Who are your favorite authors?
I love a variety of genres and writing styles for many different reasons. I love reading John Irving, whose epic common-man stories are written with such blunt rawness and detail.When I'm in the mood for a dramatic crime mystery, I like Jodi Picoult. I enjoy reading classics by authors including Jane Austen, Shakespeare, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and more in order to expand my literary appreciation and make me a more effective English teacher, but I also need quick, fun reads to break up the longer endeavors. Because I teach adolescents (and also because I am a sucker for a good romance), I try to keep up with the popular teen choices. My favorite authors for teen reads include Veronica Roth (Divergent series), Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky series), Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games series), Lauren Oliver (Delirium series), Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments series) J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter series, and yes, even Stephanie Meyer (As I said, I'm a sucker for romance...and vampires). I am a huge fan of seeing my favorite books turned into movies, or reading the original book once I watch the movie and discover it was written first. Sure, they don't always live up to my expectations, but I can't miss the chance to see if what I imagined is close to what is created.
Conclusion to an expansive answer: I appreciate and enjoy different authors for different reasons, and I haven't even touched on all of my favorites.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I am an annoyingly chipper morning person. I'm at my physical and creative best early in the day, so I wake up and exercise. This might not be what inspires me, but it certainly gets me going. I especially enjoy dance videos and Zumba where I can move to good music and continue moving all day with that energy in my veins.
I love my job, even though it can be stressful to be a teacher. However, even on the worst days, I always find myself laughing with my students or colleagues. I am especially thankful to be able to teach subjects that I am passionate about including drama, speech, and writing.
I have a wonderful husband who I get to spend my days with, and even if our mornings are abbreviated, I look forward to seeing him at night.
Having my cat greet me at the top of the stairs every morning (behind a baby gate because otherwise he would whine at our bedroom door every night) makes me smile. His cute, furry face is definitely something that inspires me to get out of bed.
While my ideal morning includes working on my writing on the back porch with a never ending cup of coffee, then exercising and getting ready for a day with my husband and cat, every morning is inspiring because I have surrounded myself with wonderful friends, family, and activities about which I am passionate.
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