“We have all drunk from wells we did not dig, and warmed ourselves by fires we did not build.” –Rex E. Lee

With the above quote in mind, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the authors and their works that have shaped me and my work the most. I am a slow reader. A book has to really grab me if I’m going to read it. The authors I feature here have done just that for me. I am grateful to these writers for blessing me and the world with their stories and talent. Most of them have passed on. The first two I mention below are still with us.

Robin McKinley: I used to stand reading Robin McKinley’s Beauty in the bookstore at Brigham Young University in between classes. Her retelling of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast made the characters and their lives very real. I could relate to her Beauty. My heart went out to her and the Beast. And, yes, I bought the book and read it over and over. The pages are brown now. One of my sisters sent me another one of Robin McKinley’s books, The Blue Sword. I haven’t read it yet. Both of us are adults, but love reading this genre for Young Adults. If you have read it, drop me a line and let me know what you thought.

Mercer Mayer: Mercer Mayer’s East of the Sun and West of the Moon is another book where I stood in a bookstore aisle and read the whole book absolutely enthralled. His words and illustrations took me on an adventure. I asked for the book for my 18th birthday.  I still have that book. I read it to my daughter when she was 4. She also was enthralled. It’s long for a 4 year old, but she didn’t care and she couldn’t get enough of the illustrations. It’s a story about a strong young woman learning what is really important in life and going for it even when she is exhausted and is losing hope. Thank you, Mr. Mayer.

JRR Tolkien: The Hobbit was fun. The Lord of the Rings was an experience that I find hard to put into words. I lived those books. Immersive is probably the best description I can come up with. I have to be careful if I pick up any book in that trilogy and open the spine. Time will pass and I will not be aware of it.

Rafael Sabatini: Great adventures and strong intelligent female characters—this is something I’ve come to appreciate more and more as I get older. Captain Blood is brilliant and is one of my favorites. Check out the brilliant naval strategies! The Black Swan has been criticized by some as not having enough action. I don’t agree. It’s a well crafted,suspenseful, romantic story that I never get tired of.

Langston Hughes: more on him below.

Jane Austin: I have read Pride and Prejudice several times. Her timing, characters, and comments on the world she knew never get old.

Mary Stewart: One of my sisters introduced me to Mary Stewart.  Wildfire at Midnight is my favorite book of hers. She writes strong and intelligent female heroines and tells a great, suspenseful story with plenty of surprises. 

Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre changed everything for me! I learned to love to read with this book. Before Jane Eyre, I couldn’t find any books that interested me. I have no idea why my high school American Literature teacher had us read Jane Eyre, but I will be forever grateful. Without Jane Eyre, I would not have read the other books, like Pride and Prejudice, that I mention here and many others.

Robert Frost: More on him below.

You may have noticed that these authors come from different genres. Every single one of these authors have something in common: they transported me to an adventure and I didn’t want it to end. These authors also taught me more about storytelling, and more importantly, about life. 

You may be wondering why Langston Hughes is on my list as he’s not a novelist. He paints pictures with his words that cut to the heart of human emotion and yearning. His poems give me hope and permission to dream.  Poet Robert Frost says a lot with few words and gets to the heart of human life. I often become teary eyed when I read their poems.

I love a good story told well. 
So, in the words of Robert Frost, “—You come too”. Let’s make this journey together, whatever that journey turns out to be, whether it be professional or as a fellow story lover.