Objects with Character

At one of my school events, a teacher said he’d noticed I animate inanimate objects in all my books, and he wanted to know if I’d done that as a child. I’d never been asked this question (which makes it a really good one), and couldn’t answer. But I’ve been thinking about it, and noticing – indeed, I did it as a child, and I still do it, all the time.

I saw a photo of tall strange flowers and they looked like birds to me, ready to take off. The animals in pictures seem capable of speech, and I’m sure toys play at night, when no one is looking. Mirrors, gates, rocks on the sidewalk – they could all be alive, in my world. Anything with character could be… well, a character.

Now that I think about it, I realize this is, perhaps, a little strange for an adult. But perhaps not so strange for a fantasy writer.

Maureen