A few minutes ago I received an amazing message from a follower/reader. You can see the message here.

It was really inspiring, so I replied to her in this sense. This is a copy of that message, also included in the link:

"Wow.

This is why I like to write stories that aren’t just about love. I think many fanfic writers forget that there are people who read their stories, not just fangirls who have many feels. These girls are people with problems. They’re human. And I try to capture that humanity in each one of my stories. 

This message actually got me teary-eyed. It made me realize what an impact I can have on my readers. People have sent me messages saying that they have created an ‘Errand List’ ever since they read Ephemeral, and it’s blown me away. (Send me pics!) People tell me I inspire them, but, no; they’re wrong. 

They inspire me.

They inspire me by reminding me that I write for a large audience with a variety of people. They inspire me by giving me meaningful messages like this. I don’t know why people say ‘I’m sorry my message is so long’ or ‘I hope this wasn’t boring to read’. What are you saying? Don’t you know that long messages are an author’s favorite? I read every single comment, and every single message, even if I don’t reply to it. And Ilove long messages. It means that I affected someone enough for them to take their time to send me something. So please, don’t apologize for being thoughtful.

So even though this message was a thank you message, I am posting this here as I reply to this person and as a comment to you, dear reader: thank you. I am thankful that you guys read my stories. I am thankful that I have the ability to alter your view points. That’s truly amazing, and that’s not just an ability. That’s aresponsibility.

People may stumble on my stories with the intent of reading a good, lovey dovey fanfic, but my hope is that they’ll discover something more than just love. That maybe they’ll discover the aspects of life. And in the process of writing, perhaps I, too, discover things.

Thank you. And to each and every one of you: You’re worth gold."