"Libraries were full of ideas - perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons." ― Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the epic Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Her books are known for their formidable female characters and daring adventures. Her books have such a huge following that her fans refer to the series by their acronyms, ACOTAR and TOG.
Sarah created the first version of the Throne of Glass series (then called, Queen of Glass) when she was just sixteen and uploaded the novel to Fictionpress. The novel quickly gained interest and became one of the most popular stories on the site. Over the following five years, she rewrote and edited the book countless times, before finally submitting it to a publishing house to be released in 2012. Sarah's books have now sold more than nine million copies in 37 languages.
Maas attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, majoring in creative writing with aspirations of being a published author. Writing has always been her joy and sanctuary, so pursuing study and a career in writing was a no-brainer.
In the process of writing, Sarah acts out the scenes! She keeps a mirror behind her desk, watches herself making expressions, and then writes them. Sarah says (SPOILER),
"When I was working on Throne of Glass, I wrote the scene during the duel, where Celaena is broken and reaching for Chaol. I was on the floor of my office, crying, listening to music that accompanied and inspired that scene, reaching across my carpet for an invisible Chaol -- so I could feel what it was like to be her, and what the angle of being on the ground felt like."
Fun facts
- The J in Sarah J Maas stands for Janet.
- Sarah loves flowers, and if she was not a writer she would want to be a florist.
- People name their children after her characters.
- Throne of Glass is a loose retelling of Cinderella and A Court of Thorns and Roses of Beauty and the Beast.
- If she could be a character from Throne of Glass, she would be Fleetfoot.
- Music is a big inspiration for Sarah. "All of my books have sprung from pieces of music, and nearly every scene and character was inspired by it, too."
- Her favourite book as a child was The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.
- She has an annual, extended-edition marathon of The Lord of the Rings movies and even has a life-size Legolas cut-out in her office.
- She is a Dan Brown fan and dragged her mum around on a Da Vinci Code tour on a trip to Paris.
- Her fictional hero is Buffy Summers, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Get started
- Reserve Sarah J. Maas' titles and collect from your local library.
- Read the books on your device. Need help setting up your device for eBooks? Watch this video tutorial.
- Listen to the stories on your device. Need help setting up your device for eAudiobooks? Watch this video tutorial.
On the web
- Official author website
- Official fan website
- Check out Sarah J Maas' blog
- Take a look at the query letter Sarah J. Maas sent to agents when trying to get her first book published.
Sarah's socials
Sarah’s inspiration and recommended resources
Books
- Sabriel by Garth Nix
- The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Joss Whedon
- Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Movies and Television
Music
- Every open eye by Chvrches (Album)
- I’ll Be by Edwin McCain (Song)
- Run Boy Run by Woodkid (Song)
Book Playlists
- Check out these playlists created by Sarah on Spotify that share the music behind the books.
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