Influence on my Life

“Who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him?” You probably think that this is a quote from Shakespeare and, technically, you’d be right. However, this quote also comes from A Holiday for Murder by Agatha Christie. I found this book in eighth grade, right before Christmas break. I have always had a love for the mystery genre of fiction, because of how the novels make you think to solve the mystery. Since I was a little girl, I have also loved building jigsaw puzzles. As I grew older, the jigsaw puzzles I loved to build also fueled my love for mysteries, because you have to piece together the clues in order to build the picture and solve the mystery. Each clue in the novels fits into the outcome, just like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Some of my friends had enjoyed reading Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, so I decided to give one of her other novels a try: A Holiday for Murder.

I figured that this would be appropriate to read with the holiday coming up. After reading the first page, I couldn’t stop, page after page, chapter after chapter, until I was finished. I had not only stumbled upon a new passion, but also found a new idol in Ms. Christie. Her vivid skill in combining suspense and clues, which are indecipherable until the final reveal, inspired me to write my own novels. Like the way Ms. Christie has for me, I would someday like to inspire another with the love of reading and writing through one of my own works. I find my stories an excellent way to vent my feelings and ideas at any given time. I also love being able to paint a new world of characters and events, simply through words. My passion for reading started when I was very small, but my passion for writing truly began with Ms. Christie and I would like nothing more than to pass that passion on to more children by instilling in them the love of books. Books for me have always represented gateways into another world where I can be anyone that I choose and do anything I desire – even being a super sleuth in one of Ms. Christie’s many mysteries. I dream of one day walking into a bookstore and seeing my novel on the shelf, and then a little girl picks up the book, eager to imagine herself in the world I created, just like I did so many times when reading Ms. Christie’s stories.