Remember when you were a kid, and you imagined all the careers you might have? Fiction books can spur the same kind of imagination and allow you to imagine a life that might be yours. You can explore your life’s possibilities in fiction.

One of the things I totally enjoy about writing is that I can imagine different careers or different things I might do. For example, in my next book, Hope in Promise Cove, Alex loves to hike—the more difficult the better. Now, I’d always imagined myself a hiker. A lot of my friends hike. I live (kinda) in Montana, a state full of hikers.

Truth is? I’m not overly found of hiking. I like to think I am, and I love imagining stretching my legs and filling my lungs with good mountain air. But give me a swimming pool (preferably heated), and I’m as happy as an otter.

Fiction can allow you to solve a mystery, escape a madman, or marry a billionaire. All while sitting safely in your home, married to your beloved husband of twenty some odd years.

But fiction can do more than that. It can inspire you to try new things, or face a personal problem you’ve been avoiding. In a rut at work? Read a story about a woman fired from her job and how she manages to make a new life. Feeling sluggish and want to be healthier? Don’t read another diet book. Read a story, as I did once, of a young woman who decided she wanted to run a marathon and did whatever it took to do it, including replacing her candy bars with carrot and celery sticks.

Fiction books can change the world or influence how people think. Remember how the economics of Paul Ryan were influenced by Ayn Rand’s fiction books?

Or how the world shifted after you saw To Kill a Mockingbird based on Harper Lee’s novel?

So much can be felt and explored by reading fiction. Pick up a good book today, turn off the television, and get carried away to another life.

Hope in Promise Cove arrives in less than 4 weeks!