It feels like everything was leading up to Tuesday. Like a little kid waiting for Christmas, I counted down the days...the hours...the minutes. I poured so much of myself in A MILLION SUNS, and all I wanted to do was share it with you all. A writer's goal is word read, stories lived vicariously through ink.

There were so many highlights from the day. Former students came out--hi Jan, Lauren, Tearle, and Billy! And teachers: so good to see Ann and Laura and Leslie. Also! Family! I adore seeing my cousins Deana and William for any excuse (especially a book and/or Disney related one). Cake pops were all eaten up. My husband manned the Twitter station, and I loved seeing people call him Mr. Beth. Ha!!

It was such a blast sharing the launch party with Steph and Carrie. I get really nervous in those first few minutes of any event--basically, the hardest part is saying "hi." After that, I tell silly stories and talk about how I blow stuff up, but that first moment is always the most difficult. It made it so much easier to have Carrie and Steph at my side so that I was able to quickly pass on the torch of introductions!

But the best part? Seeing the smiles on my parents' faces. I write because of them. My mother taught me a love of reading, and my father taught me a love of stories (he's a born storyteller and can make anyone laugh).

My Poppa gave me a dozen red roses just before the event. Their scent fills my house and reminds me that no accolade or other measure of success matters half as much as this.