I am a strange reader. I don’t actually have favourite authors, none that I follow religiously. The closest that I’ve ever come to that sort of behaviour is over a decade ago when I first encountered Roald Dahl and had a lot more time to sit about and systematically devour every book of his that I could find. Since then, the British education system happened to me and isn’t due to release its hold anytime soon!

When I am influenced, it is usually by ideas or concepts instead of authors, although their writing style is important in shaping my own voice. I also don’t judge how much an author has influenced me by how much of their work I have read. For example, I have read the whole Shopaholic series (guilty) and only one Oscar Wilde work (the Picture of Dorian Gray) but the latter affected me a lot more as a writer. So here are the books I consider the greatest influences for my first novel, Blue Ink.

Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
This is probably the biggest. The idea for Blue Ink actually came to me after watching the Tim Burton adaptation of this. I was charmed by the portrayals of Alice and The Hatter (who had a much larger part thanks to Johnny Depp). Later, I realised that I should read the book which I ended up loving because it made so little sense and there was no limit to what could happen.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
A Roald Dahl book had to make it among the ranks. Apart from Matilda, this was one of my favourites (though I was one of those weird children who also liked the sequel, must’ve been the barmy president) and opened my eyes to the possibilities of storytelling. Roald Dahl is probably the main reason I’ve retained an interest in English up until now, no matter how hard the school system works to sap the joy out of everything.

The Harry Potter Series – J. K Rowling
I think it’s safe to say that my love for fantasy started here. I remember watching the Harry Potter world from a distance as a young child thinking “it can’t be that great”. I took a chance on the Philosopher’s Stone, declared it amazing and thereby stated that fantasy was the best type of books there ever was. I’ve followed Harry’s journey right until the end and remain a big fan. (Well as big a fan as a reader like myself can be.)

Stardust – Neil Gaiman
The way Gaiman combines whimsy and dry wit is something that I greatly admire. Reading it felt like such a fairytale that I started violently when Yvaine, the fallen star, swore. But that just got me more hooked. There were so many elements to this book that appealed to both the child and the adult in me, which worked out rather well because I’m still in that odd transition stage between the two that the Spaniards apparently call ‘la edad del pavo’ (i.e the awkward age). ‘El pavo’ also happens to mean turkey. O_O My Spanish teacher likes to tell us facts like this.

Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
Another brilliantly bizarre book that I got from a childhood friend but I didn’t read properly until I had seen the Studio Ghibli adaptation. How silly of me, I know. There is a point in the storyline where book and movie depart drastically but I’ve found myself loving both versions. I guess I just have a weakness for zany things.

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland – Diana Wynne Jones
A sort of satirical analysis of fantasy worlds in the form of a traveller’s guide/dictionary. In a way, it was my bible for writing Blue Ink. Sometimes, I stayed true to the entries, sometimes I subverted them to see what happened. All in all, I just found it a fascinating and eye-opening read.

Special mentions:
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
The Edge Chronicles – Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Mort and the Wee Free Men – Terry Pratchett
His Dark Materials - Phillip Pullman
A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis