So Beth Revis is having a HUGENORMOUS giveaway on her blog
like you would not believe. The prize is something like 19 signed YA books (including an ARC of A MILLION
SUNS), plus a box of Turkish Delight, plus
signed goodies and swag.
And it all goes to one very thankful person.
Besides the allure of such a huge prize, I really like her
giveaway because it focuses on something we often overlook—gratitude. You see,
to enter, you need to write a post about the book that you’re most thankful
for.
Let me tell you, this is a lot harder than it looks. It’s like asking what your favorite book
or band or anything is—so many options, how do you choose one?
Well, after much thought, I managed. Sort of.
I didn’t pick one book,
per say, I picked one author. Many of you can probably guess who.
I’m thankful for Ted Dekker.
I read my first Dekker book (Showdown) shortly before I started writing. I wouldn’t say necessarily that he inspired
me to write, but with over twenty novels on the shelves and growing, I always
had a Dekker book to turn to throughout my writing career, and I have no doubt
in my mind that his style influenced mine. I’ve learned a lot about writing
from reading his novels—like how one-line paragraphs are acceptable and not
every sentence has to be a grammatically correct sentence every single time.
So although he didn’t start out as my inspiration for
writing, he certainly became a role model for me as I developed my craft. Not
only that, but his belief system aligned with mine and I learned a lot about
the power of love—real, indiscriminating
love—from his novels and non-fiction works like Tea with Hezbollah.
Then I had the amazing opportunity of meeting him in person
and he completely blew me away—his passion and charisma were contagious. I
walked away with a grin on my face because the author I imagined behind my
favorite novels was even better in person than I expected.
So why am I thankful for Ted Dekker?
He impacted my writing, forced me to really redefine the way
I look at love, and has filled my bookshelf with consistent awesomeness.
Plenty to be thankful for, I think.
Your turn! What books or authors are you thankful for?
