An introduction to your new Patron of Reading, Mike Revell

 

Written by Mike Revell

When I was asked to be Patron of Reading at The King’s School, it was a real honour. I’ve been a fan of the scheme since it was created, and have seen first-hand the impact that authors are having on schools all around the country.

As a kid, I can’t remember a single time that an author visited my school – either at primary school or secondary school. I think if we’d had more visits from authors, I might have learned to love reading a long time before I did.

Now authors visit schools all across the world. And the Patron of Reading scheme allows us a chance to talk to you on a regular basis, work with you, and hopefully inspire you along the way.

I’m really looking forward to working with you over the course of the year. I’ve met with many of you already, but since I couldn’t speak to everyone when I introduced Book Bingo earlier this year, I thought writing a blog would be a good way to say hello.

This will be a place where you can get to know me in between visits, learn more about Author Life, and ask any questions you might have.

But first of all, I’d better introduce myself! My name’s Mike Revell, and when I’m not writing I mostly spend my time playing on the PlayStation, watching NFL, and eating pizza. My favourite games are For Honor, Madden, most Call of Duty games, and RPGs like The Witcher or Elder Scrolls. My absolute favourite of all time, though, is Final Fantasy VII. If you haven’t played it, you should definitely check it out.

I grew up just outside Cambridge, but I’ve lived in North Wales for five years now. I love being around the mountains, and taking my little Jack Russell, Cookie, on walks through the wilderness.

Snowdonia is a really inspiring place to live as an author, because everywhere you look there are stunning mountains, lakes and castles. I remember reading how Christopher Paolini, the author of Eragon, got a lot of inspiration from the landscape around him in Montana. Now I’ve got a full appreciation of how the mountains can draw you in, and they’ve got a big role in the book I’m writing at the moment.

The main goal of the Patron of Reading scheme is to encourage a love of reading. I know many of you already enjoy reading, but I also know some of you don’t – and there’s nothing wrong with that. I used to hate reading. It felt too much like work.

But I found the right book at the perfect moment in time, and it made me realise that reading could be just as worthy as playing on the PlayStation – and sometimes better.

Author S.F. Said wrote recently that “the books we love when we’re young stay with us forever, and make us who we are.” I very much believe that to be true. My favourite books of all time are the books I read when I was young.

It’s our job as authors to write stories that make it worth your time to read them. And it’s my job as Patron of Reading to try to help you find books that are right for you. Books that have your name on them. Books that burrow deep inside and stay with you for the rest of your lives.