A Book Nerd's Inner Voices

The Best Friend I Never Knew

It's amazing how intricately you get to know someone by reading what they write. I, at least, tend to feel like I know the author as well as I know the characters. Ridiculous, yes. I don't know them personally. They have no idea who I am. Yet, because I've entered another world through their words, met unforgettable people, seen amazing things and been privileged with a glimpse into their soul, I feel a kinship with the author that makes no rational sense, and yet the affection I feel for them is as real as any person I've actually met in the flesh.





I often wonder what it would be like to meet them. Would it be disappointing? Surreal? Amusing? Who are they really? Are they anything like the characters I love so much? What is their lifestyle like? Who do they turn to for advice? Who makes their blood boil, their heart race? What makes them smile? What makes them cry? And while I don't know the answers to these questions, I still know a bit about how they think, what makes them tick, what makes them laugh. I've seen it through the eyes of the people they create, the worlds they walk through. I've felt it in a kiss I've read. I've laughed with Puck, mourned with Bella. Sighed with Edward and ridden with Jacob. I've fought with Jace and for him with Clary. I've joked with Simon and pined with Will. I've been torn with Tessa and smiled with Jem. I have loved with Ash, been stubborn with Meghan. I've learned with Daemon and flown with Lucivar. I've shared evenings with Saetan and gotten into trouble with Jaenelle. I've sang with Katniss, baked with Peeta. I've hunted with Gale and drank with Haymitch. Fought fires with Reena and been slightly crazy but loveable with Bo. I've flown with Harry, gotten into trouble with Ron, and who can forgot that I've learned spells from Hermione. I've walked the corridors of Hogwarts, traipsed through the Wylds of the Nevernever, gone to an Orioles game in Philly, lived through three arenas, navigated the politics of Terrelle and witnessed the blessings of Kaelar. I've flown through the streets of New York, fought on the plains of Idris. I've gone to school in Forks and lived in the Institute in London.





I may not know these writers personally, but in a way, I do know them. Because I know their characters, I know their worlds. Every time they put pen to paper, they poured out part of themselves and as readers, we are gifted with a chance to read it. If I have one goal as a writer, it is to have my readers feel about my characters, and through them, me, the way I felt about my favorite authors since I first opened their books. One day.