Early Influences

For Christmas, my kids got me the DVDs of the first season of the original Mission Impossible television series. What a thrill to see Martin Landau and Barabara Bain again as their convoluted schemes trick the bad guys!

I was watching an episode where they infiltrated a fake American town behind the Iron Curtain, where communist agents were trained to act American, and my eldest daughter said, "That's just like an episode of Alias." And the prison escape episodes could have inspired Prison Break, and plenty of scenes in other episodes reminded me of 24.

It reminded me of how all authors (of books, screenplays, or stories in all forms) stand on the shoulders of the writers who came before us - even when it comes to commercial fiction.

It also reminded me of my early influences. Mission Impossible and Man from U.N.C.L.E. inspired a passion to become a secret agent, even when my sixth grade teacher suggested I read "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" in an effort to dissuade me.

My life took a different turn (at least as far as I'm allowed to say. Heheheh)but I'm sure there are subtle and subconscious ways my early influences affect my approach to storytelling.

What were some of your childhood passions? Do you see glimmers of those early influences in your life today?

====

I'm working on my Book Buddy e-zine for January. I send out my free e-zine on the 15th of each month. If you don't already receive it (it's not the same as the Feedblitz subscription for my blog) feel free to go to

http://www.sharonhinck.com/html/contactsharon.html

Enter your name and email, and you'll be subscribed as a Book Buddy.
In the past several months, Book Buddy's have won all kinds of free goodies, shared ideas, gotten a virtual tour of a book press, received special invitations, and been cherished and prayed for by me. It's a special group, but there is always room for you!

BLESSINGS!
Sharon Hinck
www.sharonhinck.com

The Secret Life of Becky Miller (Bethany House, 6/2006)
Renovating Becky Miller (Bethany House, 2/2007)

Order Discounted Copies Here:

Sharon's page at CBD - all books