We asked our authors from around the world to share their thoughts on why they write, why they read, and the books that have influenced them.
Here’s what they had to say.
Tell us why you read and share your favorite books! Join the discussion @HarperCollins on Twitter using #hc200.
John MacLachlan
I read as a child to find out what I thought, what I wished for, and what scared me. Books were my brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, pets and my landscape. Books gave me the strength and courage to be me. Should it surprise me that I write for the same reason? The writer Joan Didion says it beautifully when she says: “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” All books have influenced me—their poetry, their characters, and their landscapes.
