How JK Rowling Inspired Me to Be an Author

Where were you when the first Harry Potter book came out?

Okay so I don't remember EXACTLY where I was. I was only five years old!

But I do remember cuddling in bed with my mom and two younger brothers every night. She would pull out the paperback book and read a chapter to us before we went to sleep.

I was enchanted with Harry's story before we even finished the first chapter.

JK Rowling made me love books.

By the time the last book came out in 2007, my mom and I stood in line together at Barnes & Noble on release day. Neither of us could decide who would read it first, so we bought two copies.

We finished it in 2 days.

As I got older and grew interested in writing, I learned more about JK Rowling's publishing story. (EVERY aspiring writer knows it. If you don't, what have you been doing all your life?) That was inspiring in and of itself, and I knew I wanted to write just like her someday. I wanted to see my own name printed on the cover of a paperback book.

Here I am, 23 years later, and I have three (soon to be four!) published books out there in the world. My publishing story did NOT pan out anything like JK Rowling's did, but I'm so incredibly proud!

Whenever I think about where I started, I remember when my mom read us the first line in Harry Potter. It's a memory that's been seared in my brain for the last 23 years and it will stay there for the next 50 years or more.

That one book - that one author - changed the course of my life forever.

Is there one person who impacted your life? I'd love to hear about it! Please share in the comments below!