Marla's philosophy of life, she told me, is that she can die at any moment. The tragedy of her life is that she doesn't.

Put a gun to my head and paint the wall with my brains.

I know so many writers who are a hundred times better than me and have longer, greater ideas than mine, but they gave up; they stopped. The biggest talent you can have is determination.

Everything is still falling apart.

That's what I love about fire, how it would kill me as quick as anybody else. How it can't know I'm its mother. It's so beautiful and powerful and beyond feeling anything for anybody, that's what I love about fire.

It only takes one mistake and nothing else you ever do will matter. No matter how hard you work or how smart you become, you'll always be known for that one poor choice.

If Marilyn Monroe was alive right now, what would she be doing?' Clawing at the roof of her coffin.