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?
12 comments:
I'm thankful for A.A. Attanasio, whose novels gave me a lifelong fascination with personal transformation in fiction and an enthusiasm for the boundlessness of the imagination. His novel Radix seems little-known in sci-fi circles, but personally I think it's amazing. I'm thankful for James Morrow, whose work showed me that it was possible to criticize and examine spirituality without being mean-spirited or condescending. And I'm thankful for Natalie Goldberg, who first introduced me to the idea that it's okay for your writing to suck the first time around.
I read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg--she has some really interesting ideas about how to get your writing to flow.
Goldberg's book was the first writing advice I ever ran across that said "hey, I have flaws, I make mistakes, I get lazy, here's how I deal" instead of "hey, aspiring writer, stop sucking so much."
I have to give her credit for that--her low-pressure advice is certainly refreshing.
That is really awesome. I don't that I could pick just one, but if I was forced at gunpoint I would have to J.K. Rowling. She gave me my first passion for books and I wouldn't be writing if she hadn't written Harry potter!
Love Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling is a wonderful inspiration and her novels impacted cross-over literature in an amazing way. The Harry Potter series will join the league of classics, for sure.
BTW, did you see you won $50 on Inkpagent? :)
I did! And you won $15! I'm very excited. :D
What a great choice. I didn't enter her contest b/c I'd read a lot of the books. :) I'd have to really think because it would be hard to narrow it down to one writer!
Technically I was supposed to narrow it down to one book...but that's crazy talk!
I thoroughly enjoyed Dekker's early stuff, as well..."Three" remains one of the best thrillers I've ever read. The Books of History Chronicles started well but ended flat. Then I got to "House," and was so disappointed. Granted, he co-wrote "House," but I haven't read anything of Dekker's since. Perhaps it was just a low point in his career? I've always wondered how he can produce as many novels as he does and maintain a quality level.
If you enjoyed Thr3e, then I highly recommend his other thrillers. The Bride Collector, Adam, The Boneman's Daughters and The Priest's Graveyard were all great reads. I enjoy his other books as well, but I've found that in my opinion anyway, his thrillers are just fantastic.
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