Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Wyoming straddling a fence between urban/European culture on one side and a much more rural, western culture on the other side. My mother and older sister both spoke differently than native westerners. Of course, I didn't recognize this fact till I went to first grade where my pronunciations caused giggles and twitters. Horrified by my awkwardness, I strove to find the correct words to communicate with my school friends. I suppose this early experience with language honed my ear and sharpened my sensibility to different audiences. I find myself unconsciously altering my speech with different groups of people.
Also, as a child, I spent a lot of time alone, usually astride a horse. I lived inside my head, creating an alternate story of who I was, who the people around me were, and what we were doing. I wrote stories in my head, with me of course, the main character. And here is a confession: in those narratives, I was always a boy instead of a girl. It just seemed that boys had more fun and were able to do the things I'd rather be doing.
What books did you enjoy as a child?
I was slow in early elementary grades. I had no interest in reading. I didn't care about Dick & Jane. My older sister, who was an academic genius, was mortified by my lack of interest in books. Both she and my mother shoved reading material at me. My reward for a good grade was a child-sized text book from a series of youth encyclopedia-type books that my mother proudly bought for me. They were pretty dull.
Somewhere around fourth or fifth grade I must have been introduced to Jack London books. In the heat of summer, my skin had goosebumps as I read To Build a Fire and The Call of The Wild. Having discovered the magic of new worlds, I developed a lifelong habit of never being without a book in hand.
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