Blonde Paradox

I have been a reader and writer for as long as I can remember. I sincerely do not remember a time when I didn't know how to read. Reading was considered frivolous and a bit decadent by my parents, so I found hiding places to read when I was growing up. My favorite was in our bathroom between the hamper and the bathtub. With the lights off, I crouched down, settled over a heating vent, and read for hours.

My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, John Irving, and John Steinbeck. I enjoy Vonnegut's short stories more than his novels, and I like John Irving's early work. Lately, Irving's novels are a weary reworking of the same old premises and plot lines. The symbolism is even wearing thin: another bear, really? East of Eden is my favorite Steinbeck book; "Harrison Bergeron" is my favorite Vonnegut short story; and Stephen King's works, all morality plays in my humble opinion, include characters fashioned in raw realism. I swear by King's On Writing as the least pretentious book about the craft. I appreciate the power of his honesty. I often turn to it when my writing becomes craven and gutless.

I am a fan of dystopian literature. My favorites of the genre are Aldous Huxley's Brave New World; George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm; Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, William Golding's Lord of the Flies; Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange; and Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games series. Other favorites from various genre's are Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street; Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible; Tabitha King's One on One; and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

If reading is my passion, writing is my obsession. I know it is time to get back to a character when I can’t concentrate on the book I am reading because a certain character continues to intervene, invading my thoughts and overriding my “to do” lists.