It may shock you to hear this, but I started reading—and writing—at a very young age. My tastes have changed and evolved over the years (as you’ll see below), but my love of the written word has remained steady.
Today I’d like to pay homage to a trio of influential authors who were instrumental in inspiring me to write my own stories.
Brian Jacques
Who from my generation didn’t read the Redwall fantasy series? Literally no one, amirite? I remember spending entire days over the weekend or in the summer reading about the adventures of Martin the Warrior and his friends. As adults, they may seem silly—anthropomorphic animals battling one another in an epic quest to save the abbey?!—but for me, these books were so life changing. I tore through them, quite literally. Seriously, I read them so many times that I had to use packing tape to keep the covers from falling apart.
Brian Jacques inspired me to write my first novel (with pencil, on notebook paper in a three-ring binder) when I was in sixth or seventh grade. It was a clear ripoff of the Redwall world, but hey, you’ve gotta start somewhere. But most importantly, he sparked my imagination and made me believe I could do anything I set my mind to.
Janet Evanovich
I can’t pinpoint when I began reading mysteries, but I do remember when they became my favorite genre. My grandmother took me to this little Wooster bookstore that had a resident black cat and a sunny reading nook. She introduced me to the shop owner, a well-read woman whose recommendations were spot on. Among others, she suggested Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. I devoured One for the Money, and it became my go-to book recommendation and birthday gift for fellow mystery readers.
I’d read Nancy Drew and other classics, but Stephanie Plum was unlike any amateur sleuth I’d ever encountered. She was a laugh-out-loud-funny hot mess who was brave and bold and real. The more books I read, the more I wanted to create my own Stephanie Plum. Thus the world of Anonymous Source was born. Over the years, it has evolved into something that barely resembles Evanovich’s series — and in fact, I myself have largely outgrown the books — but it did have a huge influence on the writer I am today.
Tana French
Years ago, a colleague of mine gave me Tana French’s book In the Woods. I’d read page turners before, of course, but this one was different. The way she wove backstory into the main storyline, the twists and turns that led to the inevitable but surprising conclusion, the feeling like you’ve been punched in the gut by a bittersweet ending… it was mesmerizing.
I wanted to be that kind of writer—the kind who wrote stories that grabbed readers by the throat and didn’t let them go. Stories that made their hearts pound and hands sweat in anticipation. Stories that evoked a visceral response that stuck with them long after the last page. Stories that made them want more.
Who are your favorite authors, and how have they inspired you? Share your favorite book in the comments below!
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
