My mom gave me some books from her family a while back. I remember as a kid seeing some of these books from her sisters and older brother about English history and culture that I found a bit boring to read at the time, but I loved the illustrations. The water color illustrations were done by hand by Ernest W. Haslehust and these books are from the early 20th century, around 1920 or so.

Here are some of my favorites. The love of literature runs deep in my mom’s family, particularly among her sisters and her brother whom I spent a lot of time with as a young kid. It is such a big part of my upbringing and how I think, though I notice that it did not influence my older brother as much. I associate reading and love of literature a lot with the wonderful women in my life early on as a very young kid and also my uncle.

By the time I was eight, my grandmother (my father’s mom) who also loved books a lot, gave me a first edition print of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. At that age, I had already read it in full three times, but I loved the beautiful print that she gave me.

I rarely meet women today or men for that matter of the same caliber as my older family. I feel very lucky to have known such beautiful, good-hearted and principled people who found pleasure in meaningful conversation with such a deep love and understanding of literature. They were all my family too! I could discuss and talk about finer aspects with them about any literary topic of interest, more than I ever could with anyone at university. It was more satisfying. It was also a part of every day living. There were better questions too. Literature was never a means to an end or a profession for anyone in my family, but it was always percolating in the background. I am a rebel I suppose by wanting to be an author. I too have taken other paths by first studying to be a doctor (although I gave that up), and then learning many things. Today I can call myself a self-taught software engineer — something I feel excited about as I continue to learn and grow. I have learnt a great many things through travel, exploration and experimentation as well. Work through my agency has opened doors to new experiences, terrific people and insights into different industries. All of these experiences have helped me fit into our modern world more comfortably. There are many exciting possibilities too that I am happy to work on with my team and on my own.

But I feel that when I finally put out my own book, I give myself a voice and permission to be truly myself without apology and to show my deep love of language and story just like my mother, my aunts, my uncle and my grandmother have shown me. I return to my roots and the happy four-year-old I was. The last time I wrote a book of my own I was four years old. It is hard to describe exactly how beautiful that time period was for me because I have suffered since then. I am more a person “of the world” now, but that purity of mind and that happiness I had as a child, inspire me always. It is the real me. In writing this first book and many others to come, I feel connected to all the beloved, wonderful people in my early life. Finer sensibilities. I can take the best parts of my early life and grow in a new way. I feel connected again to my father, who gave me so much love that I could radiate love to everyone, because I was so full! As I build my own life, I hope to create positive experiences at a higher level and surround myself with a group of high caliber people. Worthy people. I know that it will be different than what I had as a kid, but it can also be fulfilling in a deep way. When you read my book, I hope you will see what I mean.

Books and Stories to be Written