I was 13 years old when I read Speak for the first time. The book, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, had been out for eleven years at that point. That book changed my life for so many reasons. For starters, I didn't even know what rape was (for those that don't know, Speak is about a freshman girl who gets raped at a party and it follows her throughout the school year). But that wasn't the biggest way it affected me.

By the time I was 13, I was starting to write longer short stories. I was already writing about physical abuse and depression. My thing was that I had never read any Young Adult Literature that went dark like that. I started reading Halse Anderson's other novels one by one, particularly falling in love with Wintergirls (about anorexia) once it came out in 2009. I've read each of them multiple times because each have different messages that desperately need to be talked about in today's society.

Halse Anderson inspires me like no other author has. I mean, I love Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti to death, but Halse Anderson just writes what I write. Or rather, I write what she writes, since she came along first. Her novels helped me realize that it was okay to be writing about a girl post-failed suicide attempt at only 15 years old. Her novels helped me realize that people of all ages and genders can and will go through mental health issues. Halse Anderson made me feel like I wasn't alone as I wrote what I wrote about, and what I write about to this day.

For eight years, Laurie Halse Anderson has been one of my top three favorite authors--and I have a lot of favorite authors. When I read that she was coming to Raleigh, NC, I immediately flipped out. It was a Thursday, so I had to figure out how to get off work and get around classes, but it was worth it. One of my TAs even told me she was jealous and said I should skip class to go see her. (Man, I love being a Creative Writing major.)

So, on October 21, I drove home to Raleigh and to the beautiful indie book store that is Quail Ridge and sat front row and heard Laurie Halse Anderson speak for the first time. She is so damn passionate about history and politics and the world and I love it so much. We even joked that she should run for President, and I attempted to start the hashtag #HalseAndersonForPresident2016. She was beautiful and lovely (and very tall) and such a great person. (I also was in the picture she posted on Twitter on the very left!)

When I got to actually speak with her, it was so great. She remembered me from Twitter (I had been tweeting at her a lot the previous few days like the fangirl I am) and she asked me about what I'm studying and my other favorite authors. She signed all of my books by her, and I told her how much Wintergirls meant to me. She briefly mentioned that it kicked her ass writing it, but helped her own eating disorder (and her butt) so much. Then she hugged me and we took some selfies. Somehow I didn't cry until after I got into my car.

It took me eight years to meet Laurie Halse Anderson. Eight long years of me rereading her books, tweeting at her, donating to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in America), and hoping I would finally meet her one day.

Let me tell you: it was worth the wait.

If you haven't read Laurie Halse Anderson, you really need to. Do be warned that some of her books may trigger you, so please read what each book is about before reading them. When you do read them, let me know so that we can fangirl over them because I promise, they're some of the best books you'll ever read.