I got a box in the mail today from Penguin, our UK publisher. Ten books. Ten beautiful copies of the book I co-wrote, which will be on shelves tomorrow. I never imagined publishing a book. And I definitely didn't think I would write a book that would be published in other countries.

When BC first started selling in the foreign market, it was sort of surreal. We received e-mails confirming that the UK, or France, or Greece wanted to publish BC – in a country I usually hadn't been to, in a bookstore I might never see. It wasn't REAL.

Then something changed. I bet you're thinking that it has something to do with this box – that when actual books started showing up from other countries, it hit me.

But that wasn't it.

A few months ago, I started receiving e-mails and tweets, reading facebook messages and noticing fansites, from readers in other countries. Suddenly, teens and adults oceans away were sharing their thoughts and feelings about everything from our book to my choice of boots. Beautiful Creatures wasn't just a book on the shelf in another country – it was a book in the hands of a reader.

When I see pictures of French fans carrying the book or see drawing of Ethan and Lena created by Spanish fans, all I can think about is how much the books I read mean to me. That our book means that much to someone else. Now I can imagine it in other countries – countries I hope to visit, even if I can't speak the language or read a word of our book on their shelves.

I want to meet the people reading the book. I want to thank them.