Goodreads asked Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger:

How do you get inspired to write?

Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger I read this question in the past tense and prefer to answer that because the simple answer to the present tense is this: I love stories about ordinary people in extraordinary times. I love stories about the underdogs. I love history. I travel. I read. And now this has become such a discipline, that I'm constantly taking down ideas and notes for new pieces. But how DID I get inspired? This is one of my favorite stories.

Mrs Sharon Davis was my second-grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary in North Minneapolis. I was one of the kids that was always teased by the others. I had an accent, I was overweight, I wore glasses and I loved reading.
One day, Mrs Davis gave us the assignment to write a short story. I was into ghost stories at that time. I have to laugh when I admit that the story I wrote was plagiarised from approximately five different books, but I made them my own, taking place in our ancient duplex in Northeast Minneapolis.
The day we were supposed to read our stories aloud, I can remember all of us sitting on the floor. Nobody was paying attention (except maybe me). The kids read in their monotone voices, the paper in front of their faces. Everyone else was giggling and pinching each other, whatever it is 2nd graders do when they're uninterested.
Then it was my turn. I stood up. I remember my story started out gory. As I was reading, I realized something was terribly wrong. When I looked up, every single kid was staring at me. It was quiet. I had them all in the palm of my hand. That feeling of power was so overwhelming, I wanted nothing more than to continue doing that. I determined there and then that I was going to be a writer.

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