Good Novels Take You on an Adventure

Are you an escapist reader? Do you open a novel to learn about new places? To experience a thrilling adventure? Solve a puzzling mystery? Follow inspiring or messy relationships? Watch two people fall in love?

I do, and I know I’m not alone! Fiction is popular because we all long to live vicariously through others—from the comfort of our own homes. Whether that be surviving on Mars with poor Mark Watney, solving crime with Sherlock, or witnessing the confusing courtship of Darcy, for a few hours we are in the protagonists’ shoes, feeling their emotions.

I first experienced this as a teen when reading M.M. Kaye’s suspense novels as they transported me from wet, gray, and gloomy Washington winters to international locations such as Zanzibar, Cyprus, Berlin, and the Andamans. It wasn’t until years later that I realized how much they prepared my heart for extensive travel as an adult.

Novels can inspire readers to experience new places, become open to new ideas, people, and cultures—all for the low cost of an e-book or a free library borrow. No expensive airline tickets to buy, car rentals to arrange, or pricey hotels to stay in. Exciting experiences await, and they don’t even require you to leave your favorite comfy chair! You can read when it’s convenient, pause when necessary, and return to re-read favorite scenes again and again. I know some people feel this way about TV, but books are it for me!

I love my family and I’m incredibly grateful for the blessing of life with them, but as an introvert, I adore reading. I’m filled with giddy excitement when I start a new novel and know from page one that it’s exactly what I long for in a book. That it will become my new favorite read.

As a mother of three teens and one eleven-year-old, seeing my children develop a love for reading too is one of my biggest joys. Once they’re independently reading, we start with Percy Jackson and Harry Potter before advancing to The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Scorpio Races, and then classics like A Tale of Two Cities and Lord of the Rings.

I saw this quote today and it encompasses what I love about novels:

“I have lived a thousand lives and I have loved a thousand loves. I’ve walked on distant worlds and seen the end of time. Because I read.” -George R. R. Martin

We might forget who wrote a book, the characters names, certain plot points, but we will never forget how a book made us FEEL.

Since I started writing my own novels and turning my creative passion into “work” sometimes I need to remind myself that novels should be FUN. If I’m not enjoying the writing process, it’s time to step back and reevaluate my mindset and why I’m writing in the first place. I never want to lose the enjoyment, and it’s something I’ve seen other authors struggle with as time passes. I don’t have an agent yet, so the only deadlines are those I set for myself, and the only limitation is my own imagination. I’m determined to enjoy this stage I’m in and the freedom of it. (But yes, I’m praying 2024 brings me an agent and a publishing deal!)

I love being inspired by songs, photos, nature, travel, things people say and do, experiences, and other creative works. I enjoy having full control over the setting, characters, and plot in my stories. Crafting their adventures, putting my darlings through hell, forcing them to grow, and then giving them the happily ever after we all internally crave.

In my first novel, Blood on the Board, I tagged along with my protagonist Penny when she stole her younger sister’s invitation and found herself in a tournament playing chess against a powerful AI that uses real people as the chess pieces. I watched her fall in love with Evan Green, and hated every horrible move she was forced to make to survive the game.

In my latest novel, House of Hunger, I felt Cora’s loneliness and saw firsthand how the tense relationship with her grandfather fed her desire to leave him and his spooky house on the cliffs of Puerto Rico. I understood her anger and despair when he denied her a trip to visit her aunt in America, and then left her home alone. I experienced her fear when intense pounding led her to his dark study one night and she discovered a magical box with three beating hearts inside. Human hearts she must keep alive by feeding them fresh blood. Dun, dun, dun.

I love escapist reads, and so escapist reads are what I write at this point in my life. My goal is to someday see my novels published and in the hands of eager readers who want to experience an adventure and become lost within the pages. But even if that never happens, these stories have left their mark on me forever. Yes, I write them for you, but I mainly write them for me.

2024 is a new year and I’m eager to experience it in real life, AND through books.

Whether you read political thrillers, domestic suspense, sci-fi, mysteries, historical fiction, romance, or YA (my favorite genre!), I hope you find time to crack open the spine of a new novel (or open the Kindle app on your phone) and start reading! Adventure awaits!

Are you a subscriber? 2024 promises some exciting developments with my latest YA horror novel, House of Hunger, and I’d love to have you join me on the journey!

Happy 2024!

Michelle