As long as I can remember, I’ve loved to read. I begged my mom to take me to the library, stayed up way past my bedtime to finish a great page turner, and requested books for any holiday that made giving presents almost mandatory. And you know what? Twenty some years later, not much has changed. I now beg my husband to let me loose in Chapters, go in haggard to work because a book was just too good to put down, and still request gift cards at major holidays (birthdays included!).
Where did this wonderful obsession come from? To tell you the truth, I can’t remember! I can’t remember my age or where I was, but I do remember the story–that wonderful, magical, colorful book.
It was titled Winnie the Witch, and I loved it. The story was of a witch that lived in a big, old house all by her lonesome with her cat. Everything was black–her house, her clothes, and her cat. Boy did she love that cat, but she always tripped over it since it blended in. In a moment of fury, she cast a spell and turned her cat colorful. Each body part was a different color. She loved that she could see him anywhere, but saw how embarrassed he was around his other animal friends. In the end, she turns her house and herself colorful and puts her beloved cat back to its original color.
It doesn’t sound like much, does it? But little Erinn loved it, and I’ll always remember it as my first story.
I want to know what yours was! What story started you on your reading obsession?
Erinn's Afterword 