An Author's Influence

I was asked to jot down a bit about what author or event impacted my writing the most. While I pondered this for a while my mind travelled back to all the great books I've read. I love them all. After I read a book it seems to become a part of me, well written books as well as not so well written. I keep them forever and miss the ones that I was forced to part with. But it wasn't Dumas, Stoker, Irving, Shakespeare, or even my beloved Spencer that had the greatest impact. It was my father.
Before you ask, no my father wasn't a writer. My father was a great man. Not great politically, socially, or even intellectually. Don't get me wrong, he was usually friendly, had political beliefs, and could read and write. My father was a great man because of what he did for me. He supported me throughout my childhood, educated me, and loved me right up until the time he died.
So, it wasn't a writer that had the greatest impact on my writing. It was an event. The death of my father. The lingering death he suffered at the hands of Diabetes, the amputation of both his legs, the triple bypass surgery, the weakening of his body and spirit. Those are the things that taught me the lessons I focus on in all my romance books. Lessons like love is eternal, the body is the weak part of us, and that our dreams are important.
Read my stories and I promise you will see the influence of my father's death. Ellora's Cave is now considering a story with a character by the name of Gene. Guess what my father's name was. That's it. Gene. Guess why my characters swear eternal love at the end of a story. Again, you're right. I have to believe that love is forever. To believe otherwise is to think that my father's love for me died with him. Now let's read a happily ever after.