The book you now hold in your hands is a collection of the blood, sweat, and tears of hundreds of swifties from all over the world. These stories have been thoughtfully shared, and carefully selected, to create a collection of tales from people with one underlying similarity: their love for Taylor Swift. Even though the stories in this volume differ in length and detail, they all share a passion and undying appreciation for the artist who has been there for them through it all. It's truly amazing how one person can manage to tie so many together, yet Taylor has managed to do this and more. She has created a community fueled by love and respect, and her songwriting has united people across the globe. Her music spans generations, and it's astonishing to see how one song can apply to so many people for so many different reasons. This project started as a random shower thought: what if I tried to create a collection of people's stories of how they became a swiftie? I turned to my trusty subscribers (I run a YouTube channel called "All Too Swift" where I upload all sorts of Taylor-related videos) and told them about my idea, and how I thought it would be cool if we could create it as a surprise for Taylor's birthday. My original goal was to try and collect around a hundred submissions in a month... the swifties had other plans, because this was achieved in just three days. The swifties took my idea and ran with it, sharing it all over the internet. Before I knew it, I had three hundred submissions, then five hundred, then a thousand, and then over two thousand. My account ([email protected]) was filled with emails, day in and day out. I'd go in and read a bunch, and then by the time I refreshed the page, there'd be more waiting for me. These beautiful stories were all being given to me, to treasure and to take care of. Every effort has been made to preserve the original stories, although in some cases edits were made to condense certain portions, to allow for as many submissions as possible. I can't begin to express my gratitude to all of you, for trusting me to share your words, and for using your presence to further this project. I regret that, unfortunately, not all stories made it into this collection, because it would simply be impossible to include that many. It is with my greatest hope, that you're able to find yourself in these stories- either literally, or figuratively. Thank you all for your time and effort, and for allowing me to create something so amazing. And most of all, thank you to Taylor. Without you, none of us would be where we are today.