A Blue Royal Typewriter from James W. Ziskin

 When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who hurt you?

I knew I wanted to be writer when I was twelve years old. Can’t say today why I suddenly decided I wanted to write, but that’s when it happened. I wrote my first book. It was a terrible adventure novel about World War I. Just what you’d expect a twelve-year-old boy to write. One hundred and ten perfectly fine sheets of paper ruined...

If I recall correctly, I stayed up late nights banging away—single spaced—on a blue Royal portable typewr...