Sometimes I want danger, romance, and adventure—as long as none of it can reach me in my comfortable chair.
When I was young and searching for my next book, I didn’t browse the shelves by genre.
I wasn’t thinking, *Today I need a mystery,* or *This feels like a science-fiction afternoon.*
I was looking for escape.
I wanted a story that would pull me out of my ordinary world and take me somewhere fun, exciting, romantic, mysterious, or completely unexpected. Every so often, I found a new author whose stories gave me exactly what I was looking for.
That discovery felt like striking gold.
Mary Stewart. Georgette Heyer. Alistair MacLean. Victoria Holt. Mary Elgin.
Each offered a different escape: romance wrapped in mystery, wit and charm, danger and momentum, suspense and shadowy settings. Every new author opened another doorway into immersive storytelling.
Finding one of those authors never felt like discovering only one book. It felt like discovering a whole shelf of possibilities.
There is a special kind of reader joy in finishing a book you loved, turning to the author’s backlist, and realizing, *Oh, good. There are more.*
That was the real treasure—not a genre label, but a trusted storyteller who could give me the feeling I was looking for again.
The delight of disappearing
What I loved most was disappearing completely into a book.
Not simply enjoying it. Not merely following the plot.
Getting lost.
The outside world would fade away, and for a little while, the only place that felt real was the one inside the story. I could forget where I was, what time it was, and occasionally that other people expected me to respond when they spoke.
I wanted the kind of book that closed the door on ordinary life and opened another one somewhere else—a crumbling manor, a dangerous mountain, a witty drawing room, or a mystery in a faraway place. What mattered was that I forgot everything outside the book.
That kind of escape still feels like magic to me. I want to care about the characters, worry about what happens next, and keep turning pages long after I meant to stop. When I reach the end, I want to feel satisfied—and maybe a little sad that it’s over.
That sadness is part of the delight. It means the book became a place I didn’t want to leave. It means the characters mattered. For a little while, I lived somewhere else.
Sometimes the chemistry works
Why one book sweeps me away while another leaves me standing outside the door is still a puzzle.
I think it comes down to chemistry.
There is a kind of synergy between the reader, the words, the characters, the way the story unfolds, and the satisfaction waiting at the end. When those pieces come together, the book stops feeling like words on a page and becomes an experience.
When they don’t, even a promising story can leave me disappointed. Sometimes the plot builds toward something bold, only to pull its punches. Sometimes a character reaches the defining moment—and wimps out. Sometimes an intriguing possibility fades into a vague cloud of meh.
That may be the most frustrating reading disappointment: seeing the wonderful book it almost became.
Because reading is so personal, I don’t think there is a perfect formula for creating that chemistry every time. A story that captivates one reader may leave another untouched.
Still, whenever I open a new book, I hope for that rare reaction where the story and I meet at exactly the right moment—and the outside world disappears.
Writing the book while reading it
That same delight is what I’m trying to create when I write.
I want readers to disappear into the story, care about what happens, and reach the end feeling the journey delivered on its promise. If I introduce danger, conflict, or an emotional promise, I want to follow it through instead of letting it quietly fade into meh.
Part of the reason is that while I’m writing a book, I’m also “reading” it.
It’s just a much longer reading experience than usual. 😄
I’m discovering the characters, following the complications, and waiting to see whether the pieces come together in a satisfying way. I want to finish writing the way I want to finish reading: satisfied, a little breathless, and maybe even sad that it’s over.
We don’t always need the same escape
Our reading moods change with what is happening in our lives.
Sometimes we want excitement. Sometimes we need comfort. Sometimes we want to laugh, fall in love, solve a mystery, or leave the real world behind for a little while.
I understand that need for escape very personally. I wrote my romance short stories during a particularly difficult time. At first, I wrote them in my head. They gave me somewhere else to go for a few minutes—a small door out of a situation I couldn’t immediately change.
Later, when things eased, I wrote the stories down. But before they became words on a page, they had already done something important for me: they gave me little breaks from a hard reality.
Stories are not frivolous. Escape is not always avoidance. Sometimes it is rest. Sometimes it is breathing room. Sometimes it is how we gather enough strength to return to the real world.
Finding the right book for this moment
That is the idea behind my **Perilously Fun Mood Reads** tool.
I designed it to help readers find the book they want—even when it isn’t one of mine. My goal, as both an author and a reader, is to help people who love reading find the story they need at that particular moment.
Instead of beginning with genre, the tool begins with mood.
What are you craving?
Romance? Adventure? Comfort? Laughter? Danger? A safe escape that is still exciting enough to make the real world disappear for a while?
The tool then offers books that may fit your reading mood. Click here to check out my Perilously Fun Mood Reads tool.
I would genuinely love for you to try it and tell me what you think. Did the suggestions fit your mood? Did you discover a book you might not have found otherwise? Is there a reading craving you wish it included?
Because the whole point is to help you find the right book for the moment you’re in—even when it isn’t one of mine.
Especially when it gives you that rare, wonderful feeling of closing the door on the outside world and getting completely lost in a good book.
What are you craving from your next read?