I remember the change, even if the details seem a bit fuzzy now.  I was complaining to my mother that I was bored.  Being an insatiable reader, she suggested trying a new author.  Being a teenager, I rolled my eyes, but it wasn’t wise to argue with my mom.

We went to the library (it’s a place that has lots of books, in case you’ve forgotten).  My mother suggested Alistair MacLean http://www.alistairmaclean.com/

I proceeded to pick out Ice Station Zebra and by this seemingly innocent action, set into motion my future as a writer.  Sure it would take a number of years, lots of trial and error, and more than a few failed manuscripts, but the course was set.  I read Ice Station Zebra that very afternoon, mesmerized by the suspense, the action, and the page-turning writing.  We went back to the library the next day and I checked out When Eight Bells Toll (still my all-time favorite action/adventure novel0, Guns of Navarone and Fear is the Key.  From that point on, I was hooked.  I freely admit that I try to emulate Maclean’s style and I study his craft.

Mom knew she had scored a huge victory and not to be outdone, she recommended Hammond Innes, Jack Higgins, and Douglas Reeman too.  Likewise, each of these authors made a huge impression on me and their hardcover books still fill my bookshelves, repeatedly re-read over the years.

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/hinnes.htm  Hammond Innes

http://jackhiggins.co.za/  Jack Higgins

http://www.douglasreeman.com/  Douglas Reeman

With Hammond Innes, it was Wreck of the Mary Deare.  With jack Higgins, it was The Eagle Has Landed, and with Douglas Reeman, it was Torpedo Run.  With each of these authors I discovered storytelling that captured my attention and made my thirst for historical fiction even more profound.

I like to write what I like to read, so I tip my hat to these writers, who unknowingly ignited the fire within me to write action and adventure novels, ever striving to entertain.