It’s hard to remember when my passion for books began. I recall being absolutely crazy about Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys when I was in grade school. My father, who willingly fed my growing addiction, carted volumes home to me as fast as I could read them.

Probably in an attempt to remain financially solvent, my parents introduced me to my school library. It quickly became my very favorite place. I even volunteered after school so I could be near all the wonderful stories that lined the shelves. There’s something special about a library or a bookstore. The possibilities are almost endless – adventures, mysteries and strange worlds wait to be plucked up and enjoyed. In fact, it’s the memories of my school library that helped to shape a very special place in my Ivy Towers mystery series. Miss Bitty’s Bygone Bookstore was fashioned from those early library experiences.

At my very first book signing, the mother of my best friend in grade school showed up. She told me that she wasn’t the least bit surprised I’d turned out to be an author. “I still remember when you’d stay the night,” she said laughing. “I’d come in to check on you two and find a big, glowing lump on the bed.” No, it wasn’t aliens, nor was I radioactive. It was me, under the covers with a flashlight, reading. I’d check out five or six books at a time and then stay up all night so I could finish them. Made for some rather sleepy days at school. For a while, I think my parents were afraid I was suffering from some kind of vitamin deficiency.

By junior high, I’d read all of Charles Dickens and Shakespeare. In high school, I even read War and Peace – not because I thought it would be interesting. It was for the challenge. I was so glad when I finally closed the cover. I can’t remember much about it. Except there was a war. And some peace.

I’ve read so many books it’s hard to pick just a few that had an impact on me. Black Beauty stoked my love of horses. Charles Dickens taught me that fictional characters can be so real they stay with you forever. Edgar Allen Poe showed me that words can illicit sadness – and fear. And Louisa May Alcott made me cry.

In one of my Ivy Towers’ novels, There Goes Santa Claus, I use one of my favorite books to paint a picture of a young woman with a painful past. When a love-struck man presents her with a copy of a beloved book, misplaced from her childhood, it helps to break down her self-made barriers. Miss Jellytot’s Visit, by Mabel Leigh Hunt, is about a little girl who isn’t comfortable being herself. She soon discovers that trying to be someone you’re not only leads to unhappiness. A lesson my character had to learn.

Books can make us laugh. Make us cry. Teach us. Affect us. As an author, there is nothing that means more to me than getting an e-mail or a letter from a reader who tells me that something in my story leapt off the page and touched their life. Whether I’m reading or writing, that’s what it’s really all about, isn’t it?

Nancy Mehl is a mystery buff who loves the genre and is excited to see more inspirational cozy mysteries becoming available to readers who share her passion. There are four books in her Ivy Towers Mystery Series: In the Dead of Winter, Bye, Bye Bertie, For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls, and There Goes Santa Claus. In the Dead of Winter is currently available on Amazon. The other books are available through the Heartsong Presents: Mysteries! (www.heartsongmysteries.com) book club. They are scheduled for release to the public in the next few months. Cozy in Kansas contains the first three books in the series and is now available for pre-order on Amazon.
Visit Nancy’s Web site at: www.nancymehl.com. Her blog is: www.nancymehl.blogspot.com. And her mystery review site is www.mainlymystery.blogspot.com.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 1st, 2008 at 12:00 am

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