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Thought I would finally jump on the train for this fun trend …

Where my lore began …

Some of my earliest memories as a kid is me playing out Land Before Time with my own plastic dinosaurs and animals. I obviously didn’t know it until later in life, but even back then, you can see my passion for imagination, play, and storytelling. Land Before Time became the series that kickstarted it all. I lived in a world of my own creation, in this peaceful valley, where all my plastic dinosaurs and horses lived together and had grand adventures that took me away from the world and what was happening at the time.

I also grew up during Disney’s renaissance era. My favorites included: Mulan, Pocahontas, Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, and the Lion King 2. They influenced a huge part of me as I started writing at the age of 10 – started my passion for princesses being saved by male heroes of all kinds. From a war in Ancient China to a cursed castle, a man in a jungle, and a forbidden romance set in the African savannah and in early America, I loved these adventures and wanted to create my own.

As a kid, the Barbie movies only continued to reinforce this. I cannot tell you how much they inspired me, and even to this day, I genuinely LOVE these barbie movies that shaped a HUGE part of why I write the way I do. I became a girl who wanted to be saved by a handsome prince, and enjoyed those stories where love and good won in the end and defeated evil. It reflected my love for the Bible and how God would win over the ultimate evil in the end.

Most everyone who knows me knows what a HUGE Star Wars fan I am. I grew up with the prequels and never knew the originals existed for the longest time. Anakin Skywalker is my favorite character, Darth Vader is my favorite villain, so from a young age,  you can easily see why I fell in love with stories where the male hero becomes the villain and tragic romances. George Lucas created something special when he made the originals, and it influenced an entire generation. Likewise, when he created the prequels, even though they were hated at the time, kids like me who grew up with them were influenced by them. I wanted to create something unique, something grand that would change lives like George Lucas had. I watched the movies and pretended to live in them, to exist in this world, to become a Jedi.

I also grew up watching Dances with Wolves and the Patriot. These two movies were MASSIVE influences in my passion for history and fictional stories woven through pieces of history – especially the Revolutionary War and my passion for Native Americans. Dances with Wolves singlehandedly started my interest and passion for the Lakota culture.

Non-Disney movies like Quest for Camelot, Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron, the Prince of Egypt, and Joseph King of Dreams told stories that I watched over and over again and wanted to tell for myself in my own writing.

As my passion for Native American, specifically Lakota, culture grew, I grew up with several Native American movies: Crazy Horse being the biggest one that fueled my passion for the Lakota people, Crazy Horse as a historical figure, and kickstarted my passion for research into his story. Other movies that widely influenced my writing and passion were Cheyenne Warrior, Last of the Mohigans, Squanto, Geronimo and countless others.

But I didn’t just watch movies. I watched TV shows too. Avatar, The Last Airbender, Star Wars The Clone Wars, Smallville, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and Walker Texas Ranger were long-running TV shows that I watched as a I grew up that also inspired MANY of the stories I’ve written over the years, and still do – The Republic Chronicles, The Valiant Series, and more.

Two reality TV Shows that influenced 2 major books/series I’ve written are Survivor and the Nickelodeon version for kids called Endurance (which inspired Survivor Valiant Book 6 and the Game of Lies Saga, and likely more in the future).

I also read books A LOT. Some of the biggest book series that influenced my writing were the Twilight Series, the Divergent Series. But I cannot fully express just HOW MUCH of an impact the Hunger Games had on my life. Not only did it inspire my debut novel, Hunter, but I wrote countless fanfictions that lead me to enter writing competitions and eventually to judge them which is how and why I’m an editor today.

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare inspired me so much. She was the author I inspired to be like who told such dramatic, exciting, action packed, romantic, angsty books that I wanted to write with a loyal fanbase I DREAMED to have.

George Lucas who created Star Wars also became another writer/creator I strived to be like. He changed everything when he created Star Wars and it impacted the culture and entire generations – multiple ones through the originals and the prequels I grew up with. My books would NOT be here without him, without Star Wars

I would NOT be the author I am today without all of these books, movies, and TV Shows that I grew up with, that shaped who I am now.

This is where my lore began.

Do we share any? Tell me yours in the comments!