I check the news every day. Several times a day. Yes, I am perpetually frustrated and outraged. No, it’s not great for my mental health. (Or for the actual physical health and safety of so many other people. Worry about them, not me.) At the end of the day, at the end of the week while we’re lighting Shabbos candles, I focus inward: Everyone in this family is okay. That’s what I can control. As long as we’re okay, we’re available to help others. And so on to the next week.

So how do I keep writing? How does one stay creative when everything is on fire? For me, this one’s easy. Because I write fantasy.

The entire point of fantasy is to escape reality. It’s to imagine a place where magic exists and people can call down lightning or change shape with their bare hands. Where otherworldly creatures fly, or breathe fire, or heal injuries with a touch of their horn. Where ordinary people band together for an extraordinary purpose, and through their courage, friendship and honor, change the world.

The magic is fun, but it isn’t really the point. Because fantasy is about taking on a quest and seeing it through, no matter the cost. It’s about the best of what we can be. That’s why I grew up reading fantasy, and why I write it now. It tells me what kind of reality to strive for.

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With disappointment and regret, I’m moving on from my middle grade golem novel; after this last rejection, I’ve run out of agents to query. I was hoping for a better result, especially after the manuscript awards, but so be it.

I am happy to report that the superhero anthology I have a story in blew way past its Kickstarter goals and should be out in the next month or two. Also happy to report that the foreword was written by J.M. DeMatteis, comics legend who’s written for a ton of superhero titles. His Moonshadow is considered the first fully painted graphic novel; when I read it years ago, I thought it was offbeat, funny and a strange kind of beautiful.

I have another story acceptance that I’m hoping to announce soon. Otherwise, I have various stories boomeranging back and forth looking for homes and a fantasy novel-in-progress that’s starting to look like something interesting. So we’ll see what the next few months bring.

Keep writing, stay safe.