I’ve always been interested in fairy tales and fantasy. Some of my favorite books are re-imaginings of old fairy tales, and I think it is amazing how the same stories from centuries ago can be retold over and over, each author bringing something new to it.

My favorite authors include Gail Carson Levine, JK Rowling, Christopher Paolini, and Rick Riordan. My favorite thing about fantasy is the freedom it gives to authors. Authors such as Levine and Paolini create entire worlds complete with separate cultures, languages and fashions. Rowling and Riordan use the framework of the existing modern world, but add a new hidden element to it, pushing past the boundaries of life as we know it. When I read, I want to experience something I cannot experience anywhere in this world. And when I write, I want to give my readers that feeling as well.

A lot of people undervalue fantasy, because it isn’t real and could never be real–but the fantasy I have read has taught me very real lessons about the world around me.