It actually took a few days for me to figure out what book to choose! A big thanks to Beth Revis for giving me something to blog about, and a chance to win some awesome books. Check out the contest here: http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2011/10/show-gratitude-for-booksand-win-19.html
I thought about a lot of books for a lot of different reasons, Harry Potter, The Jungle Book, and a lesser known one, Faerie Tale by Raymond Fiest. Each of those books had a hand in my decision to write my own books, but I’m not as grateful for them as I am a book called The Whispering Road by Livi Michael
The Whispering Road inspired me to write one of my first books that has yet to see the light of day. I fell in love with the way Michael blended hints of the fantastic into something that was otherwise very real. The book shows the magic in even the worst of circumstances. I think I read the book in two days and very soon after that began to consider my own story that could try and meld the real and the imaginary. The resulting book is one of my favorites, and one I’m very proud of.
Its quite possible I would have come up with the story on my own, its a story that hasn’t died from my mind in the years since it was written. I’m constantly considering other works that would tie into the world I created. Still, I can’t help but credit Levi Michael with inspiring the whole world. Though I haven’t read her book again since the first time, I look at it fondly on my shelf, remembering the story like an old friend I haven’t seen for a while.
This is something I find happens with a lot of the YA books I read. More so than books for adults, these books stick with me. They are usually bursting with life and love and fear and sadness. They practically scream for your attention much like the teens who are meant to read them. I don’t get this from adult books. I read them, I enjoy them, and most of the time they don’t cross my mind again. With The Whispering Road and other YA books I glance at them on my shelf and smile, remembering the time I was lost in their world and for that I will always be grateful.