By Patricia Bradley
Most of us are writers here on the ACFW blog, but first we were readers, at least I was. I’ve read several blog posts lately that talked about what our favorite books as children were, and when I come across a book that was a favorite of mine, I’ve had a delightful stroll down memory lane.
Every summer when it was too hot to rip and romp, my cousins who were boys, by the way, and I sat under the trees and read. Some of my favorites were the Black Stallion books by Walter Farley. After I read all the early books (those written before I was born or old enough to read) I couldn’t wait for a new book to release.
Before the Black Stallion books, the Bobbsey Twins was a favorite of mine…and the Trixie Beldon Mysteries…not sure I ever got into the Nancy Drew stories since I don’t remember reading a single one although I’m sure I did. By the time I was twelve, I was reading anything I could get my hands on. Then in my teens I discovered Daphne du Maurier, Phyllis Whitney and Mary Higgins Clark. I’m certain these authors are why I write romantic suspense.
So my question is: Was there an author, a book, or a series you read in childhood that inspired you to become a writer?
What book influenced you to become a writer? @ptbradley1 #ACFWBlogs #amwriting Click To Tweet
A 2018 Carol finalist and winner of an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award in Suspense, Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi with her rescue kitty, Suzy and a new arrival, Tux. Her romantic suspense books include the Logan Point series and the Memphis Cold Case Novels. Justice Delivered released April 5, 2019, and she’s hard at work on Standoff, book one in the Natchez Trace Park Ranger’s series. Find Patricia on her blog, Facebook, Twitter: @ptbradley1, and Pinterest.
Comments 7
How did my writing heart set sail,
and where did the words all come from?
There’s a simple ending to this tale:
’twas sheer and desperate boredom.
I was proctoring a single lad
in day-long examination.
Time did drag, oh, just a tad!
and I needed a vacation.
So I invented a fictional place;
’twas born of need, not vanity,
and thus, and also by God’s grace
I staved off insanity.
So, from that, all this arose,
a life of poetry and of prose.
Love it, Andrew! Thanks for replying!
Pat, I LOVED the Bobbsey Twins books, along with Trixie Belden. For me, there wasn’t any particular book, I simply loved story. I haunted my local library and made up stories all the time; I just never wrote them down as a kid. Instead, I played them out with my dolls. And some went on for days. lol
Sid Fleischmann. He wrote a series of long picture about the McBroom family and he wrote it in a rural dialect. I loved those books. Maybe because the McBrooms sounded like some of my relatives. I’ve always wanted to write stories in rural settings and about the people who love to live there.
I love it, Ane! I can remember being so proud when I got my first library card and didn’t have to use my Mom’s any longer. lol
I’ve never heard of Sid Fleischmann, JPC! I’ll have to look him up.
The first book that captured me entirely was “The Wolves of Willoughby Chase” by Joan Aiken. It was the first time I remember being terrified and hopeful at the same time.
Aiken gave me a desire to write in such a way that readers cannot put my book down.