My mom loves books.  She also loves buying books (a trait she definitely passed on to me).  In fact, one of our favorite things to do when I come into town is to head to a bookstore and browse.  It used to be that she’d head off to her section (new releases and fiction) and I’d head off to mine (YA/teen).  Even when I first sold my book she admitted that she felt a little hesitant and lost when she went to the YA section without me.

But then I bought her The Hunger Games.  And I started sending her YA books once I was done with them.  And more and more she’s been hanging out with me in the teen section, asking about the books, the authors, and the “behind the scenes” info.  These days she alternates between adult and teen books, venturing into teen territory all on her own 🙂
Anyway, ever since I started writing my mom talked about how excited she would be to one day walk into a bookstore and buy my book.  She never questioned that one day she’d be able to do this.  Not once.  And so when I sold my book and called her up to tell her the news the first thing I said to her was, “How is it going to feel to walk into a bookstore and buy your daughter’s book next year?”
I think her screams of joy were louder than mine had been 🙂  I really wish I’d been there when my book hit the shelves in my hometown, but my mother wouldn’t have missed it for the world.  And thankfully she had someone there to take some pictures 🙂
So here’s my mom, on the day her youngest daughter’s debut hit the shelves.  I think I’m the one who’s so proud to have such a fantastic mother 🙂  Thanks mom!