Who started your dream?

As a campaigner, I followed Rachel Harries’ advice to organize a bloghop. Many of my fellow campaigners joined me, so we are able to present you with a delightful amount of posts about who started our writing journey (eleven to be precise) and some really great prices. I bet you’re dying to know about those, but you’ve got to wait. First, my entry.

When I was a kid, I didn’t know my dream. All I knew was that I couldn’t live without books. At first, I read everything I could get my hands on, from milk cartons to Newspaper headings. Soon, I got started on fairy tales (comes naturally to a German – see Brother’s Grimm) and adventure stories by Karl May (I bet you’ve never heard of him unless you live/have lived in Germany) losing myself in wonderful worlds. When I began to write at age 7 2/3, I expanded my favorite stories. It was fun, but still not a dream. I wanted to be a forester (Which I eventually became but that’s another story).

One day, my mother gave me “Pippi Longstockings” from Astrid Lindgren, and soon after, my aunt added “The Book of Dragons” and “The Magic City” by Edith Nesbit to the pile. When I finished the last one, I knew I wanted to be a writer.
Many more authors influenced me since then: Michael Ende, Neil Gaiman, Roald Dahl, Edgar Allan Poe, Kafka (Oh, I didn’t realize how many men I admire) as well as Joan Aiken, Tonny Vos-Dahmen, Marion Zimmer-Bradley, Ursel Scheffler, Cornelia Funke.

But most of all, I admired (and still do) Diana Wynne Jones. She is one of the few authors who wrote something fresh and different with every book. I was deeply sorry when she passed away this year.

I don’t know if all those authors that touched my life also left their traces in my writing but I sincerely hope so. It would be my only way to pay them back for the worlds they gave to me. I also don’t know if my dream will ever come true. But my parents insisted that “dreams are goals you haven’t reached yet.” (I bet they nicked that from somewhere I just don’t know where) So I keep working on my dream, and maybe one day, I will be able to write stories as wonderful and fresh as those of Dianna Wynne Jones or as captivating and educating as those of Karl May.
Please let me know if you discover an author you know in one of my stories, yes?

Now, to the awesome prizes and how to win them:
Robyn Campbell donated a signed copy of Beth Revis “Across the Universe“, and Ali Cross gave up a signed copy of “Supernaturally” by Kiersten White. I added my fantasy novel “The Witches of Greenwitch” (or if you’d rather have it a sample of my non-linear fairy tale murder mystery “Chasing the Grimm Reaper”) and a coupon code for William L. Hahn’s heroic fantasy “Fencing Reputation“. Other participants (like Michele, Melissa, Stephanie, Rachele) give away detailed critiques for your own writing, something just as valuable as a good book.

How to win those fabulous prizes? Glad you asked. You follow the links below to the previous or next blog in our ring and leave a comment on each site. The more comments you leave (on different blogs, of course), the more chances to win you get. On the 22nd of September 11:59pm MEST (Middle European Summer Time, I’m German remember?) the blog-ring will be over. I will draw the winners with the help of random org, and announce them on the 29th of September.

Now, go to the previous blog: M.G. Higgins
Or to the next one (Ali will post on the 16th for various reasons): Ali Cross

I just went around the chain and realized that somehow Stephanie didn’t get linked. Check out her site too, please!