Faye Scavone asked Helen Simonson:

As a child were you writing short stories? Finding yourself with ideas about books. Did you have a favorite author?

Helen Simonson Dear Faye, I did write stories and little newspapers when I was a child. But mostly we were a family of readers. My most treasured childhood books were Little Women and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. But I also loved any adventure story - from Swallows and Amazons to Swiss Family Robinson to Enid Blyton's Famous Five series. To read was to have have freedom, adventures, and sometimes a little money and a bag of sweets in one's pocket. But writers were put on such a pedestal in my home, that I never thought I could be one. When it came time to 'grow up' and go to college my parents encouraged me to get a 'real' job and I don't think they were wrong. I have the greatest respect for being able to pay my own rent and bills! But I was always writing - even in my corporate advertising jobs. And I'm glad I get to be an author now. I think it shows we can all have many adventures in our long lives.

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