Lighthouses
One of the main things that has kept me sane throughout my whole life has been my love of books. Writing, reading, studying. My Mum told me that as a child, before I could even read, I would drag a book around behind me like a teddy bear, and that I had a book in my hand ever since. I love the smell of physical books, the musky scent that reminds you of home and abroad; the feel of the pages slipping between my fingers; and, most importantly, the words. Books were always my safe place, and no matter how I felt, they were there to welcome me. I was drawn into the fantasy worlds of Enid Blyton as a child, before Black Beauty , The Railway Children and Narnia caught my attention. I started writing stories at age 5 - I still have the two page story I wrote about two birds trying to rescue their friend from a pesky cat - before my school started to notice my passion for writing poems. They encouraged me to keep going, and I felt immense joy when they were placed on the classroom wall for a...