Greetings, story lovers. For this week's 10 For Tuesday, I'm offering 10 Books that influenced or shaped me in some way. However, I've decided not to make this a list of "favorites." These will be books that I don't often talk about, so you'll see no Malazan, Goon Squad, nor anything by Harlan Ellison. Welcome to a deeper insight into my backstory.

Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain - I first read these in elementary school. At various times in my childhood, I wanted to be both Tom and Huck. I also tried to convince my mother to put a picket fence in our front yard so I could convince my friends to paint it for me. I also tried to build a raft to ride on the Sacramento River.

The Hardy Boys (Not the wrestlers), by Franklin W Dixon - I had an original collection of these books, and I devoured Frank and Joe's adventures.

Encyclopedia Brown, by Donald J. Sobol - These books about a kid detective taught me to appreciate a protagonist who relied on his brains because brawn was not his particular gift. I strove to absorb information so I could be as smart as him and try and figure out the end before the end of each story.

Memory and Dream, by Charles de Lint - This was the first contemporary fantasy novel I'd ever read. The art-based magic was awesome & the jumping back and forth between present time and flashbacks sparked my imagination. I'm sure without this one, Dead Weight wouldn't exist. It certainly influenced early drafts of Spellpunk.

The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff - I picked up this book on a whim. I was hanging out in a bookstore, waiting for a bus to take me from Woodland to Sacramento. I had no idea how much this book would shape the way I interact with the world. It's been a while since I read this. Maybe it's time I get a new copy and reacquaint myself with its subtle brilliance.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki - I was working at a ballroom dance studio and working to learn more about business and sales. The owner introduced me to this book as a new way to consider business, money, and success. This is where I learned the power of passive income and that intellectual property is one of the greatest assets someone can possess.

Now, Discover Your Strengths, from Gallup - Another book I got from my days working at the dance studio after they made me sales manager. I devoured business books and audio courses to learn better leadership skills. While this book focuses on strength-based leadership and management, I found it invaluable in how I centered myself in my life. Taking the StrengthsFinder assessment was one of the best tools for self-awareness I've ever come across.

Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides - I read this hefty book in my undergrad. It's supercharged with so many different narrative arcs and twisting subplots, I'm not sure how to sum it up. It took me on a ride and changed the way I looked at how fiction could be put together. Without this book, I probably wouldn't have been as ready to appreciate A Visit From the Goon Squad or America Fantastica.

The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. - One of my group-class therapists recommended this book. It's about the various ways people store trauma in their bodies, ways they cope with that trauma, and ways that they can overcome the trauma. Through this book, I learned that most of my passions and interests helped me mitigate my traumas in relatively healthy ways. It also taught me how to more realistically portray characters who suffer traumatic experiences in my writing.