It’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, and an opportunity to reflect on the dawn of my book adventure.

First, it’s just a month since I submitted my Snowdon Shadows police procedural, Fevered Fuse, to London-based publisher Joffe Books. Not surprisingly, I’m still waiting for the publisher to answer. I’ve yet to start rewriting ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in my Snowdon Shadows series, but I have written another episode of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights – Strategy and Tactics.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

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Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

June 4 question – What were some books that impacted you as a child or young adult?

My distant memory of books I read in my childhood throws up a few titles that have endured.

Initially, I had to research Fingerling, whom I vaguely recalled was a gnome in the illustrations. Actually, his original name is Pinkeltje, and he’s “a fictional character from the eponymous children’s book series by the Dutch writer Dick Laan. Pinkeltje is a white-bearded gnome and wears a pointed hat and is as big as a pinky finger, hence his name, meaning “fingerling” (literally “little pinky”) in Dutch.” I’m unsure how many English translations of the original twenty-nine books my parents bought for my siblings and me, but I remember enjoying a few.

However, I vividly remember devouring The Story of Ferdinand (1936), “the best-known work by the American author Munro Leaf. Illustrated by Robert Lawson…” This wonderful children’s book tells “the story of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight in bullfights. He sits in the middle of the bull ring, failing to take heed of any of the provocations of the matador and others to fight.” I adored the illustrations and the story even more, especially as the ending felt perfect, and it probably had an impact on my storytelling. I’m certain the fact that my Chilean grandmother had a Pekinese called Ferdie, aka Ferdinand, added to the appeal. Perhaps, he was named after the bull.

 As I recall my childhood, there are other books, like A.A. Milne’s stories, especially those about Winnie the Pooh, many of Beatrix Potter’s stories, and another favourite, The Happy Lion, which I received on my birthday, being a Leo. This 1954 children’s picture book by Louise Fatio, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin, “follows a Happy Lion in France who, after escaping the small zoo where he lives, is surprised that people, who loved visiting him there, are now scared of him.”

I still have one of the books that I read and loved as a child, George Brooksbank’s ‘Old Mr Fox’. With a cover by celebrated Scottish wildlife artist Archibald Thorburn, this was my father’s copy, which he was given in 1932 for Christmas, the same year the book was published. This treasured book inspired me to write my first short story… about a fox running free.

C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia fed my passion for fantasy, which became the first genre I embraced in my writing. I read all the books in the series, some numerous times, and again, I still have the set. Lewis was the first of the Inklings, whose works I read fervently. Two more were later discoveries.

I could list other books I read as a child, but none were truly influential until, in my teens, I added Science Fiction to my reading addiction. The authors included Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Douglas Adams, Philip J. Farmer, Harry Harrison, Karl Vonnegut, Frank Herbert, Harry Harrison, Poul Anderson, …and the list goes on. Imagine my surprise when I found Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series crossed from engrossing fantasy into space, and became gripping Science Fiction.

Inkling three would be Owen Barfield, but not until I was in my twenties. Before then, though, for me, there was only one masterful Inkling.

My favourite author, even now, is J.R.R. Tolkien, whom I first discovered when I read his essay based on his lecture “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics“. So, reading “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” came a few months later. I read the whole of “The Lord of the Rings” over one very long weekend when I was at Eton College in 1969, age 16. I still have the three hardback copies with their detailed fold-out maps.

Although most of these books had some influence on my writing, Tolkien’s works had a much greater impact. Ironically, my first effective creative writing teacher, the poet and writer Roger Woddis, said my writing was becoming ‘purple prose’ as I wanted to imitate Tolkien. Fortunately, I restrained myself from writing ‘purple prose’ while improving. I also read more  books as I grew older. But that’s another chapter.

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The awesome co-hosts for the June 4 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Pat Garcia, Kim Lajevardi, Melisa Maygrove, and Jean Davis!

Finally, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!