Books That Influence

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Writers are often asked what books influenced them. We all have our favourite books, understanding what inspired you as a writer is very important. I have five books that I feel not only inspired me but set my creative journey.

The Jacaranda Tree by H. E. Bates

At the age of twelve it was one of the prescribed reading books at school. Set in Burma during World War Two as the Japanese forces invade. With the great British stiff upper lip mentality a small English community set out on journey to escape. Full of prejudices, bitterness, tension and insoluble conflict the adventure begins. H. E. Bates captures the locality, the heat and dryness. It was this that has been trapped in my mind all these years later. You feel the weather and although I have never been to Burma now Republic of the Union of Myanmar. I feel I know something about the country even if it was a long time ago. Paterson the protagonist takes his Burmese mistress and her young brother along with him. As a twelve year old this part of the story broaden my education.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

This book helped shape my political views. I realized communism didn’t work after I had devoured the story. It also made me understand the other political extremes had their faults. The first time you read Animal Farm not knowing the story you feel that something is about to happen but not what it is. This clever rouse keeps the reader turning the page. When first published it had a subtitle ‘A fairy story’ although it was dystopian allegorical novella. My writing education continued to grow with the understanding a writer could tell the truth through a fairy story and change the world.

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

A Mystical book with good verse evil as it main McGuffin. An adventure story about a band of sleeping knights waiting to be awoken and sent forth to fight a spirit of evil. Two children Susan and Colin are resolved to find the missing stone of Weirdstone that binds the knights together. In a frantic chase through woods, streams and an underground mines they search for the stone. During their travels below ground I found I could not finish that part of the book. I get claustrophobic even thinking about small spaces. During the chase below ground in the mines Alan Garner creates a brilliant claustrophobic environment. What a very clever device to play upon the reader’s emotions. For a mystery writer using the reader’s emotions is a very useful tool especially when setting up red herrings.

39 Steps by John Buchan

John Buchan wrote five books about protagonist Richard Hannay ‘The 39 Steps’ is the first in the series. The story starts in 1930 London with a brief encounter. He meets Annabella Smith who is hiding from a foreign government. She is murdered and Hannay go on the run to break a spy ring and of course prove his innocence of her murder. The influence of this book is not just the adventure from London to Scotland. Buchan makes you think you are Hannay and you have to prove your innocent. The use of ciphers and a music hall stage act adds to the suspense. You can hear the steam train rattling towards Scotland. I even believed I could smell the train’s smoke. Richard Hannay is an ordinary man who is patriotic ignoring his own safety. This is possibly the first example of the man on the run type thriller used endlessly by Hollywood today. It was the birth of my love of mystery novels.

The Young Writer by Geoffrey Trease

The most important of my five books and one of the first books I ever owned. Geoffrey explained how to get started and continue as a writer. He was a good educator and encouraged the reader to write. Five hundred words a day was his standard for a young writer. I took it to heart and began to put pencil to paper. My original copy was lost somewhere between Scotland and Burbank. Thinking I had lost a copy forever I was surprised to find a copy on Amazon. A bookstore in Boston had one copy in good condition. When the package arrived a few days after I had ordered it I was delighted as it was in mint condition. My original copy was unsigned to my happiness this new copy was signed by the author.

There have been many books since which have sculptured my creative mind. I love books and read ninety percent of my two thousand-book library. Each book giving me something to expand my knowledge and create my own murder mysteries.

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