Thanks for all the comments on yesterday's post! I thought it was so interesting that some of you read mostly the genre you write (it helps to keep you in the right mindset, helps to keep you current) and some of you avoid the genre you write (don't want to be influenced by it, don't want it to affect your voice). I think it's great that we're all so different.
So today I thought I'd ask about your writing heroes. I think most of us decided to write because we loved something we read. The author I was obsessed with when I decided to try writing (2 years ago) was Shannon Hale. She writes YA fantasy (and some other stuff too but her fantasy is the best, in my opinion). I read THE GOOSE GIRL and her Newbery Honor winner, THE PRINCESS ACADEMY, and thought they were so much fun. They reminded me of books I'd loved when I was a kid. I wished I could write something so great, so I tried to write YA fantasy--and failed. But at least it got me started.
I'd love to meet Shannon or just see her speak (apparently she's hilarious). Maybe someday.
Did your writing journey begin with a book or an author you loved? Who is your writing hero?
