspired by one person entirely, so I decided to go a different route with this one.  I chose to represent authors who have inspired me either with their lives, their work, or their characters...or all of the above.  From the time I was a little girl until now I have been in love with books.  I love to read and I have always wanted to write wonderful stories that would come alive in the hearts and minds of those who read them. 

E.B. White

"Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White is my all time favorite book.  It's the first book that touched me deeply.  I think I was six years old at the time.  But it changed my life.  Not only did I love books, but I suddenly desired to create stories as vivid and heart-wrenching as Charlotte and Wilbur's story.  Mr. White's story sparked the first glint of creativity in my little soul.

Louisa May Alcott

Next, I ate up the "Little Women" books...I adored the March family and followed them through each of the books.  "Jo's Boys" is my favorite.  I devoured everything written by Ms. Alcott with such hunger, my mother wasn't sure what she'd do when I ran out.  (She introduced me to Lucy Maud Montgomery, who I loved, but always went back to Louisa time after time.)

Madeleine L'Engle

One of the first fantasy books I ever read was "A Wrinkle In Time".  From that moment on I was hooked on fantasy.  I wanted more.  I wanted to write it.  It was the epitome of everything I'd ever tried to imagine and I loved it.

Is it any wonder then that I continue to re-read and draw inspiration from the following authors?

C.S. Lewis

Garth Nix

J.K. Rowling

Stephenie Meyer

Neil Gaiman

I still have stories trapped in my head and my heart.  Maybe one day I'll be brave enough (and less critical of myself) to put pen to paper and dream for a public audience.  Maybe.  But, I will always love books and the people who write them.  Because they inspire me to dream.