Let’s pretend. Those were my favorite words when I was a kid. I said them almost everyday.

“Let’s pretend we are unicorns living in the forest.” “Let’s pretend we are building a canoe to ride down the river to the ocean.” “Let’s pretend we live in the sky.”

After I would say those magical words, my siblings and I would embark on a day filled with imagination, storytelling, and character playing.

I never realized how I still pretend today. Instead of asking my brother and sisters if they want to pretend, I ask my readers:

—”Let’s pretend we have to live on the mountaintops because there is a mist that fills the valleys and turns you into zombies.” (the premise for Secrets in the Mist)

—”Let’s pretend we can visit dreams.” or “Let’s pretend we can control water.” (both premises for the Ravenwood Saga)

—”Let’s pretend that when I touch you, I can see every thought and memory you have.” (the premise for Daughter of Light).

See where I am going? I never gave up pretending. Instead, I turned it into stories. I hold out my hand to my readers and I say, “Let’s pretend today.”

Don’t forget to pretend for there is joy in creating. And the world needs our pretend. It gives people a reprieve from life, and hope and fortitude when they return. I’ll leave you with these words from J.R.R. Tolkien:

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape?. . . If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it’s our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”