Today I’m hosting author, Elizabeth JM Walker as part of her blog tour for her new book, This Night Sucks. Elizabeth kindly wrote a guest post about what inspired her to become a writer. Enjoy!

 I’m honestly not sure what inspired me to be a writer. The love of books and writing has just been a constant presence in my life. When I was four my mom used to take me to the library. One day I took out the book How a Book is Made by Aliki. The book was illustrated with cat-people making books. I decided when I grew up I wanted to make books. I was constantly writing stories and “making books” with folded-up pieces of paper. Some of the first words I learned how to write were Book and By Beth.

I remember in grade five my class was asked to write a short story about a trip. I immediately began writing a crazy sci-fi story with a spacecraft on a voyage, complete with robots and the discovery of new planets. Unbeknownst to me, the other kids were writing about their family vacation to Florida or a visit to the zoo. The student teacher who was currently helping with the class liked my oddball space story so much he asked me to read it to the class. It felt like a small validation that I was on the right path – that I could write stories.

I continued to write all through grade school and high school. My first book, She Dreamed of Dragons, was first drafted when I was a teenager. In 2002 (my senior year of high school) I discovered zines and by 2003 I was making my own – a zine of short stories titled 398. Being motivated to share my zines with others really helped me grow as a writer.

Thinking up stories and writing them down has always been a part of my life. I often wonder what non-writers think about all day, since I can’t imagine passing a single day without thinking about one of my current writing projects or coming up with new ones.

Welcome to the Book Tour for Elizabeth J.M. Walker’s new novella, This Night Sucks!

Follow the tour each day to read reviews, guest posts, and exclusive excerpts.

 

Please follow and like us: