New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, Laini Taylor, visited the MVHS theater to talk about her latest novel, discuss and answer questions about her path to success, and to offer advice about how to follow your dreams last week on March 30.

Taylor’s new novel, Strange the Dreamer, published in September 2016, is her seventh novel so far. The second book in the two-part series is due in September 2018. She is best known for her Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy which was published back in 2011.

“I’ve read Strange the Dreamer and started Daughter of Smoke and Bone.” sophomore, Cecilia Duarte said. “I really like [her writing style], it’s really descriptive and it’s really easy to just imagine and see and I really love the way that she writes, it’s just a beautiful style of writing.”

During her presentation, Taylor talked about the path she took in becoming an author and how she never gave up on her passion for writing. She didn’t publish her first novel until she was 35.

“You have to make your own life.” Taylor said. “Every step of the way it is entirely up to you. That’s what I want you to learn is that your life itself is your lifework how you want to spend it, what you want it to be like, it’s not just going to happen, you have to dream it up and you have to create it. I always knew what I wanted to do when I grew up, I always wanted to be a writer.”

She also emphasized how the “world needs needs dreamers” and how people should take advantage of their lives and not waste it doing something they aren’t passionate about, though following your dreams may have risks. Taylor also mentioned how she does enjoy writing though it comes with some difficulty, but “just because it’s hard it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.”

“I’m kind of interesting in writing myself and this was really inspiring for me to hear because I’ve been kind of doubting whether or not I should go into writing it was nice to hear that I can hold onto my dream.” Duarte said.