The Magic of Make-Believe

From the time I was a kid, Halloween has always been my favorite time of year. I loved dressing up. . .I would obsess all summer about what my costume would be that year. I loved the candy, sure, but I loved everything else, too. The jack-o-lanterns. The sweet smell of leaves crunching underfoot. The skeleton decorations and fake cobwebs. The excitement of waiting for true dark to fall so the trick=or-treating could begin. The sense of magic edged with danger as we went from house to house in the shadowy night. (Okay, we were never out of sight of our parents, but we could pretend.) Long before the word fangirl came into being, I had an absolute obsession with the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow.

I still love Halloween. What better excuse to drag out the medieval garb that usually only gets to see light of day if I turn up at a Society for Creative Anachronism event, or to get in touch with my inner pirate? But what, you might ask, does this have to do with books?

Simple. I think that the same yearning for magic, the same need to try on new characters and new lives, drives the love of fiction. Not just for writers, but for readers. Like all good authors, I am a voracious reader as well. I love a book that will take me to new worlds, to get into a character’s skin, to explore a new way of thinking, a new way of being.

So, remember this when the candy corn has all been eaten and the jack-o-lanterns have been relegated to the compost heap. You can keep the magic of make-believe year-round, just by setting aside time for a quiet corner and a good book.

Shawna Reppert is a best-selling author of award-winning fantasy and steampunk. You can find out more about her work at www.Shawna-Reppert.com