I’ve been known to get a sunburn within minutes when I go outside at the wrong time of year. Living in Florida for several years when I was a tween made it challenging for me to spend time outside. During one of those years, I decided that I was going to read 300 books. That would fill my time and keep me occupied indoors.
Some of the books were long and some were short. I tore through all of the books in The Dragonriders of Pern, Xanth, The Chronicles of Prydain. I re-read The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. I can’t remember a fraction of the other books I read during that year, but I did reach that ridiculous goal.
I do remember lying awake in the wee hours of the morning, knowing the next day at school would be rough on so little sleep, but not caring enough to stop. I remember living in those worlds, soaking in so many stories.
I am a writer because I love stories. Because I love books and the written word. I love to see how people play with structure and form. I love to see how authors take their characters and worlds in different directions than I would. It reminds me that only I can speak my words. Only I can write my stories.
I hope that my books keep my readers up at night. I want them to linger long afterwards. I want their minds to be so full from my stories that it spills over into their conversations with others.
Everybody needs a dream <3
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