Open book

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 y...

At the recent Thanksgiving party I attended I over heard two people talking with sadness that would be no more Harry Potter books. I interrupted the conversation and told them I had a hot line to JK and she had told me about the next series of Harry Potter books she was planning. The first new book would be about the son of ‘he who must not be named’ attending Hogwarts. Herminie is now headmistress and after a series of unexplained deaths and accidents she calls on Harry to help solve the mysteries. With excite my two listeners wanted more and I explain that was all I knew. Sadly how gullible they were I don’t have a hot line to JK and made up the story. It made me realize that there are many out in the real world that desire to be taken into a fantasy world. Books like Harry Potter capture the imagination of young and old alike. The problem is the media seem to be stuck in a rut and rehash the same thing over and over again. The dreams of the young are for the next video game or f...