The first story I ever fell in love with was called Bettina's Secret (by Britt G. Hallqvist).  After that it was Bruce Coville and Christopher Pike, followed by Tamora Pierce, David Eddings,and  a book called The Silver Thimble, who's author I don't remember. I devoured Roots by the time I was twelve and fell in love with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time when I was seventeen.  Each author I read, these word smiths of fiction, opened up inside me a desire to create what they create, to give to others what they had given to me. New worlds to explore, new people to love, and always new pages to turn.

Avatar is Sheldon the Tiny Dinosaur who thinks he's a turtle. Credit goes to Panaran. You can find more Sheldon stories here : http://sheldonthetinydinosaur.com/about