I am the only one who can tell the story of my life and say what it means.

... survival is the least of my desires.

she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant

People begin to write in order to create what they have not found and, a little bit, to give something back.

It's fun to tease people about where fiction and life intersect.

He never said "Don't tell your mama." He never had to say it. I did not know how to tell anyone what I felt, what scared me and shamed me... (109)

I'm still very blunt: If you want to be a writer, get a day job. The fact that I have actually been able to make a living at it is astonishing.