You know that moment when “just one more chapter” becomes three hours later? It’s a truly precious moment, because it means you have been caught up in a story so compelling that it causes you to forget that alarm clocks and day jobs and flannel pajamas are the reality. You’ve obtained a new reality inside a character’s head, and it so outshines your own that you don’t even remember that time is passing.

What magic.  What sleep-deprived magic.

I love this experience, but you know who hates it? Future me. Future me with her office hours and responsibilities and decision not to be a coffee drinker. Future me is super resentful of “just one more chapter.” But she’ll have to suck it up. Story trumps sleep every time.

S.E. Lund