TRW Tribute: Sarah MacLean 1:15

There are some pretty awesome things about being an author...holding your first REAL book in your hands...seeing your name in print...meeting your fabulous editor for the first time...discovering that, yes, indeed, you can write a second book...getting invited to speak at gatherings that include more than your family...all this is super duper cool.

But now, as I look down at a manuscript in desperate need of attention, typeset pages screaming to be edited and an ARC of my second baby, NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE, and I'm reminded of the very best thing about writing...readers.

I'm very very lucky to have started writing YA...and I've met some FANTASTIC other authors as part of the 2009 Debutantes and the incredibly close-knit group of YA authors in NYC, but I've also met passionate book bloggers and teen readers who make me seriously happy. They send me emails about my books, they leave insightful comments on my blog, they open my eyes to hundreds of books and authors and things that I never would have come to on my own, they tweet me little 140 character nuggets of encouragement and leave me Facebook goodies that mean WAY MORE than they could ever really know...and more than all that, they remind me why teen reads are so awesome.

Because the teen read world is a vibrant, wonderful community...a group of people who aren't afraid to love books--and to shout it from their blogs. The response and encouragement and support and excitement that radiates off of the community is more than I could ever have imagined...I'm so very proud to be a part of it. And, I hope it will keep me around for a long long time to come.

So thanks to YALSA for helping to build this amazing group...and Happy Teen Read Week!

Sarah MacLean