He was the most ordinary man in all the world, and yet in her memory he'd become luminous, like the prince in a fairy tale.

I'd walk and think about my entire life. I'd find my strength again, far from everything that had made my life ridiculous.

One thing any backpacker will tell you is that it's tedious and monotonous. You're bored sometimes, so you really have to make the fun in your head.

Writing is part intuition and part trial and error, but mostly it's very hard work.

The writing life doesn't move in a straight line. I've had successes and rejections all along the way, at every stage of my career, and I will continue to do so. Acceptances and rejections don't define me. They're both part of what it means to be a writer. My job is to simply keep doing the work.

A few times a year I'll remember that I love old literature, too. Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" is one of my 10 favorite books. I have to go out of my way to remember to pick up a book like that, but when I do I'm blown away by how very relevant it still is.

Can I convince the person about whom I'm crazy to be crazy about me? The short answer is no. The long answer is no.