tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post6125294680659707966..comments2024-03-15T09:26:02.796-05:00Comments on PROJECT MAYHEM: What fiction most influenced your childhood and your writing today? by Donna GalantiProject Mayhemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154342399869089664noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-22961463568138065382017-03-27T17:46:35.127-05:002017-03-27T17:46:35.127-05:00Wowzer! I think you need to show us a pic of your ...Wowzer! I think you need to show us a pic of your uniform in an upcoming post :) DonnaGalantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936331145444649588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-66173349997529230102017-03-27T14:58:18.618-05:002017-03-27T14:58:18.618-05:00My uniform, like yours, was quite grey. Boys had t...My uniform, like yours, was quite grey. Boys had to wear shorts until they turned 12. The change into trousers was a HUGE rite of passage. I wore a tie every school-day of my life from age 9 to age 18!Michael G-Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-68756833425061790212017-03-27T12:44:57.643-05:002017-03-27T12:44:57.643-05:00Michael, thanks! Did you have such a uniform too :...Michael, thanks! Did you have such a uniform too :) ? I adore John Le Carre's spy novels too! And that is hilarious about a parody on Blyton's series. I will never look at them the same way again! DonnaGalantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936331145444649588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-20574762201511451422017-03-27T11:51:53.142-05:002017-03-27T11:51:53.142-05:00Wonderful photo of you in your very British school...Wonderful photo of you in your very British school uniform!<br /><br />I liked many of your faves. I also liked Charlotte's Web, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and later Agatha Christie and Georges Simenon. In later teens, I also liked John Le Carre's spy novels.<br /><br />Did you know that someone is printing a parody series of Enid Blyton's Famous Five series? My mother sent me "Five on Brexit Island" for my recent birthday. (Other titles include "Five Go Gluten Free" and "Five Give Up The Booze.")Michael G-Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07947421844294471304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-38578867820621312852017-03-27T06:14:11.232-05:002017-03-27T06:14:11.232-05:00Thanks for sharing Chuck! Both of those books soun...Thanks for sharing Chuck! Both of those books sound like fun and I have not heard of them. Will check out! DonnaGalantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936331145444649588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-42955470306360256602017-03-26T17:55:20.069-05:002017-03-26T17:55:20.069-05:00This might date me a little, but my favorite growi...This might date me a little, but my favorite growing up were Baked Beans for Breakfast, and The Wicked Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House. When I got older it was anything by Robert Heinlein. Chuck Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04776715845856205885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-23720476588551967352017-03-25T08:00:24.049-05:002017-03-25T08:00:24.049-05:00Aww, Caroline, I love knowing your book is a tribu...Aww, Caroline, I love knowing your book is a tribute to Laura! A true testament that stories never die and live inside us. Her books definitely had an affect on me, especially as one who moved around a lot like Laura. My parents moved 9 times by the time I was 9. DonnaGalantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936331145444649588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-75123655276854479942017-03-25T07:58:45.674-05:002017-03-25T07:58:45.674-05:00Sandra, thanks for sharing! And did you know Anne ...Sandra, thanks for sharing! And did you know Anne Frank also shares our birth date of June 12? She was my hero growing up too and because of her I started writing in a diary. Forgot to include her here! How wonderful you share your childhood fave reads with your students. A great way to keep these stories alive in young imaginations. What an amazing closet that must have been to create all sorts of worlds in! DonnaGalantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936331145444649588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-60834703453407521642017-03-24T11:22:34.962-05:002017-03-24T11:22:34.962-05:00My MAY B. is pretty much a love letter to Laura In...My MAY B. is pretty much a love letter to Laura Ingalls. And I'm a *huge* PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH fan!Caroline Starr Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04597510685273079757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-47279370762663450802017-03-24T07:23:08.733-05:002017-03-24T07:23:08.733-05:00Donna I loved the way your surroundings influenced...Donna I loved the way your surroundings influenced your writing. I grew up on a farm where we raised pigs. My favorite book was Charlotte's Web. I cried when we couldn't save the runts. I also lived the life of Laura through her books. My sisters and I always made up stories. I loved your author bio and learned we share the same birthdate. As a teacher I place a lot of my favorite childhood books on my shelves for my students to read. Our house had a closet that ran almost the full length of our bedroom. Needless to say we played a lot of make believe stories in it. Everyone knows that closets are magical.Sandra Stileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05028361723666419462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-34584138709360121702017-03-23T11:08:02.081-05:002017-03-23T11:08:02.081-05:00Thanks Brenda! And a closet - right? :) We need a ...Thanks Brenda! And a closet - right? :) We need a grown-up closet version! I re-read the Little House series every few years or so. It's a series that makes me feel like a little girl again and comforts me with a sense of "coming home". <br /><br />It's also so wonderful to share copies of my own childhood books with my son as he's growing up - from picture books to MG and now to teen, like The Outsiders. <br /><br />As a children's book writer, I love going back in time and re-reading my favorites as it also reminds me of who I was and what I was going through during that time period - which hopefully enriches my own MG stories. :) DonnaGalantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936331145444649588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-25439882057968167482017-03-23T10:26:58.322-05:002017-03-23T10:26:58.322-05:00You made such an adorable Laura, Donna. I read mu...You made such an adorable Laura, Donna. I read much of the same books that you've listed as a child and now find myself going back and trying to re-read or add to the the ones that I've missed. I too want a closet to travel through. Brendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13260139292374478327noreply@blogger.com