Day one, everyone. Here is my first story about women in genre. J.K. Rowling’s name has been thrown in more than one conversation, because she has effectively shaped a whole generation and coincidentally, it was Rowling who got me into reading books for pleasure and taught me how to appreciate the written word. Rewind the tape, please.

As a kid of the 90s, I grew up with an unconditional love for my television set. Cartoon Network had invaded my life since I was six year old and has stayed there. Then came RTLII with German-dubbed anime and Fox Kids with the X-Men. Heaven had set up camp in my living room and I’d no intention to fall from grace any time soon.

Books, at that time, perplexed me as they had no pictures, demanded attention and lacked fun the way I understood fun from animations. Plus, from what I’d seen in my mother’s personal library, books told stories about ordinary people in the real world. It didn’t help that teachers expected summer reading and reading journals with tens of questions about books I didn’t like at all.

Where were the monsters? Where were the sorcerers? Where was the magic? Continue reading »