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Meet The Biggest Author You've Never Heard Of: Sarah J. Maas

She's sold more than nine million books in 37 languages - by Alley Pascoe
  • 17 Mar 2020
Meet The Biggest Author You've Never Heard Of: Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is preparing to walk on stage to a crowd of 900 screaming fans in Melbourne. She's juggling her baby on her hip, eating a handful of Cadbury Creme Eggs and stressing about tripping in her heels. “I’m super awkward. I never know what to do with my hands when I go on stage. I always feel like my wave is too excited and weird,” she says, candidly. “Last night I told the entire audience the thing I look forward to most every day is taking my bra off when I get home.”

Maas is the Jennifer Lawrence of the writing world: quirky, relatable and bloody hardworking. The American YA author started writing at age 15 and has gone on to sell millions of books and amass a cult following. When we speak in the marble-adorned bar of the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney, Maas is wrapping up her Throne of Glass tour, and farewelling the wildly successful series.“It was definitely overwhelming to see [the final book] Kingdom of Ash and to reflect on that girl in high school who dreamt big – and the dreams came true,” she says. “In the least arrogant way possible, I felt proud of myself.”

Sarah J. Mass cresent city

As she should. After more than 20 years in the industry, Maas, 36, is a bona fide icon. She’s come a long way from her days as a quiet teenager reading fairytales and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Goonies in New York City. “I’ve learnt to be kinder to myself as a writer. When I was younger, I’d tell myself I sucked and I wasn’t good enough,” she says. “Now, I’m like, well f**k you, mean little inner critic. My first draft might be crap, but I can fix it.”

sjm and baby

What hasn’t changed is her love for the craft. “Writing is still the thing that brings me joy. There’s nothing like getting super into a scene – then looking at the clock and eight hours have passed. That feeling made me want to be a writer, and I still get it.”

In a genre dominated by blokes such as George R.R. Martin, Stephen King and J.R.R. Tolkien, Maas is a rare – and powerful – female voice. “I think things are changing and we’re at a golden age for amazing female writers. There’s still a lot of work to be done in YA fantasy, but I hope it gets to the point where we don’t even have to discuss being a female writer in a sea of male writers. Girls are going to grow up with so many heroines and kick-ass writers,” says Maas, who describes herself as a proud, unabashed feminist. “If I could, I would have a stamp on my forehead.”

As well as being excited about the future of the fantasy genre, Maas is especially eager about her debut adult series Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood, an action-packed adventure full of mythology and her signature touch of romance. “The writing process didn’t feel any different [to YA], apart from a few more f-bombs,” admits Maas, who tries to write every single day. “I hope the readers have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. I’ve turned it in already, but I can’t stop thinking about it and wanting to add in more scenes. When that happens, I know I am truly obsessed.” Personally, she’s looking forward to some family milestones, such as seeing her son, Taran, take his first steps in their backyard and getting back into a normal eating routine. “When I’m on a deadline, I eat like a wild animal; three cups of coffee in the morning, an English muffin snack, a grapefruit and 10 chicken nuggets in the afternoon,” she says with her J-Law candour. Bestselling authors, they’re just like us.

This article originally appeared in the April issue of marie claire.

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Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe
Alley Pascoe is marie claire’s Acting Features Editor and resident country music fan. She spends her days interviewing inspirational women, including career highlights Kasey Chambers, Serena Williams and Julia Roberts (for seven minutes on the phone).

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