Michael J. SullivanToday we welcome Michael J. Sullivan who’s here to talk about how he became a reader. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of his latest book The Crown Tower which I reviewed earlier this week. It’s a prequel to his popular RIYRIA books, so it’s the perfect book for both new readers and established fans. (We can send to U.S. addresses only.)

fantasy and science fiction book reviewsIt’s probably not something that an author should admit but I wasn’t a “big reader” when young. In fact, I hated to read. My first “chapter book” was Big Red and I struggled for over two months to get through its 250 pages.

So what changed? My brother started reading THE LORD OF THE RINGS. He was so excited by the what he had read that he used to come in and wake me in the middle of the night to tell me what was going on in the story. I was always half asleep and only caught bits and pieces but looking back I can see that this is what changed me into a reader.

fantasy and science fiction book reviewsYou see years later I was stuck inside on a rainy day. It was a Sunday and the only thing on television was golf, which to a nine year old was about as exciting as watching grass grow. On my way back to my room I passed by a very small bookshelf with very few books, but I recognized the title of one and remembered the late night retellings vaguely came back to me.

fantasy and science fiction book reviewsI picked it up and fell head over heels in love. Soon I was off to the library to read everything else I could find “like this.” I devoured every fantasy book I could find which in 1969 wasn’t nearly as many books as we have now. When I ran out, I started writing my own stories. The corner had been turned, I became a reader for life and it even led to a career where I get to do the thing I like the most… creating worlds and spinning tales.

So my Thoughtful Thursday question is this: What was the first book that really got you hooked into reading? If you were always an avid reader, which one stands out the strongest in your mind from books you read at a young age?

Author

  • Marion Deeds

    Marion Deeds, with us since March, 2011, is the author of the fantasy novella ALUMINUM LEAVES. Her short fiction has appeared in the anthologies BEYOND THE STARS, THE WAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, STRANGE CALIFORNIA, and in Podcastle, The Noyo River Review, Daily Science Fiction and Flash Fiction Online. She’s retired from 35 years in county government, and spends some of her free time volunteering at a second-hand bookstore in her home town.