Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
My earliest recollection is Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book". I carried it around with me for days. I even slept with it. The cover was colorful and captivating. I must have read it a hundred times, and that is a habit I still hold onto, rereading a favorite book.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in the South, not deep South, but Virginia. My dad was military and my mom worked for the government. Being the only child I read, imagined, and made up stories(Mom called them fibs). The environment didn't influence me, being alone a lot did.
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