“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The best part about I&I posts? Writers are given free rein so they can go wild and write about anything they want: their new book, series or career as a whole. We are delighted to welcome Sarah Beth Durst to the blog today to talk about Inspirations and Influences behind the writing of her new book Vessel, a story of magic and destiny. Please give it up for Sarah! My mom taught me to love books. She brought me to the library and let me haul as many books home as I could carry. She introduced me to Narnia and Pern and Sendaria and the Shire. She showed me that books are portals that can transport you to other worlds and return you safely back home, filled with wonder and hope and strength. So she is truly my first inspiration and influence. My second was the books themselves. I loved (and love!) stories that sweep you away to another world — books like WILD MAGIC by Tamora Pierce, THE BLUE SWORD by Robin McKinley, THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS […]