Catherine Hemmerling | The Books that Shaped Me

I am often asked who my favorite authors are, but I don't know that anyone has
asked me what my favorite books are and how they may have shaped who I am as an
author. I'd like to talk about three books that have contributed to who I am today.

THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, C.S. Lewis

To be fair, I loved all of the Chronicles of Narnia, but this first book in the
series really set me on the path to exploring my own imagination. A secret world
only accessible by magic? Children heroes? Animals that can talk? Yes, it is
fair to say, I loved Narnia from the get-go. I think what really set it apart
from the fairy tales and children books I had previous read, was that it wasn't
always so "happily ever after". Real problems were presented to the characters
in the story. Characters died, got lost, and went over to the "dark side".
Despite a clearly fantastical setting, these stories felt more real to me. I was
able to really immerse myself in the stories and by the end of the book, I felt
as if the characters were my friends. I missed them when the book ended. And
when I read the final book in the series, I was truly sad. I learned during that
time that really good books will draw you in and make you feel like you are
really there, in the story.

Now when I write, I try to write characters that are relatable. Characters that
I would want to be friends with. When I finish a book and I miss my new
"friends", that's when I know I have been successful.

THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK, Carolyn Keene

Now, I cannot swear this is the first Nancy Drew books I ever read, but it is
certainly one have I read many times. I actually collect Nancy Drew books and
occasionally reread them even today. I know that they are very formulaic, but
the formula works! I loved that Nancy was a female spy who solved cases that
even men could not solve. I think I had been told a time too many that girls are
not naturally logical. That we are too emotional. I have always been very good
at math, but I was constantly met with surprise when I would tell people that
that was my favorite subject in school. Now days little girls are told they can
do anything, but all I had to show me the way was Nancy Drew.

My love of Nancy Drew shows very clearly in the Lady Lancaster series. It is a
series of romance and mystery and female detectives. But even beyond the obvious
links, I write smart and intuitive females that won't be put into a box.

PERSUASION, Jane Austen This book isn't as popular as PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, but it is my favorite Austen novel. It is the book that made me fall in love with the Regency period. In college, I studied medieval and renaissance literature primarily, but it was Jane Austen that inspired me to write my Lady Lancaster series set in Regency London. During this brief period in time, corsets were loosened. Romance, artistry, and parties were celebrated above all else. Not only does that make it a fun time in which to set a novel, it allows certain liberties in story line. Jane Austen had young sisters running after servicemen unsupervised. I have young ladies solving murders and mysteries. This is possible because during this time period everyone and everything was less restrained. Frankly, if it was good enough for Jane Austen, it is good enough for me. Not all of my books will be set in Jane Austen's time, but I am glad to say I started out there.