Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes, they wield pens and write about werewolves and mythical kings.
Ever since I was about 12, Maggie Stiefvater has been my favorite author. The moment I picked up Shiver, I was unable to put it back down. Her words, her story, and her world pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go. (It’s not like was trying to get away, though.) I loved the book so much, I made anyone I talked to read it. We chatted about the epic love between Sam Roth and Grace Bisbrane over pizza on those ugly plastic blue school trays. We tossed funny quotes back and forth to each other constantly. I’m sure we drove our classmates insane. It was something that I held onto so tightly because it opened up a whole other possibility for me—the possibility to tell my own stories.
I will forever credit The Twilight Saga for cultivating my love of reading. But, hands down, The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater inspired me to put my own words onto paper.
Over the summer I finally had the chance to meet Maggie. When I heard she was going to be attending BookCon 2019 in New York City, I instantly purchased a ticket. A friend of mine joined me on our book-loving adventure to meet some amazing authors. But I had one goal in mind, and it was to meet Maggie Stiefvater and tell her how much I loved her writing.
I stood in line for almost an hour, and I honestly would have waited longer if had to. I was practically shaking with excitement when I stepped up to meet her. She was signing early released copies of her new novel Call Down the Hawk. I brought along my original copy of Shiver for her to sign and I instantly blurted out that it has been my favorite book for years. I’m still amazed I got to talk to her about my love for this book.
I am beyond glad that I had the chance to meet the woman that showed me that all of the stories in my head could be told. It’s something I will remember forever. So thank you, Maggie, for writing some of the most impactful characters that have helped to shape my life since I was a teenager. And thank you for taking the time to talk to your fans and listen to their thoughts.
Moral of the story kiddos, if you get the chance to meet your favorite author, take it. You won’t regret it.