How did I not know this?

Okay, so everyone has heroes, and in the writing business, everyone has literary heroes. For me, the number one hero has to be Tamora Pierce. Back during the 2008 presidential elections, I found her on a website for YA writers in politics. There were thousands of people on that site. On a whim, I sent a note to her, never thinking I'd get a response.
Yeah, well.
She responded.
I'm skimming over this part, but let's just say that this was a kind of sucky period in life. It was the start of highschool, and one of my best friends had turned into a jerk, the way they tend to. School was okay, but not great. My English teacher, normally the highlight of the day, wasn't particularly fond of me (I talked a lot) and I was having issues writing. After all, I was fourteen. How dare I not have done something utterly fabulous with my life?
(I refer to this as Rachel Berry syndrome.)

Anywaaay. Her note was long and great and talked about the power of teenagers. And so I started writing again, thinking, well, I want to be a powerful teenager. I wrote some random crap, and then wrote another story, and then finished one. I started submitting the start of sophomore year (which, I know now, was really dumb. I pretty much submitted the first draft. Ahem.)
Still, I had people tell me it was good. Like, agent people. I was told I had promise. And for once in my life, even though I had been writing since I was eight, it was like I had proof that maybe, someday, I could do this. I could write and people would like it.
And so I sent her an email, thanking her. I wasn't expecting anything.
BUT SHE EMAILED ME BACK.
I've read all of her books cover to cover and have started to crack the spine on most of them. And upon randomly googling her name today, I found out she HAS A BLOG.
I feel like such a bad fan.
Because guess what?
She has TWO blogs.

Here

And Here.
Cheers. I'm off to go scour her archives.