Yes. To write a novel is to risk my sanity. The deeper I get into the suffering and conflict of the characters, into the very situations and thoughts and feelings that make the novel worthwhile, the worse I feel, and the more likely I am to be severely depressed when the book is finished. There is no avoiding this: it is the result of attempting to tell all you know, to reach for the stars, to write what matters.

Because I show you my pain, I do not of necessity love you.

Claudia... you've been a very very naughty little girl.

I never knew what life was until it ran out in a red gush over any lips, my hands!

Was it fair to say I didn't know the full state of my soul?

We have to become saints. We have to become like Christ. Anything less is simply not enough.

Who has a right to tell me I have no gift, no talent, no passion ...' he murmured. 'Why do people say those things to you when youre young? Doesn't seem fair, does it?' 'No, darling, it's not fair,'she said. 'But the mystery is why you listen.