I have more early childhood memories than most people I’ve talked to. I remember learning to walk, and I also remember learning to read by myself when I was about three and a half. My Mom was an early childhood educator so she knew I would learn to read if she read to me which she did a lot. I got frustrated with having to wait until it was convenient for her to read and she taught me my alphabet so I was able to learn the process fairly easily. Probably one of the first famous author interview that I loved was Dr. Seuss.
When I read ‘Hop on Pop’ which is mostly clever word play and rhymes, I gave my Grandpa a nickname. I figured that if my Dad counted as my ‘Pop’ that my Grandpa was naturally my ‘Pop Pop’. Everyone in our extended family called him ‘Pop Pop’ after that until the end of his life.
Even when I first learned to read I would fall in love with an author and try to read as many of their books as I could. I am still a big re-reader.
Another of the famous authors I discovered in my childhood was Madeline L’Engle. My Mom used to purchase books for me if they had won a Nobel Prize. L’Engle won a couple of times so naturally, I discovered her. She may be the reason that I fell headfirst into a love of fantasy writing that is still imbedded deep in my nature.
I was already a big appreciator of fairy tales and other such stories. Another of the famous authors I first found as one of my own favorites was the writer of the Narnia books, C. S. Lewis. I still re-read the series every so often.
I had chosen by the age of eight to hopefully be a writer myself one day. My third grade teacher used to criticize my habit of staying in during recess to read instead of playing with my friends. Reading was what I loved best.
We moved a lot, but one house that we lived in for a few years was situated close to an author, Jim Harrison. He is known for pieces such as the novella the screenplay ‘Legends of the Fall’ is based on. I thought that if a famous guy lived so close to us, and I was able to frequent the same restaurants he did, and if I wrote him later when I was a teenager and he wrote me back, it seemed like a possible dream to be a writer. He had done it and he wasn’t a far away unknown but someone who I knew a little.
I will continue to be a reader for the rest of my life, to appreciate the worlds that talented folk can dream. I can’t think of anything more enjoyable and I give thanks for those who inspire me.
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