I saw a discussion last week on one of my lists. The question was - did you read as a child & did anyone influence your reading choice. I thought the whole subject would make an interesting blog, but expanded it to how my choices influenced my writing later.

None of my family read. Well, not extensively. Dad read westerns, and mom mysteries, but I don't remember seeing them read much to I was grown. Maybe they were too busy!

I had problems learning to read & everything else in class in first grade. We moved from Georgia to England, so went from very bad schooling to excellent. I was "lost" in England. I remember crying a lot and feeling stupid.

It took to the 4th grade to catch up. I went during the summer after
3rd grade & studied my little heart out on multiplication tables.
When I went back, I was in the top of my 4th grade. I've always done
well since then. Graduated with honors from college.

I guess I went into this history rant for parents out there who may
have kids who are struggling. I wanted to learn and my motivation
paid off.

I remember my parents gave me kids versions of bible stories. I read
& reread those. Fascinating. We had a huge book full of fairy tales,
and I read those so much it fell apart eventually. Very sad.

When I was grown, my mom handed me a book she'd bought at a garage
sale. It was the same fairy tale book!! I was so pleased I almost
cried. Mom & I didn't get along that well, but that was the most
thoughtful gift anyone ever gave me. Unfortunately, some years later
it ended up at my sister's house and nothing stays there. Long gone.
My mom died last year, and I really wished I had that book.

I loved going to the library as a kid. I read all kinds of things. I loved a story called "Rikki Tikki Tavi". It was about a mongoose. I don't remember anything in it, but I do recall how much I loved reading it & rereading it.

But when I got to teen years, I started reading s/f. Loved it! The very first story I read was "Have Space Suit will Travel". It was a fun read. I loved Andre Northon's fantasy tales of magic and animals. Make a note to self to reread some!

Then I got into Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard. For anyone who hasn't read Burroughs and thinks he only wrote Tarzan stories - not true! My favorite was The Cave Girl. It was about a weak, sickly young man who got washed up on a "lost island". Everything was primitive, including cave people & monsters. He fell in love with a lovely cave girl, and along the way became a strong hero.

I also got into Conan the Barbarian by Howard. Brawny heroes, sword fighting, dark magic, & fantastical settings. I love combining these elements and you see it in my stories. I was so excited when the finally made Conan into a movie. Love it!

Then I found romance. My first one was Jane Eyre. Wow. Romance with a dark, mysterious setting. Soon after I found Victoria Holt's gothics. Great reads!

When I grew up, some of my favorite romance autors were Johanna Lindsey, Kathleen Woodiwiss, & Jude Deveraux. Later I added Kathleen Morgan (cat books), Dara Joy, Tanith Lee (S/F), & for horror Dean Koontz & my favorite of all authors is Stephen King. I have others, but those are ones that stand out in my mind.

The first futuristic romance I read was Warrior Woman by Lindsey. Finally there was romance with S/F elements!! I had dreamed my first novel, Love's Captive, in 1978. But I knew that even if I wrote it, novels were either s/f or romance. There was no futuristic or s/f romance genre back then.

So I was very excited to see there was a genre that my story could fit into. It was only a few years later that I wrote Love's Captive.

Now I write romances with s/f or paranormal elements. What could be better!!

Myra Nour

www.myranour.com

The Beach. We went to Isle of the Palms, SC, this weekend. Took our chances because thunderstorms were predicted for pretty much our whole area. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - it was great! The weather was beautiful and not too hot, there was a nice breeze, and it didn't rain!

It was raining when we drove into Columbia & Chris said it rained all weekend here. Talk about lucky.:)

If you like a quiet, clean beach, Isle of the Palms is great. Family oriented, no boardwalk, and nice sand. There are only a few restaurants and beach stores. It's wonderful when what you want is peace & quiet.

If you like entertainment, Myrtle Beach is fantastic. Lots of restaurants and shows. Last year we went to Medieval Times and watched the knights fight. It was great fun, and the food was very good - and they gave us way too much of it too!

We also like Virginia Beach a lot. It does have a boardwalk, which is nice for walking and biking. They often have arts & craft shows along the board. Usually there is a band playing along the strand. Lots of restaurants and many beach stores. One street over from the beach, you can walk a long way window shopping or finding a good place to eat.

One of the reasons we love this part of the east coast so much is, you can drive
2- 2 1/2 hours and reach beaches or mountains.

Myra

We had a nice 4th yesterday so I decided to blog about it.

My daughter, Chris, has a new boyfriend, Blake (love that name), so he was invited. He is a quiet, all-American looking guy, and Chris says he treats her real nice. He has a 4 year old son, Aadon, and he was a cutie. Very much a boy, but dad made him behave.

Simon barbaqued hamburgers & hot dogs. Typically his OC self, he worried that they had to be perfect! They were good. I put that Onion mix in the burgers which gives them a nice flavor. I bought a patty shaper and they work good.

I got some BBQ beans from Sticky Fingers, which we love. If you've never tried them, you gotta. Chris also wanted Green Bean salad so I made some. Seemed a wierd choice to go with burgers & dogs, but she had a craving for it.

It was really hot out, so I spent my time inside. When the food was done, there were too many flies so we ate in the house. We love having a deck, but those are the occasions when a screen room would be nice!!

When it cooled off in the evening, and there was a nice breeze, and we pulled out the paddleboat. There's a lake out back. Chris, Blake & Aadon went for a long ride, then Simon and me took a turn. It was very pleasant. There were more boats on the lake then we've ever seen, lots of visiting relatives.

We can sit on the deck & see some fireworks without having to drive anywhere. There are a few parks around. This year, one of our neighbors spent a lot on fireworks, because they had a spectacular show - better than the parks. They also had lots of people in their backyard, so many relatives I suspect. The last two years it also was rainy during the 4th, so yesterday was much better fireworks.

We came in later and had some of my homemade peach cobbler and watched some TV.
It was a relaxing, nice July 4th. I'm sure lots of people had more exciting days. Our family never get together, my relatives have always been so scattered in different states. So it was nice since Chris is living with us, to have a more "family feel" to the day.

End note: Simon gripped the day before about all the work it takes to do a BBQ. But Chris helped him sweep the deck & wipe the table - must dos when your an OC person. Everything has to be clean & neat!! So, he only had to clean the grill. I still saw him outside cleaning things, not sure what he found to do - but I saw he had clipped some bushes. Definitely having some "Monk" moments.

I told him it wouldn't hurt him to BBQ, I cook all year! He is not the typical male who enjoys barbaqueing. Sigh. I told him I'd like to do it at least several times during the nice weather, it's fun and gives me a break.

I hope everyone else had a good 4th.

Myra Nour
www.myranour.com