Second Gold Ring Question

[Peg Herring]

Who in your life had the most influence on you as a reader/writer? I'm not talking about writers here, so don't say Shakespeare or John Irving. I mean who interested you in the printed word.

Aside from my teacher/reader/mother, I'd have to say our elementary school librarian, an elderly lady with the construction of a stork and a penchant for rococo jewelry. She read to us, and I couldn't wait to be able to devour those stories myself and not have to wait until next week to know the ending.

[Eric Christopherson]

Reading and writing were both self-inflicted in my case. I remember being in first grade and reading a biography of Custer by nightlight when I was supposed to be sleeping, and I was even younger when I got hooked on movies, old westerns originally, John Ford had me at three or four, I think, and that was my introduction to storytelling.

[Dana King]

Probably my mother. We always had books around the house. My father reads magazines and the newspaper all the way through, but it was my mom who read--and still reads--a lot of fiction, especially crime fiction.

[I. J. Parker]

Can't answer that. I've always read. There was little else to do.