EmilyM

I agree Ian, it is such a shame when writers are dismissed as "just a horror writer" or for penning a chick lit novel. Any piece of writing descriptive enough to grip the reader and leave them with such fantastic imagery should be celebrated. I have such respect for all writers with a talent I'd give my right arm to posess. I also spend the majority of my day emailing and have composed many a creative email to my boss but creativity in telling the man who pays my salary where to go means they are never sent!

Hi Everyone, I've been crazy busy with my new venture so haven't been able to post for a couple of weeks but here I am again. I've been reading The Hobbit for the thousandth time since my love for the novel was reignited by the recent movie and I've always been enthralled by how beautifully decriptive Tolkein is. I often wish I could have that very gift, the ability to see beyond the surface and then describe it so perfectly your reader sees exactly what you do with no need for pictures. Which Author would you want to be? Is there a transcript/quote you have never forgotton? Do you wish you could express yourself to a loved one or even an enemy using the pen of Shakespeare, Tolkein or one of the Bronte sisters?

Hmmm chesilbeach, i'm sure there are many qualities about you which would inspire many a writer.....maybe your placid easy going personality would invoke something mysterious, maybe something mythical. My imagination is running riot, if only i was a writer

I agree Ooshie, I have read some wonderfully uplifting chick lit. It's always nice to read something a little lighter after a really gritty heavy book.

These answers are feeding my imagination and rightly or wrongly i'm developing a dinner party of very mixed characters in my head! Drislane you can be exempt from choosing only one Author but only because curiosity has the better of me

I always wonder about the disclaimer in a book stating all characters are fictional. They must be based on somebody right? I would have been honoured to inspire Tolkien, to be some sort of mothering, comical hobbit or a warrior like Eowyn. Who's muse would you like to have been and how do you imagine he/she would hav captured you as a fictional character?

Or less sugar in your coffee?

Well thank you Drislane, i shall endeavour to continue to make a visit to the forum worthwhile.

When i was little i used to love those bookswhich allowed the reader to create their own story. At the bottom of the page there would be two options and when you had decided your characters fate you were directed to the appropriate page. I would always read the story again and again, choosing different options each time to change the story. Are there any stories you would have liked to have ended differently? How would you rewrite the story?

Paddington and Heidi will be a breeze after trekking through Middle Earth with a bunch of naughty hobbits!

I think I was convinced I was actually Paddington!

i always thought I'd been taught the phrase incorrectly particularly when i read it in a book (can't remember for the life of me which one!) and spent days in a debate with my Mum.

My Mum dressed me as Paddington Bear (upon my request) for the street party we had for Charles and Di's wedding. She made to outfit, complete with Marmalade sandwiches in a little brown case.

Which book character would you most like to be and why? I'd like to be Aragorn (male, I know) from Lord of the Rings. His fearless, strong, protective attributes, his capcity for love and greatness and his total acceptance of himself are the things i admire. How about you?

My mum telling me she'd bought me The Girl you Left Behind by Jojo Moyes!

I'm 33!

Brilliant! I love reading your stories and googling some of the books.

Wow Chrissy, sounds like you've definitely found your leading man. Thank you for sharing your story x

Do you have "That Book"? The first book you couldn't put down, the book you raced home from school to read, the book you read every night before bed, the book your first love gave to you, the book that changed your life, the book that inspired you? That Book for me was "Christmas at Blackberry Farm". My Mum used to read it to my brother and I every Christmas Eve, it was a wonderful story. It always held something magical for us. The idea that this book, being second hand, had a story i knew nothing about. A story about the family who enjoyed it before us. Christmas at Blackberry Farm woke my imagination, still now, I wonder who is enjoying our copy of "That Book" and if they ever imagine my story.

Hi Athena, thank you

Thank you for the welcome everyone! I'm reading Andrea Levy at the moment, Small Island. I'll read pretty much any sort of fiction if it's recommended, I just love to lose myself in somebody else world.

Have always loved to read but following a career change and no longer working 24/7 i have rekindled my romance with fiction. Looking forward to some recommendations, and getting to know some fellow fiction fans xx