My Author Fan Letter

I was tagged by Lea from Closetwriter to participate in the Author Letter Fan Letter Blog Crawl. Don't forget to check out her letter if you haven't already.

When I heard about Kassa and Kris' idea of writing fan letters, I thought "This is a great idea!" and wholeheartedly jumped in with both feet. Then I saw the final list and thought - OMG, what have I gotten myself into? Many of the other participants are mainly M/M readers, and while I do enjoy a bit of M/M lovin' smokin' up my kindle, I can count the number of M/M books I've read on my fingers with enough left over to tie someone up (did I say that out loud? *g*), although I do plan on glomming some of these "new to me" authors I'm discovering on the blog crawl. Needless to say I obsessed over who I wanted to write my letter to, and I kept coming back to the same author, but I didn't want to do a mainstream author, I wanted to be edgy and cool. Well, I'm not edgy and cool, I'm just someone who loves to read romance. So...my author choice? Stephenie Meyers.

Wait - don't click away!!! I know Ms. Meyers is either adored or despised in the literary world; there don't seem to be many readers who are ambivalent about her Twilight Saga. So, whether you love her or hate her - just....keep reading:


Dear Ms. Meyers:

I am writing to thank you for giving me my sanity back. Okay, overly dramatic much? Maybe *this much*. But really - it's true. After the birth of my third child, I kind of lost myself. I was so busy trying to be a wife, a mother, work full time, and run a household that I was completely burned out.

Then I started hearing buzz about a new book release called "Breaking Dawn". I thought to myself "Vampires? I like vampires" - I live in New Orleans for chrissakes, I'm pretty sure it's in the city charter! So, I picked up the first book in the series ('cause that's how I roll) and gave it a shot. I was instantly transported to Forks, WA and loved every minute of it. As soon as I finished Twilight, I was at the bookstore buying New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn so I wouldn't have to wait as I finished each book. It was so easy to imagine myself as Bella, in a new place and feeling like the odd (wo)man out, and then the flush of new love when she found Edward. Her friendship with Jacob, and the affections she had for each hero (because Edward and Jacob are both heroes in this saga) were so achingly addictive to me - I couldn't get enough.

Once I read through the Twilight Saga, I needed more; if I hadn't read Twilight, I would never have discovered other favorite authors like JR Ward, Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Richelle Mead, Charlaine Harris, and Kelley Armstrong to name only a few. And through my enjoyment of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy, I branched out into historical, contemporary, and even a bit of Gay Romance reading as well. It was through my quest to find more, more, more that I started book blogging and "discovered" this wonderful community of readers all over the world united by their love of reading.

I learned through my Twilight obsession that no one is going to put me in jail if the beds aren't made every day and the country's economic status does not depend on how many times a day I sweep the kitchen floor or dust the living room. And sometimes, just sometimes, it's okay to have a fruit and cheese tray for dinner insted of a big meal that requires a lot of prep/cook time and cleanup. I've been able to finally relax and understand that "me time" is not selfish but a necessity for a happy and complete life.

Thank you, Ms. Meyers, for this wonderful gift.

Keep Sparkling,

Patti (Book Addict)



Don't forget to visit Val at Obsidian Bookshelf tomorrow to read her letter!