I remember liking to write stories pretty early on. In fourth or fifth grade, they would give us the beginning of a story, and we were supposed to finish it. I remember liking that. But I didn't think about deciding to become a writer until high school at about the age of 16.

You used to be able to tell a person's nationality by the face. Immigration ended that. Next you discerned nationality via the footwear. Globalization ended that.

A girl's not a watermelon you plug a hole in to see if it's sweet.

But, like anyone in love, Madeleine believed that her own relationship was different from every other relationship, immune from typical problems.

The zipper opened all the way down our spines.

Grief is natural,' she said. 'Overcoming it is a matter of choice.

She wanted out of the decorating scheme.