Helen Harrison. Reader, writer, rambler.
In slightly longer terms, then, my name is Helen, I’m 19, and like most self-professed bookworms, I’ve been reading since my ability to retain memory manifested. The first books I have a memory of reading include such gems as the Biff and Chip or Magic Key learn-to-read series, Hairy McLairy, and The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Nowadays, my reading tastes have branched out somewhat, and among my current favourites are The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, and The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotsen.
Writing is something – as opposed to the majority of folks who love it from day one – that I almost stumbled into by accident. As a young child, I disliked most of the writing I had to do in class, whether it be a few lines about the evolution of the electric iron to a few pages about how cool superhero are. My writing speed was incredibly slow, and my attention span was flimsy at best. I would regularly be reprimanded for staring out the window or not finishing my work – once, when I was five, I was kept in for the entire lunch hour because I had failed to complete the three lines necessary for the task we had been set. Even then, I still only managed two short sentences before class resumed (no, I’m not still bitter, promise).
Throughout primary school, with the help of some wonderful teachers and an increased dexterity in my left hand, these problems vanished almost entirely. Writing, then, became somewhat of a joy, and I could focus on my favourite aspect of childhood play – creating stories. My endeavours moved from playing games about superpowered orphans to writing about superpowered orphans, and my love for fictional characters someone else had created fuelled my love for dreaming up such characters myself.
I do have a few non-literary hobbies. I’m a keen surfer and ice skater, although I can’t do either with a reasonable level of regularity. I love my cats, despite my rather insufferable allergies to all things with fur – thus ending a childhood dream to become a vet rather swiftly and terribly. I also have a love of theatre and music that goes beyond reading plays. Performing – particularly in front of large audiences – is a favourite pastime of mine. Comic books make up a significant portion of the tomes on my shelves, and I have wholeheartedly embraced the labels of ‘geek’ and ‘nerd’ since I picked up The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. I also have a deep affection for movies and television, and you can regularly expect to find me lurking on my Amazon Prime account, voraciously consuming episodes of The X Files or The 100, or watching Black Panther or Roman Holiday for the millionth time.
