There are books that a writer undertakes because she wants to go on a journey, and there are journeys a writer undertakes because she wants to write a book.

In my life as a wife and mother, I'm always conscious of my desire to be present.

Courage is more important than confidence

You have to believe in yourself before the world has given you any indication that you should believe in yourself as a writer.

Michael Lowenthal has written a big-hearted and wise book about familial love in all its richness and complexity.

Success is so fleeting, even if you get a good book deal or your book is a huge success, there's always the fear: What about the next one?

Our minds simply don't function in some sort of narrative chronology. I think that one of the great gifts of writing fiction is being able to think about that.