The 5 Books That Most Influenced Me as a Writer

I remember ditching class in the 4^th grade in order to hang out at the library. Yes, I am that much of a nerd. I had to grab something quick before the librarian caught on, so pulled off the first one at eye level. Lucky for me it was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I discovered the pure enjoyment of getting lost in a good story, and C. S. Lewis’ uncanny ability to express the nuances of messy human nature. Much to aim for.

In high school, I picked up my mother’s copy of James’ Michener’s Hawaii, and even though it was monstrous long, I was hooked. I rushed through my after-school chores of feeding and watering the horses and shoveling out the corral in order to get back up to the house to finish another chapter. He taught me that we are shaped more by the soil in which we grow than any thoughts we think originated within ourselves.

I didn’t discover mysteries, thrillers and suspense novels until later in life. You always remember your first, and for me, it was A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. Her straightforward, unsentimental style proved that you could sell books about intelligent, imperfect women without having to make the reader wade through pages of torture and violent sex. Yes, Kinsey got laid now and then, or attacked by someone, but it wasn’t the main point of the book. Still my credo as a writer.

Nevada Barr’s Firestorm encouraged me to write character-driven novels in which I get to learn something new. Placing Anna Pigeon in a different National Park each time gave continuity to the series, while keeping each book fresh. I like following the main character grow and change throughout a series. John Grisham’s The Client and Michael Connelly’s Concrete Blonde were favorites in the same vein, with intelligent, flawed protagonists I cared about.

These books not only were just plain fun to read, but created characters that overcame their problems, or at least found a way to function with integrity in the midst of them. Their stories kept me company during a tough few years of recovering from a back injury. When I decided to try my hand at writing a full-length novel, I wanted to create believable, relatable characters that might help someone else who needed a good story to see them through, or just loved a good story.

My favorite authors set the bar high, and I’m still reaching for it…

P.S. As I write this, hundreds of titles crowd my brain and I can’t bear not including a list of books that have influenced me…PERIOD…not just as a writer, because we are what we read, right? The Prophet, Two Years Before the Mast, Huckleberry Finn, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch, The Tao of Pooh, The Te of Piglet, The Dancing Wu Li Masters, Poetry Aloud, Lonesome Dove, The Art of Happiness, Wild Mind…aaarrggghhhhh!!!  Too many!