Growing up in a small town offered me the chance to live a carefree childhood full of daydreams and fun. I spent most of my time with friends, horses and dogs. Later on, as with all of us, life presented responsibilities and challenges. Still, I love disappearing into the fictitious worlds of my mind. Sadly, in the real world, we fear letting our guard down to save ourselves from hurt. Books can give us that escape, where after trials things turn out well for our protagonists. Perhaps we dream things would happen that way in our own lives.