Meeting Sarah Dessen was very exciting because I loved the movie How To Deal and she was one of my favourite childhood authors. Due to the timing of her book signing, I didn’t publish a blog post about it immediately for personal reasons. It was very special though and not because we have the same name. “You spell it the right way, but let’s not offend the Sarahs with the other spelling,” she said.
Sarah told the crowd a funny story about being on live TV while wearing an Apple Watch and it rang when her husband called! She had to take it off and throw it offscreen to make the sound go away. Now she doesn’t wear it anymore.
Here are a few of her thoughts about writing:
- Writing is like working out. You dread it, but then you feel better after
- Find the best time for you to write and then make it a daily practice
- Your opinion of your work matters. You’ll know if it’s good or not
When I told Sarah Dessen that I love following her on Twitter, she kind of apologized for making it so promotional, adding that she would mix it up more after her book tour and she has. I love her tweets about Gilmore Girls.
I brought an old copy of my book where the cover was supposed to look like the How To Deal movie poster. Sarah noticed Mandy Moore on the cover and said, “I love how this shirt is not a real shirt,” poking fun at the bad Photoshop job. I saw Mandy Moore a few years ago at a Dove event, but talking to Sarah Dessen up close was even better.
Sarah Dessen’s book signing was interesting because I haven’t read her books in several years, but it didn’t matter. I see them on my bookshelf and jumped at the chance to meet her. It’s really the best feeling when I have the chance to meet someone who I never imagined I could meet when I was younger.