I wanted people to trust me, despite anything they'd heard. And more than that, I wanted them to know me. Not the stuff they thought they knew about me. No, the real me. I wanted them to get past the rumors. To see beyond the relationships I once had, or maybe still had but that they didn't agree with.

Actually, I love trying to figure out why certain books become hits while others, which may be just as good, have trouble finding an audience.

You can't stop the future You can't rewind the past The only way to learn the secret ...is to press play.

And as I stood there in the hallway―alone―trying to understand what had just happened and why, I realized the truth: I wasn't worth an explanation―not even a reaction. Not in your eyes.

They were like two magnets who couldn't decide whether to attract or repel.

Don't give up on me now. I'm sorry. I guess that's an odd thing to say. Because isn't that what I'm doing? Giving up?

Because it may seem like a small role now, but it matters. In the end, everything matters.