Book with the Biggest Influence on My Life - The Bible

"In All of God's Glory" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Continuing with the blog fest for Marketing for Romance Writers, I thought for a long time about this week's subject, a book that has influenced me most. Despite all of my pondering and wanting to describe a book from modern literature, I kept coming back to the Bible.

Soon after I was born, my mother listed me on The Cradle Roll of the Fredericksburg (VA) Methodist Church. Mother was a very religious woman who often told me proudly that she had read the Bible from cover to cover by the time she was 13 years old. Over the years she made the church a big part of my life. As I write articles and books, words memorized from the Bible long ago still flow through my mind.

As an author, I have been influenced by the works of LaVyrle Spencer whose books, especially  Morning Glory, enchanted me. I loved Margaret Chittenden's reincarnation story, Forever Love, which encouraged me to write Hearts Across Forever. And then there were the beautifully-crafted novels by Diane Chamberlain. All of these books and their authors inspired me, but these stories did not follow me throughout my life as did the Bible.

The Bible versions from which I learned were dusty and old-fashioned, however, the messages prevailed. I hope never to forget those many memorized passages I found long ago. I hope to never forget the hymns that stir me and that special forever-memorable book.