Inside ACOTAR author Sarah J. Maas' insane success and life with supportive husband and kids

Sarah was born on March 5, 1986 in New York City. She was adopted by her parents – a Catholic mother and a Jewish father – and grew up Jewish on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. 

As a kid, Sarah was always drawn towards fantasy, becoming obsessed with the Lord of the Rings books. She soon started writing her own stories, spending weekends and school breaks like a writer's workshop.

At 16, inspired by JRR Tolkien, Sarah began writing what would become her debut novel, Throne of Glass. At the time, she posted a few chapters of the book, which was then titled Queen of Glass, to FictionPress.com. 

It quickly gained traction and became one of the most popular stories on the site. The plot of Throne of Glass is simple – it's like Cinderella, except, as Sarah explained in a 2009 interview: "What if Cinderella was not a servant, but an assassin? [And] what if she didn't attend the ball to meet the prince, but to kill him, instead?"

In 2008, when Sarah was 22, she signed with agents. Two years later, she sold Throne of Glass. As of 2022, the eight book series has sold over 12 million copies.

While creating the world of Celaena Sardothian, Sarah met her future husband. The author studied creative writing and religious studies at Hamilton College in upstate New York. When she was a freshman, Sarah met Josh Wasserman, who happened to be a resident assistant in her dorm building.

They started dating, and two years after she graduated, they tied the knot in 2010. Ever since getting together, Josh has supported his wife's ambitions. And these days, fans of the author call him "Papa Maas."

"It was wonderful that the readers recognized him as part of this creative process," Sarah told Jenna Bush Hager on her Read With Jenna podcast in 2025. "They embraced him and included him and they started calling him Papa Maas. His last name's not Maas, but I'm like, 'Okay, we'll lean into that.'"

Sure, fantasy readers may have loved ACOTAR and Throne of Glass before social media stepped in, but would Sarah be one of the most popular authors in the world without "BookTok?"

On TikTok, the hashtag ACOTAR has racked up 1.9 million posts and over 8.5 billion views. Sarah understands how she became so popular.

"I'm sitting here today because of social media," the writer told Jenna. "I will admit, I'm not really on it that much, mostly because I need to focus on my children or my writing."

After nine years of marriage, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Taran. Three years later, Sarah gave birth to her second child, a daughter named Sloane.

"Before I had kids, I was writing two books a year, but I also had no social life. I was basically Gollum in my little writing cave," she joked with Jenna. "[For] all working parents, it's a tough thing to have a job. You need to show up and focus on the job, but then to also be able to focus on your children — make sure they feel loved and safe and important in your life. And my kids bring me the most joy."

ACOTAR fans will have to tune into Call Her Daddy to find out just what the author reveals, but in the trailer for the episode, Sarah hints at the first draft of a new book, which she also posted to her Instagram in July 2025.

Podcast host Alex Cooper shared a clip of all the hard hitting questions she peppered at the author. And let me tell you, as an avid Sarah J. Maas reader, I'm seated.