Love At First Sight

When I was a young reader, I had a local Logan Library up the road from me; and I flew through the childrens' section quickly.  And then, I found other books to read at school; but until I began reading Enid Blyton, there wasn't anyone who really stuck out that I read all the time.  And I read 'The Folk of the Faraway Tree' and 'The Adventures of Amelia Jane' (before the reprints came out with the Golliwog removed).  

By the time I had hit high school, my Mum was working in a second-hand bookstore... an absolute dream for me.  It's still at Charden's Corner on Ipswich Road near the travel agent and still has a huge amount of books lining its walls.  I used to spend my school holidays sitting and reading 'Sweet Valley High' books to my heart's delight; wondering why other kids found them so good.  I wanted a challenge; I wanted

something that expanded my imagination, because I found SVH boring, but passable. 

Then, when I was around 16, I was trying to read a very adult romance novel one of my friends gave me and didn't understand some of the terminology in it.  So, of course I asked my Mum.  Now, I won't put

in what the terminology was (yes, I do remember what it was) but Mum called it smut and confiscated the book.  I asked if I could read Stephen King's 'Christine' instead; but she said no.  My older brother, Gabe, insisted that I was going to have to read something like SK's stuff anyway if I wanted to be a writer.  So, I was allowed. 

And after 'Christine', I read 'The Stand' then, 'Salem's Lot'... and I was hooked on Stephen King's work.  There was something about how he wrote a book that pulled me in and made me just keep on reading and reading that I didn't wish to stop.  And when I did,

well, I'd hesitate to turn out the light in case something was waiting in the dark to get me (yeah, he was downright creepy back then!).

Since Stephen, I've read other horror and vampire works and have been happy to go back to his work once in a while; happy to read his novellas and attempt his books.  But I've got a wider reading circle and love to try out different genres.  And because of this writer, I have had the courage to do just that; and not only in what I read, but also in what I write too.

I'm a poet, sci-fi writer and also write novellas of the strange and weird and vampire romances; however, I'm yet to be published.  However, I'm just happy to write and enjoy getting the ideas and putting them on paper and making them work well.  And if someone on one of my blogs like them, well I'm glad.

Is there a writer out there who got you to love writing and reading so much you got yourself into that particular world?  If so, share with us who it is and how their work helped you enjoy the written word.