You have to be a lover of books without expecting more of them than they give - a little pleasure, a little insight, a moment of escape, a deepening of your own humanity. Not much else.

Friendship needs both confidences and confidence in the other's outstretched hand.

I think our material is our lives. That's part of being a modern writer, and we have to use it.

I think it is a good thing to have woman friends at every stage of life. We confide in each other, we support each other, we understand each other most of the time. Of course, sometimes we are competitive or angry or distant, too. But I do think it is important not to let the main friendships slip away in the sweep of the days.

We also have to make sure our children know the history of women. Tell them the rotten truth: It wasn't always possible for women to become doctors or managers or insurance people. Let them be armed with a true picture of the way we want it to be.

You really can't say things that upset someone in print and expect them to be nice and leave you their money. That's just not reasonable.

You can be creative and not addictive, or addictive and not creative. Most addicted people do not produce anything of remarkable note.