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FAQsWhat are your favourite books/authors? Ahh, now you've got me started . . . I love so many books, and hate even more. So probably the books that have stayed in my mind the longest are those that have swayed my writing and style somehow. As a child, I used to love fairytales. It broke my heart to think that one day I would have to grow up and leave fairytales behind. There were few other genres I enjoyed reading, and I assumed that I just wasn't the reading type - that reading would never really be my hobby. Instead, I used to write the sort of books I wanted to read myself. Even at age eight, with a notebook and chunky lead pencil, I used to scratch out my own novels. When I first stumbled across a book by John White, called Tower of Geburah, it was like a curtain pulling back to reveal a new world. It was called fantasy. It was the first time I thought that there might be a genre that fit me. After that, I enjoyed a few other fantasy delights such as CS Lewis, and Enid Blyton. But I still believed that fantasy was only for children - and, sadly, I would not always be a child. That was until I discovered David Eddings', The Belgariad. Reading The Belgariad was one of the best experiences of my reading life, simply because I learnt that adults read and enjoyed fantasy too. Not only had I found a place where I fitted, I would be allowed to stay there.
Since then, there have been several books that have stood out. Probably the most influential book of my writing career has been Janny Wurtz' Sorcerer's Legacy. If anything set a precedent for what kinds of fantasies I liked best and wanted to write myself, it was this book. more >>
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