Thursday, December 15, 2011

Storytelling

Life is full of circles, even if we don’t notice the cyclical nature of things right away.

I grew up listening to my father’s stories.They were filled with fantasy and always managed to transport me into another world. It wasn’t until later that I realized that the basis of many of his stories were books like Lord of the Rings. I wasn't disappointed by that realization—instead it excited me. I couldn’t imagine how amazing it would be to write a story that others would love enough to adapt into stories of their own—stories worthy of their children. It was these stories that cemented in me a lifelong love of fantasy that has fueled many of my book ideas.

My daughter is now old enough that I have become the storyteller. Although some tales are new, I can’t help but pull elements from the stories my father told me. And so the cycle continues. As I put my own spin onto the stories, infusing them with my voice, I can’t help but hope that my children will continue the tradition of storytelling. I hope that when they do, their stories contain hints of the tales told before.