We are so excited to feature the author of Beautiful Girl, Fleur Philips in this week’s edition of Inspired By. Here, she shares the five books that have inspired her most.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Brilliantly written, but most notably, the age of S.E. Hinton when she wrote it (she started writing the novel at the age of 15). I remember thinking how awesome it was that she was so young when she wrote it. I saw the movie when I was in 3^rd grade, and I had just won an all-school writing competition. What more inspiration did I need?

Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

I had just started graduate school and based on the content of I Am Lucky Bird, my graduate school mentor suggested I read Bastard Out of Carolina. The novel is rich and powerful, and exceptionally written. I wanted my readers to connect with Lucky the same way I connected with Bone.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

What inspired me about this novel is how it is written. I’ve always believed in the traditional form of writing, but Crank opened my eyes to all of the possibilities we have as writers. Not to mention, it was incredibly deep, and Ellen Hopkins managed to suck me in, even with her prose style.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Another beautifully written novel with the most amazing young love story. I have a number of reviewers who have criticized the immediate love between Melanie and Sam in Beautiful Girl. I believe in love at first sight, and while writing the book, often thought back about the instant love between Inman and Ada.

Lucky by Alice Sebold

As a writer who was once afraid to take risks, reading Lucky took that fear away. Alice Sebold exposed the very core of her being in retelling an incredibly traumatic event in her life, and she did it so eloquently I almost forgot I was reading a non-fiction novel.