A lifetime love of reading and a burning ambition to write
I’m often asked who inspired me to write and I’ve written about this on my blog before, but a comment left recently on one of my blog entries has prompted me to write again about my inspiration: Enid Blyton. It was Enid Blyton who launched me into a lifetime love of reading and the burning ambition to be an author at the age of seven. I was a particular fan of The Secret Seven so it was with pleasure that I read a comment left here on my blog by Stephen Isabirye, author of a book called The Famous Five: A Personal Anecdotage
As a child Stephen also derived inspiration from many of Enid Blyton’s books which prompted him to write this book on her. It’s hailed as ‘The first analysis of Enid Blyton from an international perspective through her renowned series, The Famous Five’
In a description of the book on the web site it says, ‘The Famous Five have often been described as “The Beatles of Children’s Literature” whereas The Secret Seven are deemed to have been “the cradle of James Bond”.’ Now I know where I get my love of James Bond from!
Heroes, adventure and mystery stories have always intrigued me and that’s probably one of the reasons I write from the male point of view. The hero in my marine mystery crime novels is my rugged and flawed detective, Inspector Andy Horton, while in my stand alone crime thriller novels, In For The Kill it’s Alex Albury and in In Cold Daylight my reluctant hero, Adam Greene.
Most of the Enid Blyton novels I read as a child were borrowed from my local library in Portsmouth so I don’t have a personal collection. I have only one Enid Blyton book on my shelves and it’s not one of The Secret Seven or The Famous Five collection but is called The Pole Star Family. I think it was bought second hand, it's certainly quite dog-eared now.
Another favourite childhood author was Malcolm Saville, before I progressed to the great John Creasy, Nevil Shute, Alistair Maclean, Dorothy L. Sayers (who I am currently re-reading for the hundredth time) and so many more too numerous to mention here. They have given me, and others, pleasure down the years and will no doubt continue to entertain and enthral many readers in the years ahead.
As a child Stephen also derived inspiration from many of Enid Blyton’s books which prompted him to write this book on her. It’s hailed as ‘The first analysis of Enid Blyton from an international perspective through her renowned series, The Famous Five’
In a description of the book on the web site it says, ‘The Famous Five have often been described as “The Beatles of Children’s Literature” whereas The Secret Seven are deemed to have been “the cradle of James Bond”.’ Now I know where I get my love of James Bond from!
Heroes, adventure and mystery stories have always intrigued me and that’s probably one of the reasons I write from the male point of view. The hero in my marine mystery crime novels is my rugged and flawed detective, Inspector Andy Horton, while in my stand alone crime thriller novels, In For The Kill it’s Alex Albury and in In Cold Daylight my reluctant hero, Adam Greene.
Most of the Enid Blyton novels I read as a child were borrowed from my local library in Portsmouth so I don’t have a personal collection. I have only one Enid Blyton book on my shelves and it’s not one of The Secret Seven or The Famous Five collection but is called The Pole Star Family. I think it was bought second hand, it's certainly quite dog-eared now.
Another favourite childhood author was Malcolm Saville, before I progressed to the great John Creasy, Nevil Shute, Alistair Maclean, Dorothy L. Sayers (who I am currently re-reading for the hundredth time) and so many more too numerous to mention here. They have given me, and others, pleasure down the years and will no doubt continue to entertain and enthral many readers in the years ahead.
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