Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
Growing up, I wasn't much of a reader. When I was in fifth grade, my teacher basically said at the beginning of the year that we had to read a certain amount of books for the school year. I think it was fifty. Trying to get out of it, I read the easiest and shortest books. She said every two would count as one. Did I mention that I hated to read? She handed me a Nancy Drew book saying that she thought I would like it. I started with "The Hidden Staircase" and was hooked. I read every one. Sometimes one a day, more on the weekend. You know, I didn't even mind that I could only count two books in a series for the school year.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
The first story I every wrote was "The Flightless Birds of New Zealand." I was twelve. It was published in an Archie publication.
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