Romance novelist, Lara T. Kareem, discusses her fondness for writing love stories: ‘I take comfort in romantic stories and films; these mediums are the best modes of escaping reality. Due to the fondness I have for romance and soft love, I found a calling in writing stories with a strong focus on these themes.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
I fell in love with reading when I was nine. You see, I was involved in a car accident that left me with a fractured ankle. About 60% of my left leg was in a cast and I was crutches-bound for months. You can pretty much imagine how miserable it was for a pre-teen who loved running around to no longer be able to do that. The librarian felt sorry for my idle self, and took me under his wings. I ended up spending all my free time surrounded by thousands of books and gradually, I got engrossed in the magical world of fiction. It started with Rainbow Magic Book Series by Daisy Meadow, books by Enid Blyton, all sorts of Goosebumps by R.L. Stine, the Percy Jackson series, lots of Jacqueline Wilson, Roald Dahl, and Archie Comics...
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