Favorite Author

I have always loved writing and drawing. My mother says I started drawing things from the time I first held a crayon. I'm sure writing came a little later. 

I have been inspired, challenged, and awed by many artists and authors in my life so far. From the ones who seem to see things similarly to the way I do, I have gained validation - that I'm not the only one. From those who see things differently, I have learned to tilt my head, squint my eyes, and look again. The "aha moment" doesn't always come, but when it does, so does a smile. 

Ask me who my favorites are and my answers may vary day to day. But some have never changed. These are the most enduring inspirations for me. 

I still marvel at the incredibly complex simplicity with which Maurice Sendak accomplished Where the Wild Things Are. I am amazed at every viewing of Leonardo daVinci's self portraits or Claude Monet's Water Lilies series. I enjoy great thrillers from Robert Ludlum and John LeCarre. 

The one author who has been the most influential in my life, however, lives right here in Chunky. Wayne Campbell, my dad, kept us wide-eyed and giggling with every yarn he told when we were kids. 

As co-author of two books and future author of more, I hope, I learned much from just observing Dad submitting stories, articles, and Bible lessons for publication. His typewritten short stories gave me hours of enjoyment and set my imagination on fire. The way he read Scripture to us made me feel like I was there to witness the events. 

My kids love for me to tell them stories - true, made up, or a combination of the two. If I were to print business cards with my passion as my occupation, they would read "Storyteller". But I tell my kids fairly often, "You need to get Poppa to tell you a story!" My chip came from his block.

I have learned so much from my parents, and if I am a good father at all, it is not in spite of mine, but because of him. We celebrated Fathers Day this past Sunday, and spent the day acknowledging how grateful we are for the fathers we have been given. I hope you have taken the opportunity to express your love for your father, your determination to be a great father, or your gratefulness for those who have served as father figures in your life.

No one can be more grateful for their father than am I. My Chunky father tells stories, and lives a life, well worth reading. For both, I say thanks, Dad. 

Note: This blog originally ran as an installment in my weekly column in the Newton County Appeal newspaper, Union, MS, June 18, 2014.