What Books I Wish I'd Written (Because I Love Them So Much!) by Elsie Chapman

As a reader, sometimes you come across a book that you just end up loving. You read it over and over again. The spine will crack, the pages might fall loose, but you still keep it around because you know you’ll be reading it again before long.

As a writer, sometimes I come across a book that makes me put actually put my laptop away and fully stop writing. Not only because I’m falling in love with it, but because I’m also in awe at what every writer wants to achieve.

It’s a gift to be able to create something so special that it makes an impact on a reader’s life. For someone to take the time to read my book, I’m immensely grateful; for them to also enjoy it makes me happy and excited. And while I can only hope that DUALED might one day do this for a reader, for a book to find a permanent home on a shelf is something that doesn’t happen too often.

Some books I wish I wrote because they are simply, truly awesome (in no particular order):

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. The prose is poetic and lyrical and just absolutely gorgeous. Killer water horses, an isolated island, and two strong protagonists who can electrify a scene by barely touching? Magic.

The Body by Stephen King. This short story is so much more than its pages. It perfectly captures that strange, mystical feel of childhood summers, how they’re fleeting and unforgettable and heartbreaking all at once.

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. I love Harry, but Lyra and Will are the ones who kept me up reading until 5 am.  And though I recently told fellow Luckies Cat Winters and Alison Cherry that no book has ever made me cry, I just realized I was wrong. This series made me cry. 

What are some books you wish you’d written, if only because you love them so much?


Elsie grew up in Prince George, BC, before graduating from the University of British Columbia with a BA in English Literature. She currently lives in Vancouver with her husband and two kids, where she writes to either movies on a loop or music turned up way too loud (and sometimes both at the same time). She's repped by The Chudney Agency, and her debut novel, DUALED, will be published by Random House in February, 2013. A sequel, DIVIDED, will be published February, 2014. Find her online at elsiechapman.com or on Twitter.