Sarah J Maas

I started writing what would become Throne of Glass when I was sixteen, sitting in my dorm room listening to the Cinderella soundtrack and thinking, "What if she was an assassin who tried to kill the Prince?" Apparently, that's what happens when you grow up frustrated by the lack of compelling female characters in fantasy and spend too much time watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Twenty-plus years later, that teenage story idea has become a global phenomenon. Nearly 40 million books sold, translated into 38 languages, and somehow I'm responsible for the term "romantasy" taking over BookTok. The #ACOTAR tag alone has over 8.5 billion views on TikTok, which is both thrilling and slightly terrifying.

Here's how this all started: I was that kid who read everything. Garth Nix's Sabriel and Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown basically shaped my soul. I wanted to write fantasy that hit like those books did, but with female characters who got to be assassins and warriors and Fae High Ladies instead of waiting around to be rescued.

At Hamilton College, I was that English major who spent more time writing fanfiction-quality fantasy than doing actual coursework. I posted early chapters of Throne of Glass to FictionPress in 2002, and the response was insane. Thousands of readers following along, begging for updates, creating fan art for characters I'd invented in my teenage bedroom.

The traditional publishing route took years. Agents, rejections, rewrites, more rejections. I graduated magna cum laude in 2008 with a creative writing major and religious studies minor (because apparently I needed to understand mythology to write about Fae courts). Finally signed with an agent in 2009, sold to Bloomsbury in 2010, and Throne of Glass hit shelves in 2012.

I write fantasy romance because I believe magic should serve the emotional story, not overshadow it. When Feyre kills that wolf in the forest, she's not just breaking faerie law - she's stepping into a world where love requires genuine sacrifice. When Celaena competes for her freedom, she's fighting for more than survival; she's reclaiming her identity.

My approach to romance in fantasy is simple: these relationships should feel epic because the stakes are epic. Rhysand and Feyre's mate bond isn't just about attraction; it's about two broken people learning to trust each other with literal world-ending consequences. Rowan and Aelin's relationship develops over multiple books because you can't speedrun the kind of emotional growth required to love someone through immortality.

The faerie courts in ACOTAR came from wanting to explore power dynamics in relationships where one partner can literally read minds and the other has centuries of experience. How do you maintain agency when your mate can feel your emotions? How do you trust someone who could kill you without effort? These aren't just romantic questions - they're psychological ones.

I write sex scenes because physical intimacy reflects emotional intimacy. When characters are vulnerable with each other physically, it mirrors their emotional vulnerability. The explicit content serves the relationship arc; it's not decoration. Publishers initially marketed ACOTAR as YA, which was... optimistic, given the content. We've since corrected that categorization.

The Crescent City series let me explore urban fantasy with contemporary elements while maintaining the emotional complexity readers expect from my work. Bryce and Hunt's relationship develops against a backdrop of angel politics and magical technology because even in modern fantasy, love requires overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles.

My characters earn their happy endings through genuine trauma recovery and personal growth. Feyre doesn't just fall in love with Rhysand; she heals from abuse, learns to trust herself, and develops into someone capable of healthy relationships. Nesta's journey in A Court of Silver Flames addresses addiction, self-worth, and family trauma because real healing requires confronting actual problems.

The fantasy elements amplify rather than replace realistic relationship dynamics. Immortality means characters have time to work through their issues properly. Magic creates unique challenges that require communication and compromise. Fae politics provide external pressures that test relationship strength.

I plot extensively before writing because these books are complex puzzles. Character arcs, world-building, political intrigue, and romantic development all have to align across multiple books. The sense of discovery happens during writing - I know where characters need to end up, but how they get there often surprises me.

BookTok changed everything about how readers discover and discuss books. Seeing fans create aesthetic boards for the Night Court or debate whether Tamlin deserved redemption creates direct connection with reader interpretation. Social media made fantasy romance more accessible to readers who might not have picked up epic fantasy otherwise.

The commercial success feels surreal. When Throne of Glass hit the New York Times bestseller list, I cried in a Barnes & Noble. Now all my series regularly top those lists, and readers camp out for signed copies at bookstore events. Success never stops feeling like a dream you might wake up from.

I write full-time now, which means my days involve creating fictional worlds where the emotional stakes match the magical ones. My husband Josh and our two kids provide grounding when I spend too much time thinking about faerie politics and ancient curses.

The religious studies minor actually helps with world-building. Understanding how belief systems develop and function helps create magical societies that feel authentic. The mythology I studied informs how I approach prophecies, ancient powers, and divine intervention in my fantasy worlds.

My writing process involves extensive character development, detailed world-building documents, and way too much research into things like medieval weapons and architectural styles. The fantasy has to feel real enough that readers can believe in the emotional journeys happening within those worlds.

If you're new to my books, understand that I write romantic fantasy with genuinely epic scope. These aren't quick reads; they're immersive experiences that require emotional investment. The relationships develop slowly because real love - even magical love - takes time.

Start with A Court of Thorns and Roses if you want accessible entry into my writing. Try Throne of Glass if you prefer assassins and political intrigue. Crescent City offers urban fantasy with contemporary elements. All three series exist in the same multiverse with subtle connections for dedicated readers.

The 4.6 average rating across my books reflects readers who connect deeply with emotional fantasy. My work isn't for everyone - some find the books too long, too intense, or too romantic. But for readers who want to lose themselves in worlds where love conquers impossible odds through genuine character development, these stories deliver.

Welcome to my worlds. Bring tissues - you'll need them.