I’m fortunate enough to have my office in a turret. It’s a romantic setting which inspires me every single day. On the staircase leading to the office, the wall is decorated with several author signatures, ones I’ve collected through the years. I call these writers my mentors. Many of them are the women I read as a teen and young adult. There’s Willa Cather, Lillian Hellman, Edna Ferber, Pearl S. Buck. (I couldn’t pick just one!)  As I walk up the staircase I am reminded of the road these women paved for me as a writer and novelist. Because of them and the ground they broke in the male dominated publishing world, I have equal footing. They make me aware, every single time, of my responsibility as a storyteller. Their works have stood the test of time and they inspire me to strive to be the best I can be. At the same time, these women whose photos and signatures grace my wall, bring to mind my responsibility to encourage the next generation of women authors.