My Literary Day

Today was quite a day. A day that made me happy to be a writer and a reader. A day that made me happy all around.

I had been very excited to meet the author of The Babysitter's Club, Ann M. Martin. She is one of my all-time favorite writers. Or should I say author. My favorite author. Because when I was a child, that's what I called it. I never said, 'I want to be a writer when I grow up'. I said, 'I want to be an author when I grow up'. I'm not sure when all of that changed. It probably had something to do with me running around college campuses with manuscripts in my messenger bag listening to old men in tweed jackets. But, in any case, I met that author today.

It was not until after I met her that I realized the significance of what had just happened. I was absolutely obsessed with this beloved series. To say that it shaped who I was as a person and how I understood the world is a bit dramatic. But...honestly, when you're 8 years old, and your world is so small and who you are is ready to be defined, YES, these stories are epic. You know the neighborhood you live in, the school you go to, the friends and family you have, and when you open a book and you find a similar world alive in a story it leaves an impression that lasts forever.

I am very grateful that I was able to meet the woman who brought these stories to life for me. The stories that were such an integral part of my childhood. The stories that taught me what stories actually were and made me want to read and write them. It's hard to express what that means.

Just minutes after this, I was off to my very first book launch party. Tyler's friend, Sarah MacLean who I am friends with by proxy, was celebrating the launch of her book Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake, her first adult romance novel. The 1st of a series that is sure to gain tremendous success. How wonderful it is to know someone whose dreams have been realized, who has brought her own stories to life for all the readers waiting to devour all the books in this amazing genre. I am excited to read a romance novel. I've never read one before...

It's been a loverly literary day. A good one.