Friday, November 04, 2011

Friday Fives- Inspiration



Paper Hangover asks the question The FIVE authors who inspire you, writing or otherwise.

1. Judy Blume- I've always been a Judy Blume fan.  I love her ability to write about real characters with real problems.

2. Beverly Cleary- I read the Ramona books when I was growing up and loved them.  The book that was really influential for me was Dear Mr. Henshaw.  I read this book when my parents were getting divorced and it made me feel like I wasn't alone.  That someone else had made it through the problem I was facing.

3. J. K. Rowling- I love the Harry Potter books and what these books have done for children's literature.  When I need a little inspiration I watch her Harvard commencement speech.


4. Laurie Halse Anderson- Her books are influential and amazing.  

5. Rachel Cohn- I'd just gotten out of college when I first saw Gingerbread in the bookstore.  The striped tights and awesome boots seemed to call to me and even though I was no longer a YA I bought the book. This book made me love YA and made me want to write YA.

5 comments:

Racquel Henry said...

I love Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary too! Their books were staples for me growing up. :)

Jaime Morrow said...

I think J.K. Rowling takes the prize today :) She's on my list too and probably just about everyone else's lol Great list!

Mary Aalgaard said...

Great choices. Fine inspiration.

Meredith said...

That was my commencement! J.K. Rowling nailed it--all the kids who wanted someone "more important" like a politician or an economist were blown away. And yay for Beverly Cleary! Ramona will always be one of my fave characters.

Alison Miller said...

Absolutely agree with all of these! I had a hard time narrowing down my choices.

Have a great weekend!