I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been a reader. It was my escape from life, and I consumed books like air. The library was my safe haven from a young age. Even though it was a good three or four miles from my house in one direction, I would hop on my bike and ride out to fill my backpack with as many books as it could hold. I read just about anything I could get my hands on, but my favorites were adventure stories, illustrated classics, mysteries, and fantasy.

Adventure stories were my favorite, from classics like Treasure Island to more contemporary titles like Hatchet. If it had adventure, danger, and suspense, it went into my bag. I still remember one book where a girl used her ability to recall license plates through making associations (something I now do, thanks to her) to escape and report her kidnapper. Pirates, battles for survival, exploration, daring rescues, and anything that got the heart racing never failed to draw me in. This love of adventure, danger, and suspense has survived my youth and carried through to my writing, and I hope that never changes.

When it came to the classics, I devoured the illustrated versions in elementary school, but quickly moved into the unabridged versions by middle school. Let me tell you, The Three Musketeers and King Arthur are NOT as innocent as they are in the children’s versions. You might notice my characters reference some of these classics in my stories, purely as a nod to my childhood love of reading.

Fun fact: Did you know that when War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells was adapted for and released as a radio broadcast in 1938, listeners thought earth was really being invaded by aliens?

That always amused me, and I’m sure it is partially why it’s one of my favorite science fiction stories—even though it was written in 1898!

In addition to the classics, The Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys all found their way into my backpack and set the foundation for my interest in crime, clues, red herrings, and villains. It’s no wonder that those elements still find their way into my stories.

When I really needed an escape from reality (which was often), fantasy was my go to. I read a lot of fairytale retellings, and Patricia Wrede was a master at this. One of my favorite series was The Enchanted Forest Chronicles. In fact, I still love it so much that I recently bought two sets to give away to friends for their daughters. Like many, I loved The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. While the movies did a great job, I still harbor some resentment over how they ended the movies differently from the books.

You might notice that almost none of my books were Christian fiction choices. I honestly didn’t know or care that they existed. It wasn’t until my junior or senior year of high school that I discovered Janette Oke, and it wasn’t until I was a teacher that I read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Even so, God used the stories of my youth to lay the foundation for what He would later call me to do, and I am ever so grateful.

What about you? What did your childhood reading look like? Are there any books you still force upon other people?

Meet Crystal Caudill…

Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance,” with her work garnering awards from Romance Writers of America and ACFW. She is a stay-at-home mom and caregiver, and when she isn’t writing, Caudill can be found playing board games with her family, drinking hot tea, or reading other great books at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio. You can connect with Crystal via her BRRC Author page or website.

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