SARAH J. MAAS

Hearing that people read my books when they were sick, or that the books helped them find an escape when they were having a hard time... stuff like that makes all the hard work pay off.

The Wall on Shabbat was one of the coolest experiences, full of joy and energy. I left Israel overflowing with pride. It's a magical, welcoming place.

Honestly, I think there's a cycle to the popularity of fantasy and fairytales that usually coincides with times of unrest or hardship in our own world. By retelling these legends or immersing ourselves in fantasy realms, we can safely explore the very real, very day-to-day darkness of our own lives.

'A Court of Thorns and Roses,' big surprise, was inspired by music. By actually listening to the 'Princess Mononoke' soundtrack.

As a massive fangirl myself, having people ship any of my characters is just beyond cool.

Don't let anyone shame you for what you read or what you love in general. Many people are gonna tell you not to do xyz things.

I don't think I'll ever stop being grateful to my readers for everything they've done for me.

I have to have music on when writing, or else the silence swallows me whole.

I love fairy tale retellings and mash-ups.

I think of myself as a fantasy writer.

I've always been online and available to my fans.

My goals for myself have changed as my career has evolved and as I've grown as a writer.

My parents told me any and every fairy-tale from all around the world. I usually gravitated towards ones with interesting, strong heroines.

Once I fall in love, finishing a story leaves a hole in my heart. The characters become your friends.

You can't get any more epic than a lightsaber battle.

'A Court of Thorns and Roses' was actually inspired by three of my all-time-favorite fairy/folktales: 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' and 'Tam Lin.' I got the kernel of inspiration by wondering: 'What if 'Beauty' was a huntress?'

I got the idea for 'Throne of Glass' when I was sixteen. Music always inspires my books, and when I was listening to the 'Cinderella' soundtrack, I thought, 'What if Cinderella was actually an assassin who liked getting dressed up all pretty and going to the ball, but then she wouldn't mind kicking butt?'

I've always been a huge fantasy fan. I was always interested in fairy tales and anything with magic or dragons... I was always drawn to those types of stories.

James Horner, James Newton Howard, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, or Ramin Djawadi would all be a dream come true for a 'Throne of Glass' soundtrack.

Since my 'Crown of Midnight' tour in 2013, we've had such a rapid jump in audience numbers that we've had to move to bigger venues, cap events, and find new and creative ways to keep the line flowing while still allowing me the chance to chat with each person, which will always be very, very important to me.

'Throne of Glass' readers tend to be passionate, talented, clever, and welcoming - in fact, I'm consistently moved by just how welcoming 'TOG' readers are to new fans.

We find ourselves attached to fantasy worlds sometimes when it's hard to process what's going on in our world. It's reassuring to see the good winning.

And then I am going to rattle the stars.

You could be great. You could rattle the stars. You could do anything if only you dared.

Life isn't easy, no matter where you are. You'll make choices you think are right, and then suffer for them.