Growing up in Alaska was both a blessing and a curse. During the summers I spent a significant portion of my time outside wandering/exploring on my family's 50+ acre property which is a heavily forested bluff that looks out over a river. However, there wasn't much else to do. My parents scorned the idea of getting satellite (the only way to get TV there) because we were too poor, and it would just fill our brains with rot anyway. And, because we lived in such a rural area, there weren't many people my age to play with. So what did I do? I read lots of books. To this day I continue to be a dedicated reader.
Here's a list of authors and books that have shaped me as a writer.
C.S. Lewis--The Narnia series
David Eddings--The Belgariad, The Elenium, The Tamuli
Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins--O Jerusalem
Jane Austen--Pride and Prejudice (yes it's true).
J. K. Rowling--Harry Potter
J.R.R. Tolkien--The Lord of the Rings (obviously).
Louis L'Amour--The Walking Drum, Last of the Breed, Silver Canyon, (and any Sackett, Kilkenney, and Chantry novels).
Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman--Dragonlance, The Deathgate Cycle
Robert Jordan--The Wheel of Time
Stephen King--On Writing
Terry Brooks--The Shannara series (which means I'm pretty much including everything).
Ursula K. Le Guin--The Wizard of Earthsea (and sequels).
Walter Farley--The Black Stallion (series).
This obviously isn't a comprehensive list of books that I've read, and it's not necessarily a list of the best books that I've read, but these are the books that influenced me as a young reader and later as a student of the art. These are the books that have fanned my imagination and caused me to dream.
