What Are You Thankful For?


So Beth Revis is having a HUGENORMOUS giveaway on her blog like you would not believe. The prize is something like 19 signed YA books (including an ARC of A MILLION SUNS), plus a box of Turkish Delight, plus signed goodies and swag.

And it all goes to one very thankful person.

Besides the allure of such a huge prize, I really like her giveaway because it focuses on something we often overlook—gratitude. You see, to enter, you need to write a post about the book that you’re most thankful for.

Let me tell you, this is a lot harder than it looks. It’s like asking what your favorite book or band or anything is—so many options, how do you choose one?

Well, after much thought, I managed. Sort of.

I didn’t pick one book, per say, I picked one author. Many of you can probably guess who.

I’m thankful for Ted Dekker.

I read my first Dekker book (Showdown) shortly before I started writing. I wouldn’t say necessarily that he inspired me to write, but with over twenty novels on the shelves and growing, I always had a Dekker book to turn to throughout my writing career, and I have no doubt in my mind that his style influenced mine. I’ve learned a lot about writing from reading his novels—like how one-line paragraphs are acceptable and not every sentence has to be a grammatically correct sentence every single time.

So although he didn’t start out as my inspiration for writing, he certainly became a role model for me as I developed my craft. Not only that, but his belief system aligned with mine and I learned a lot about the power of love—real, indiscriminating love—from his novels and non-fiction works like Tea with Hezbollah. 

Then I had the amazing opportunity of meeting him in person and he completely blew me away—his passion and charisma were contagious. I walked away with a grin on my face because the author I imagined behind my favorite novels was even better in person than I expected.

So why am I thankful for Ted Dekker?

He impacted my writing, forced me to really redefine the way I look at love, and has filled my bookshelf with consistent awesomeness.  

Plenty to be thankful for, I think.

Your turn! What books or authors are you thankful for? 

12 comments:

Daniel Swensen said...

I'm thankful for A.A. Attanasio, whose novels gave me a lifelong fascination with personal transformation in fiction and an enthusiasm for the boundlessness of the imagination. His novel Radix seems little-known in sci-fi circles, but personally I think it's amazing. I'm thankful for James Morrow, whose work showed me that it was possible to criticize and examine spirituality without being mean-spirited or condescending. And I'm thankful for Natalie Goldberg, who first introduced me to the idea that it's okay for your writing to suck the first time around.

Ava Jae said...

I read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg--she has some really interesting ideas about how to get your writing to flow. 

Daniel Swensen said...

Goldberg's book was the first writing advice I ever ran across that said "hey, I have flaws, I make mistakes, I get lazy, here's how I deal" instead of "hey, aspiring writer, stop sucking so much."

Ava Jae said...

I have to give her credit for that--her low-pressure advice is certainly refreshing. 

Jennifer Bennett said...

That is really awesome. I don't that I could pick just one, but if I was forced at gunpoint I would have to J.K. Rowling. She gave me my first passion for books and I wouldn't be writing if she hadn't written Harry potter!

Ava Jae said...

Love Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling is a wonderful inspiration and her novels impacted cross-over literature in an amazing way. The Harry Potter series will join the league of classics, for sure. 

Jennifer Bennett said...

BTW, did you see you won $50 on Inkpagent? :)

Ava Jae said...

I did! And you won $15! I'm very excited. :D

Laurapauling said...

What a great choice. I didn't enter her contest b/c I'd read a lot of the books. :) I'd have to really think because it would be hard to narrow it down to one writer!

Ava Jae said...

Technically I was supposed to narrow it down to one book...but that's crazy talk!

David Brown said...

I thoroughly enjoyed Dekker's early stuff, as well..."Three" remains one of the best thrillers I've ever read. The Books of History Chronicles started well but ended flat. Then I got to "House," and was so disappointed. Granted, he co-wrote "House," but I haven't read anything of Dekker's since. Perhaps it was just a low point in his career? I've always wondered how he can produce as many novels as he does and maintain a quality level. 

Ava Jae said...

If you enjoyed Thr3e, then I highly recommend his other thrillers. The Bride Collector, Adam, The Boneman's Daughters and The Priest's Graveyard were all great reads. I enjoy his other books as well, but I've found that in my opinion anyway, his thrillers are just fantastic. 

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