Why I Want to Be Khaled Hosseini When I Grow Up

Apparently, my whole life, I have wanted to be an Afghan born man who moved to France, and then became a citizen of the United States. I say this, because, apparently, I have always wanted to be Khaled Hosseini. I have just finished reading--no, devouring-- Hosseini's latest novel, And The Mountains Echoed. Wow.  That is just about all I can say. Wow.

You see, I have never been to Afghanistan, well, not in real life.  But Hosseini has taken me there, shown me around, made me smell and breathe and feel everything around me.  How does he DO THAT?  It's amazing.

And his characters!  Now, logically, I know that these people do not exist.  But, to me, they DO.  They really do.  I care about them.  I hurt for them.  I want to know what motivates them, what drives them, what they are feeling.  When his books end, I want to know what his characters (the ones still around) are doing.  When Hosseini's characters have tragedies in their lives (and, oh boy, do they have tragedies), I am in pain for them.  I cry.  No, I weep, for these people.

This, this passion for people who are not actually real, this is what I want to incite in others.  This is how I want people to feel about my characters.

I am currently working on a novel about Lucy and Phil.  I want you to love them.  I love them.  I want you to cry for them, laugh with them, pound your fists in agony when things don't go their way.  When the book is finished, I want you to think about them later.  I want you to hear a song and think, "Oh, this reminds me of Lucy."  I want them to be real, to you.

So, kudos to you, Khaled.  I know that, once upon a time, you were a young man, and you started with ideas in your mind, a few words on paper.  You put that together and created three fantastic novels.   You have done it.  You have lived the writers' dream.  Thank you, as a reader and fan, for your hard work.  Now get busy, because I'm ready for the next one.

There are many other authors who have done this for me, but today I happened to finish this book and I am missing these characters.  Maybe tomorrow I will read your book, dear reader, and miss your characters.  Most of all, it is my dream that someday you will read about Lucy and Phil, and welcome them into your heart.  It is the greatest compliment a writer can ever get.