This is where men and women are different, we can put aside petty competition for relationships - they can't. It interferes.

And so, when I was a young writer I always worked hard on imagery, and I knew that the roots of imagery were the senses - and that if my readers could feel, taste and see what I was talking about, I would be able to tell them a story.

If you look around to find meaning in everything that happens, you will end up disappointed. Sometimes there aren’t reasons behind the terrible things that go on. I ask myself, If I knew all the answers, would it help? I lie awake and wonder why I don’t have parents and wonder what will become of my brother and me. But when the morning comes, I realize that there’s nothing to be done about what has already happened. I can only get up and do my chores and push through the day and find the good in it.

I'm very organized - and the best thing - when you love your work, you don't mind putting in 15 hour days. It's joyful.

When a girl is beautiful, she gets to pick - she never has to wait for someone to choose her.

The intimacy. The deepest level of love. The knowledge that someone understands you, is rooting for you, is sharing your life.

I used to believe my art had to be about the things that brought me joy and gave me hope. But I learned that art can be found in all of life, even in pain.