I wanted to let the world know that no one had a perfect life, that even the people who seemed to have it all had their secrets.

Once you'd resolved to go, there was nothing to it at all.

One of the many lessons I hope I've learned is how much I underestimated people, their open-mindedness and their willingness to understand. I think, moreover, I underestimated the degree to which everyone has a story. So my advice, for whatever it's worth, is to trust readers, trust the truth and trust the power of storytelling.

You West Virginia girls are one tough breed," he said. You got that right," I told him.

Horses were never wrong. They always did what they did for a reason, and it was up to you to figure it out.

If you don't want to sink, you better figure out how to swim

You didn't need a college degree to become one of the people who knew what was really going on. If you paid attention, you could pick things up on your own.