Dear Visitor,
Ever since I can recall, my life has been filled with stories, both written and verbal. My mother read to me before I could on my own and my father delighted in telling stories about the past. They were both avid readers and our home was always full of books, stacks of almost every genre in fiction and nonfiction. An early explorer into the wonderful worlds that could be discovered between the orderly lines on the pages of these tomes, I soon found myself yearning to indulge more and more.
The school years brought weekly trips to the local library to check out ten or more books to be devoured during the week. Librarians frequently marveled at my family's appetite for reading material. Without the television eating up our attention, my siblings and I grew up with imaginary adventures in the backyard in good weather and curled up with a good book in bad. My favorites were fairy tales, myths, legends, and historical figures.
When I was in my preteens, I realized that I was spending a great deal of time rewriting the ends of books in my head. I also developed the habit of telling myself stories as I was falling asleep at night. Frequently my sisters would listen as well. Then one year for school, I was required to write a ten page paper, a horrendously long piece to me at the time. Mother wasn't picky about what I wrote about, just that it was ten pages long when I finished. I decided to write what I liked to read and Larkaria, the first of the Five Kingdoms, came to life.
That poor first attempt was only the beginning. In the years following, I wrote episodic stories based on a television show that my friends liked. Choosing personas for each of us, I inserted us into the action and wrote stories about our adventures. Then Larkaria and the Five Kingdoms began to call to me again. I found I could not stay away and began to write Cecily’s Quest, an endeavor that lasted about seven years.
During this time, I graduated from high school, entered college, and got married. In 2002, my husband’s work sent him over to Germany for a trip that was to be only two weeks long. I was able to come with him. As the third week began and the trip looked like it was going to last four weeks, I reached a turning point.
Having read all the books I had brought with me and every English book I could get my hands on, I tried to devote my attention to writing. Cecily’s Quest wasn’t coming smoothly, so in desperation, I started a new story, a tale that eventually became The Crown of Anavrea.
Since then, I have realized that writing is an addiction that I cannot escape. Characters haunt me, whispering ideas in my ears, and nagging me to tell their stories. So, on I write. Hopefully I improve my skills with each tale, Lord willing, constantly striving for a better story, a more interesting tale. I am always open to comments and feedback. You are welcome to drop me an email. Thank you for visiting my site and I hope you enjoy it and my books.
Best Wishes,
Rachel Rossano
