My parents never understood it. Many of my friends aren’t into it, but tolerate me all the same. My grandfather loved it, so I guess it skipped a generation in this family. But what is it about the fantasy genre that still hooks people today?

Escapism? Certainly. Vent for imagination? Absolutely. Game of Thrones and other addicting Telly? Too right! But mostly it’s our love of stories. That endless internal quest for who we are and where we’re from. Music, art, movies and books provide much needed solace in a world held ransom to Time. All tell stories in their unique fashion. Even the simplest pop song warbles out a yarn however trite.

But fantasy, in particular, is a release valve. There are no barriers here, no restrictions. Anything is possible, because why shouldn’t anything be possible? We live on a fertile ball spinning through space at beyond warp speed, the only constraints the bonds we place around our own imaginations, lest we go bonkers and self destruct like a Dalek facing a set of stairs. In this new digital age we need that release valve more than ever, and good stories are still where that’s at. Whether your gig is Crime, Romance, espionage, SiFi or, maybe fantasy? Doesn’t matter. Turn on that escape faucet/tap, let it flow, unleash the Force, and allow your mind wander into other realms.

Or different worlds entirely, as with the fantasy genre. Narnia, L.O.T.R, Potter,  G.O.T, and Star Wars, Star Trek or Marvel Super Heroes, they’re all very different but hold similar themes. The human struggle. The eternal question. The story of Good verses Evil always pervades, whether played out by The Watchers on the Wall, Prince Caspian, Harry Potter, or Aragorn at Minis Tirith, Han and Leia, or Captain Kirk with Klingons on the starboard bow. These are the people we root for — the strugglers. Then there’s the guys in the know: Gandalf, Merlin, Dumbledore, Obi wan Kenobi hold the answers. But then what were the questions again? And what about those bad guys? What’s their gig?

In this fun Radio Interview with Larry and Robin at Ocala FM in Florida, we discuss this moot topic and ask, among other things, why Superman wears his underpants outside his vest. We are curious folk and always have been, and our ‘quest’ for answers is an endless journey. Whether or not those answers are out there, why not let the journey to find them be fun? Free your mind and let the stories carry you far away, (but not when driving on I-285 — that would be bad.)Whatever your thoughts on fantasy, it’s here to stay. As long as we have tongues we’ll be telling stories, and ex-truckers like me will be scribbling stuff down whilst muttering incantations over auto-spell corrections.

FYI, my world Ansu opens wide that imagination faucet. Clenched between gritty dialogue, tense action and quarrelsome characters, you will encounter a place where the mind roams free. Unfettered as a dragon crossing dimensions into outer dark. If you’d like to learn more and get a FREE ebook, (illustrated beautifully by Tolkien Artist, Roger Garland) in the mix then Click Here But whatever you do, let your mind roam free. You don’t need mushrooms or substances, just a good old fashioned daydream will take you there. To check out the rest of the books Look Here To see Roger Garland’s fabulous art Teleport Here 

Happy reading! J.W.