“I read to escape reality” - This is BS

I used to be - and in a way, I still am - an avid reader. I could easily spend afternoons or an entire day working through a good book. I traveled to London, Paris, Kyoto; I met sassy teenagers, princes with scales, and a vet nearly killed by a bull; I learned of love and romance and friendship and cruelty. Much of my knowledge was built off of books. I often wished that I could be transported into one for even a day - to not only meet these characters but to also live the excitement and adventure they had. I often saw books as the closest way I could find adventure and this frustrated me because some inner spark did not want to watch - I wanted to do it, I wanted to have that adventure and love of life and excitement.

Now, I am finding that I can.

In my first quest - pursuing my goal of writing my first novel, “World of Creatures; Spark of the Beginning” - I found no two days were the same and a passion in me that fueled my weakest days. I was far from perfect and made more mistakes but each time I learned something. And in doing so, I found that I was living like never before.

You can live it! You do not need to escape reality. Do you want to be a hero? Stand up for the millions who are voiceless. Do you want to meet fantastical creatures and have a loyal sidekick? Visit a local animal shelter - the animals there will make you feel even more of the love than you do while reading. Craving the magic of Harry Potter? Open anything wild about the sciences, be it chemistry or biology.

“Stranger than fiction” is a phrase I have come to love because what happens in the world around us is not only inspiration for stories, it is the story.

Let’s make this story happen.