The whole Melrose series is an attempt to tell the truth, and is based on the idea that there is some salutary or liberating power in telling the truth.

The first book I fell in love with was 'Little Toot,' the story of an adorable tugboat operating out of New York Harbor.

It seems people spend the majority of their lives believing they're dying, with the only consolation being that at one point they get to be right.

I'm not trying to uncover the facts of my life but to discover the dramatic truth of the situations I was in.

People never remeber happiness with the care that they lavish on preserving every detail of their suffering.

The thing about the 'Melrose' novels is that I have to feel they're impossible when I set out.

No pain is too small if it hurts, but any pain is too big if it's cherished.