I learned to read by following the adventures of Dick and Jane and graduated to Little Woman and Nancy Drew mysteries. But it was Miss Mayfield, my 6th grade teacher, who nurtured my love of books. Each day she read to us and by 7th grade I was reading thick books like The Scarlet Letter and Jubilee Trail. I taught public school for 30 years, but always found time to read, and both my children grew up to be avid readers. From the 1970's on I read romances, Phyllis Whitney's romantic suspenses, Barbara Michaels, Mary Stewart, and others. Ten years ago, I decided writing didn't look that hard, so I'd give it a try. Wow, what a rude awakening! It was a major challenge. But I perservered, took classes, went to workshops, participated in critique groups, and wrote, wrote, wrote. At present, I'd have to say there are very few generes that I don't read. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd like fantasy, but it has opened new doors in my mind. One of the greatest books I've read in the last year is Madison Cooper's Sironia, Texas. Published in the 1950's, its an epic novel in two volumes about life in a small town -- its people, politics, love, hate, and prejudice.