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.

It's important to be aware of how we treat others. Even though someone appears to shrug off a sideways comment or to not be affected by a rumor, it's impossible to know everything else going on in that person's life, how we might be adding to his/her pain. People do have an impact on the lives of others; that's undeniable.

Teens in the '90s had the same basic desires as they do now.

And what if in the future we're at war again, or we still haven't elected a non-white or non-male president, or the Rolling Stones are still dragging their tired old butts on stage? That would depress me way too much.

I sat. And I thought. And the more I thought, connecting the events in my life, the more my heart collapsed.

Watching those guys pummel each other so no one would suspect them of being weak was too much for me. Their reputations were more important than their faces.

How in the world was I alone? Because I wanted to be. That's all I can say. It's all that makes sense to me.