And I plan to write a sequel to Dragon Rider.

There could be few men whose love for a woman had been written on his face with a knife.

It's a cruel world, don't you think?

What are stories for if we don't learn from them?

Is there anything in the world better than words on the page? Magic signs, the voices of the dead, building blocks to make wonderful worlds better than this one, comforters, companions in loneliness. Keepers of secrets, speakers of the truth...all those glorious words.

There was another reason [she] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar voices, friends that never quarreled with her, clever, powerful friends -- daring and knowledgeable, tried and tested adventurers who had traveled far and wide. Her books cheered her up when she was sad and kept her from being bored.

Because fear kills everything," Mo had once told her. "Your mind, your heart, your imagination.