I wanted to be a writer from a very early age. I didn't sit my parents down at age five and tell them, "Mummy, Daddy, I want to pursue a career as a fiction writer!" or anything so pretentious, but I've always been creative and felt a strong urge to write.
My earliest inspiration was probably, 'The Wind in the Willows'. I must have devoured it at least fifty times before the age of ten. It opened up a whole new world to me. I even remember having dreams about living on the riverbank and being a part of the story. I was a strange child.
My next source of inspiration was the work of Roald Dahl. Between the ages seven to fourteen, I must have read every single word he wrote. I was besotted and still am today. The man is a genius. From 'The Witches', 'Fantastic Mr Fox' to 'James and the Giant Peach', I read them all again and again. I didn't know then that I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but he encouraged me to start write. I remember one particular story about a goldfish that became a pair of socks. Goldsocks was the title. Again, I was a strange child.
My first foray into adult literature was, 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole'. I loved this and the sequels. They're a big influence on my current novel and not just because they're both written as diaries or about growing-up, but because they're both comedies about the mundane.
After Adrian Mole, there have been a number of important works that have inspired me. There's too many to mention in detail, but here are some abridged literary highlights:
The Catcher in the Rye - probably my favourite book ever and still the benchmark.
Fever Pitch - probably the first book I ever read about me (or at least someone just like me). It made me realise that I could write about things that I found interesting and if I did, someone might actually read it.
Turning Thirty - Another book that made me appreciate that I didn't need to be a slightly podgy (but not really), self-obsessed, unlucky-in-love, thirtysomething woman to write a funny book about life and love. Mike Gayle's doing exactly what I want to be doing. Writing funny books about people like just like us with the same hang-ups, problems and idiosyncracies.
There are more, of course, but I won't bore you to death with them all. There's films, television shows, music, people and more books, and each in some way, has spurred me on. Then there's the biggest inspiration of all - life. Nothing has given me more material, greater pleasure and characters, than life. It's what drives me on and gives me the engine to get there.
This Thirtysomething Life: A Diary will be available to buy at http://ma2books.webplus.net/ next May.
Blog soon x
