October is National Book Month, and as a reader/reviewer and a author, I can't let the month pass without celebrating the magic of books.

There’s something special about opening a book.

You might be sitting in your favorite chair with a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate beside you, but suddenly you're somewhere else entirely. You could be walking through a medieval kingdom, traveling across the prairie, stepping into another time, or following a character into a world where dragons are real.

And all it takes is turning a page.

Books Take Us Somewhere

One of my favorite things about reading is the way a good story can transport us.

I’ve always loved stories that make me forget I'm sitting in a chair reading a book. The characters become people I care about. Their problems become important. Their victories feel like victories I can celebrate with them.

As a fantasy author, I have plenty of opportunities to send readers somewhere beyond the ordinary. Dragons, time travel, ancient secrets, impossible choices, and adventures are all part of the fun. But beneath those elements, I’m interested in something more familiar: people.

• What will someone sacrifice for those they love?
• Where does courage come from when the path ahead looks impossible?
• What happens when someone has to choose between what is easy and what is right?

Those are the questions that make a fantasy world meaningful to me.

Books Can Also Bring Us Home

Not every book needs to take us to an imaginary world. Sometimes a story transports us into another time and allows us to experience a life very different from our own. Historical stories can do that beautifully. They remind us that people in the past faced many of the same emotions we do—love, grief, hope, fear, loneliness, courage, and the desire to belong.

That's one reason I enjoy writing stories set in different times and places. Whether I'm writing about dragons and time travel or a family living on the Wyoming frontier, the setting may change, but the heart of the story remains human.

The Joy of Being a Reader

For many years, I considered myself a slow reader (because that's what I was labeled). These days, I'm reading more than I ever imagined I would. And that has reminded me of something important: reading doesn't have to be a race.

There are no extra points for finishing a book quickly. A book can be read a chapter at a time. A few pages before bed. A quiet afternoon with a cup of coffee. Or one more chapter that somehow turns into several more because you just have to find out what happens.

The joy is in the journey. And sometimes the books we remember most aren't necessarily the ones we read the fastest. They're the ones that made us feel something.

The Stories We Carry With Us

Some books entertain us for a few hours. Others stay with us. Maybe you remember where you were when you first read one. Maybe a particular character became a lifelong favorite. Maybe a story helped you through a difficult season or opened your eyes to something you'd never considered before.

For me, one of those books was Rascal by Sterling North. I read it when I was in seventh grade, and something about that story stuck. I loved the idea of having a raccoon so much that I wanted one of my own. I certainly didn't expect that a book I read as a seventh grader would eventually become part of my real life. But about ten years later, it happened.

A baby raccoon named Aero came into my life, and suddenly that childhood wish became a very real—and very memorable—adventure. That story is one I’ve decided to share with my newsletter subscribers this month as exclusive content. It's a short story about Aero and how a book I read as a child planted a little seed of possibility that stayed with me for years. It's a reminder that we never really know what a story will leave behind.

Sometimes it's a favorite character. Sometimes it's a lifelong love of a particular kind of story. And sometimes, apparently, it's a raccoon. Those stories become part of us.

That's one of the reasons I love being an author. I get to create stories and characters and then send them out into the world, hoping they'll find the readers who need them. I don't know where every book will travel once it leaves my hands. But I know that somewhere, someone may open one of those books and step through the door. And that's a wonderful thing. 

Celebrating National Book Month

So, during October, I'm celebrating books—not just the books I write, but all the books that have entertained us, challenged us, comforted us, inspired us, and carried us somewhere new.

If you're a reader, I hope you find a story this month that makes you want to stay up for one more chapter. If you're looking for a next read, you can check out my Book HookUp review blog for recommendations. I only review books I can give 3-5 stars.

If you're an author, I hope you remember the joy that comes from creating something that didn't exist before you put those first words on the page. And if you're somewhere in between?

• Pick up a book.
• Open the cover.
• Turn the page.

You never know where the story might take you.

Happy National Book Month! 📚❤️