by Kirsty Penn

Created on: July 21, 2011   Last Updated: July 22, 2011

As a child my mother always made sure I had books to read. So from the start books have played a big part in my life. However now as an adult I still love to read. There are certain writers who just inspire me to write and in that way have influenced my life. I have decided on four writers to share with you; who have really influenced my writing style and my imagination.

Jodi Picoult is an American author who I started following a few years ago with fourteen million copies of her book in print worldwide.The first book I read by Picoult was Nineteen Minutes. A story of a young boy who experiences horrific bullying at school on a daily basis and ends up taking revenge by shooting them. Not for the faint hearted, but this book allows the reader to see the events leading up to the shooting and the aftermath from different perspectives. Like all her books, Nineteen Minutes is a story that a lot of people can relate to, perhaps not to the extremes in the story, however most of us have been bullied at school at some point. Picoult is a great influence to me because she tells heartbreaking stories with some element of hope still remaining. She has a unique talent for this, one I hope to have one day,

Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist. The first book I read was Veronika decides to Die, since then I have read several others and am an avid follower of his blog. Coelho is an inspiration, he has overcome many difficulties and uses his experiences for the characters in his book. His parents did not understand his desire to be a writer instead wanting him to be a lawyer. At just 17 years old, he was committed to a mental hospital as he was introverted and did not want to follow the example of those older than him. Coelho believes his family were only doing this to help him as they did not understand him and what to do with him. It wasn't until their death that Coelho discussed the metal hospital publicly. It is Coelho's desire to be better that inspires me most. Whenever I see one of his books in a bookshop, I know I must read it as he is not only talented in storytelling, but he can move and challenge the reader as well.

Jane Austen is what I like to call the original chick lit writer! She was an English novelist who wrote Emma, Sense And Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice. I absolutely adore Austen. Sitting down with a glass of wine and a good book is great and Austen's work is always enjoyable. Her stories

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