30 Jul My Influences
I have been asked about the what has influenced my writing. The simple answer is books.
In my early school days I hated reading with a passion. Books were too long. I wanted a quick fix and so I read comics. Superman and Batman, The Fantastic Four and Green Lantern, these were my escape. I read three books in later school years because the discussion at school got me interested, ‘Rogue Male’ by Geoffrey Household, ‘The Cruel Sea’ by Nicholas Monsarrat and Julius Caesar.
Being a science nerd I progressed toward science fiction, Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov and such and learned about things like plankton farming off the Australian coast to Mars and beyond.
Then I discovered Lord of the Rings.
I was then hooked on fantasy, the ability to create new worlds and have them grow in the readers imagination. Writers like Robert Jordan, Stephen Donaldson, Robin Hobb, Raymond Fiest and Sarah J Maas. I was intrigued by ‘The Mists of Avalon’ by Marion Bradley because it was the story of a secondary character in history.
I read all fourteen books of the ‘Wheel of Time’ in one long binge session.
Looking back I learned something about myself. Itwas not just a good story I was seeking, it was much more. All the stories had great characters and captivating descriptions, even back to the earyly books by J E McDonald. These were all war stories but very little fighting. It was about the people on the ships, their lives and adventures. One character I found most enjoyable was the anti-aircraft gunner, Bludger Bent.
So, there you have it, Steve Reilly in a wrapper. I like good stories but more, I love the people and places that make those stories real.