He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the good place, and a heart-shaped leaf lay trapped in the hollow if his throat as though it were planned, though of course it was so perfect it couldn't have been planned.

No one wants to mother more vigilantly than a woman who is childless and wishes she wasn’t.

I have wanted you to see out of my eyes so many times.

Reading Claire Cooks novel is like eating some exotic dish about which you say, Wow, this is great! Whats in it? The ingredients here are: intelligence, humor, poignancy, revelation and, perhaps best of all, true originality. Ready to Fall seems to me to be ready to soar.

There is incredible value in being of service to others.

You are born into your family and your family is born into you. No returns. No exchanges.

As a writer, you should have a sticky soul; the act of continually taking things in should be as much a part of you as your hair color.