I don't think of literature as an end in itself. It's just a way of communicating something.

I like historical fiction. I fell in love with New Orleans the first time I visited it. And I wanted to place a story in New Orleans.

I had a very rough childhood and not a happy one and by age 15 I was an old person in many ways. I knew that I had to take care of myself, I um and I always did.

The pain of losing my child was a cleansing experience. I had to throw overboard all excess baggage and keep only what is essential.

At my age, people prefer to stay in a relationship that is not working. I do not understand that. I think it takes a lot of courage to separate. But it takes more energy to stay in something that is not working.

I need to remember to overcome.

The longer I live, the more uninformed I feel. Only the young have an explanation for everything.