Author Appreciation Week - Part Three!!!

Today on Author Appreciation Week I am going to thank my favorite YA author!!! So without further ado...

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Cassandra Clare!!!

When I was a child and even when I was in high school, I would go to bookstores (usually with my mom) and browse around. Usually there were certain books that someone recommended, or we got the latest Newberry Winner (pretty much a sure thing that it would be a good book). But sometimes, I just browsed. I found some of my favorite books that way, like The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and The Westing Game.

But as I got older, there were just too many books! I found myself gravitating towards authors I knew or books that had been recommended. Sure, I picked up the occasional random book, read the back and thought, huh, looks good, and put it back, forgetting all about it.

Then came Autumn 2009...

I went to the movies (My Sister's Keeper) with some friends from work (fellow Twi-hards), and once we were done crying (man that movie is S-A-D), we went to Barnes & Noble across the way to get something to fill the void left by Bella & Edward. I tried a few other YA books here and there and was mostly disappointed. (Also, I must admit, before Twilight, I didn't realize there was a whole genre for young adults! Who knew?? I read adult books when I was that age...)

So, we went to the YA section to browse around.

A beautiful cover caught my eye... And the title was pretty cool too!

The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes

Oops! I thought. This is Book Two! And being the must-read-everything-in-the-order-in-which-it-was-intended girl that I am, I quickly put it back and grabbed City of Bones. Oooo. Even the title was intriguing. And who was the hot (albeit too young for me) guy on the cover??? And why was he covered in swirly tattoos??? And who was the red-head on the second cover??? She looked like a spitfire...

And that was before I even opened the book!! I read the blurb, and I was hooked!! (I guess this should be thanks to @cassieclare's amazing marketing people, but without the story...)

Being broke college students, we had no money to actually buy any books that day, but I made my friend write down the titles so she could get them from the library. (I would've done it myself, but I am sorta banned from borrowing books from libraries... Another day, another post!)

Anyway, she quickly finished them and gave them to me.

I read one a day. Of course. (How someone can put down a book like that in the middle is beyond my meager powers of comprehension!!!)

I read the books at work (when I had downtime). Another friend, who is not as much of a reader, was working with me. It proved quite embarrassing to read there because I would just start laughing. She would look at me like I was insane, and I would try to explain what was so funny. I mean, how do you explain that a sparkly gay warlock just froze a cute (yet extremely creepy) guy and tried to keep him as a coat rack?!?! Yeah. I couldn't either. I just knew that I had to keep reading.

And I saw what really, really good YA writing looked like. This was the kind of writer that I wanted to be. This is the kind of story that I wanted to weave. The love, the action, the amazing characters and all of their strengths and flaws, the Shadowhunter world... All of it!! I forgot all about Team Edward/Team Jacob and joined TEAM JACE!!! 'Cause I LOVE Jace!! And the family dynamics were so beautifully written! All I can say is I am anxiously counting down the days until The Infernal Devices and City of Fallen Angels are released!

I have recommended The Mortal Instruments to numerous friends, acquaintances, random people on the street... Two of my friends already finished (and love them as much as I do). A third friend was so upset she refused to read past the first book. I had to tell her that I wouldn't recommend a book that sucked and coerced her into continuing. (She is and has already thanked me!!)

Wow. I can't believe I talked this long... And I can't believe you are still reading this!!! :o) You must love Cassandra Clare as much as I do!!!

I'll wrap up by saying that Cassandra Clare's amazingly awesome series is not the main reason why she is my favorite author.

She is my favorite author because she is accessible. She has an amazing website and blog. She gives fantastic advice to writers. But the cool part? She gives out her e-mail address! I know other authors do as well, but Cassandra Clare was the first author who I was able to contact via e-mail!

And she wrote me back! Me! (Ironically, she wrote me back as I was rereading City of Ashes)

So, not only do I want to be an author like Cassandra Clare. I want to be an accessible author like Cassandra Clare!!

Thank you for showing me that authors are real people too! They actually exist! :o)

Thank you, Cassandra Clare!!!

PS Thank you for Jace!!! *sighs and wishes she hadn't loaned out The Mortal Instruments*

PPS For those of you wondering if The Mortal Instruments filled my Twilight void, the answer is... more than yes!! Overflowing filling of the void here!! :o)