I'm tripling up this week with various media that shaped my youth. These are all things that I loved as a child and in my teens. Each property in these lists profoundly affected me, and I can still feel many of the fingerprints smudged across my current creative mind.

10 Books/Series that Shaped My Youth

1 - Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn - As a kid, I begged my mom to put up a white picket fence around the front yard so I didn't have to bother with the gate and so I could try and con my friends into painting it. I also tried building several rafts to try on the Sacramento River.
2 - The Chronicles of Narnia - This was the fantasy gateway book in my era. I was fascinated by the kingdom of Harfang and in the 3rd grade, I may have written some fan fiction about that place.
3 - The Lord of the Rings - Come on. You knew this had to be on the list.
4 - The Hardy Boys - Chet Baker is the man.
5 - The Shanara Chronicles - I only did the first 3 books. However, Elfstones of Shanara is the first book that I ever stayed up all night to finish... AND... it's the first book to ever make me cry.
6 - Myth Adventures - Skeeve and his crew took my imagination in places beyond the standard epic fantasy.
7 - Theives World - My first foray into true sword and sorcery. After this one, my storytelling, especially gaming, got a little grimmer for quite some time.
8 - Vlad Taltos - Easily the first influence over what would eventually become Tears of Rage. Start reading these swashbuckling adventures about the same time I started Ren Faire. Rapiers are way cooler than broadswords and armor.
9 - The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Wait! speculative fiction can be funny? WHAT??? We won't go into that one story that I wrote trying to emulate the brilliance of these books.
10 - The Stainless Steel Rat - For me, these books were like all the best parts of Myth Adventures, Thieves' World, and Hitchhiker's wrapped together in a bundle of pure chaotic fun.

10 Movies that Shaped My Youth

1 - Star Wars - Duh?
2 - Raiders of the Lost Arc - Again... duh? "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?"
3 - Willow - A fantasy version of Star Wars, but highly impactful. "I am the greatest swordsman that ever lived."
4 - The Dark Crystal - Among the most brilliant movies of the 1980's.
5 - Labyrinth - Loved everything about this movie. It means so much more now, after having the honor of interviewing Brian and Wendy Froud. "You have no power over me."
6 - Big Trouble in Little China - Pure adrenaline-pumping fun. My intro to Kurt Russel. "You were not placed on this earth to 'get it' Mister Burton."
7 - The Lost Boys - One of the best vampire movies ever. Also made them modern and cool. "Holy shit! It's the attack of Eddie Munster!"
8 - Transformers: The Movie - This is the animated one. I created an entire 3rd faction of Transformers and outlined three seasons and two movies based on where I thought this story should go. "Coronation Starscream? This is bad comedy."
9 - The Princess Bride - Duh, part 3! "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."
10 - The Goonies - The first time I ever skipped school was to see this movie. "Goonies never say die!"

10 TV Shows that Shaped My Youth

1 - Star Blazers - My first anime, and my first TV show addiction.
2 - The Six Million Dollar Man/The Bionic Woman - Probably the first science fiction anything I fell in love with.
3 - Superfriends - The animated show about the Justice League. This was my gateway into superheroes.
4 - The A-Team - It was just cool.
5 - Shogun - It was only a miniseries, but it left a huge impact on me.
6 - Doctor Who - Tom Baker was my Doctor.
7 - WWF (Now WWE) - Discovered this in jr. high. Watched it all through high school.
8 - Robotech - The upgrade from Starblazers.
9 - Star Trek: The Next Generation - Really, the only "duh?" on this list.
10 - Gargoyles - Late in my teens, but I loved this show so much. MacBeth has more pathos than many live-action characters.