I learned to love reading when I first discovered 'Momo' from Michael Ende. 'The Neverending Story' followed next and a piece of myself was lost in the world of Sebastian, always in search of new fantastic adventures. I stuck with the fantasy genre for many years, though as a teen, Fredrick Forsyth took over part of my library. 

Even today, I still learn a great deal from reading, although many movies have inspired some of my writings as well (thanks, Steven Spielberg!!!). Our very own EliciaHyder has proven to teach me one of those great lessons: Always let the reader fall in love with a character before killing him off (sorry, Tivon, you had to take one for the team, LOL), just as a creative writing teacher once said that a fighting scene is no good if the reader can't taste the blood. Inspiring lessons that I remember every day.

Yet, my greatest inspiration will always be the world around me. In it, there is beauty and despair, laughter and tears, and each of us carries with them their own special story. I try to discover them in my writing and try to let people know that they are not alone in their struggle. I can only hope that my words inspire others because then at least my efforts meant something in the end.