Fictional Fans

I think one of the biggest literary influences in my life was The Lord of the Rings; it shaped both my tastes and my morality.

Robert E. Howard and Leigh Brackett's stories did a lot to shape my taste for colorful adventures with compelling characters.

I also read a lot of utter crap (hack writing, cardboard characters) growing up, and the main influence they had on me was to eventually turn me off of stories like that. The older I get, the more character-driven I prefer my stories to be. I've also forgotten most of those mediocre stories because, well, they were forgettable.