'It's somewhere else to go'

 

“Ijust love writing. It's magical, it's somewhere else to go, it's somewhere muchmore dreadful, somewhere much more exciting. Somewhere I feel I belong,possibly more than in the so-called real world.” –  Tanith Lee
Born in London on this date in 1947 Lee authored some 90 novels and 300short stories, a children's picture book (Animal Castle), and manypoems in a 40-year career (she died in 2015).   She was the first woman towin the British Fantasy Award for best novel for Death's Master and recipient of the World Fantasy Lifetime Achevement Award shortly before her death.

Despiteher success with adult fiction, a large part of herprolific output was in children's fantasy, starting with her first book TheDragon Hoard in 1971, to her highly successful ClaidiJournals that included the bestselling books Wolf Tower, Wolf Star, Wolf Queenand Wolf Wing in the  2000s.
Much of her work, shesaid, came from "small things" rather than major inspirations, and asto her preference for whatshe liked to write, she replied, “Writing is writing, and stories are stories.Perhaps the only true genres are fiction and non-fiction."
                               
She encouraged everyone to write, saying, “Writers tell stories better, becausethey've had more practice, but EVERYONE has a book in them. Yes, that oldcliche.  But I believe it's true.”