There are a lot of women like me in the world, and we rarely get to see ourselves.

I grew up with a feminist mom and the understanding that, as someone coming from a position of (relative) privilege, it was my job to speak up when things weren't fair.

I don't think any writer chooses what his or her work is called.

Cram your head with characters and stories. Abuse your library privileges. Never stop looking at the world, and never stop reading to find out what sense other people have made of it. If people give you a hard time and tell you to get your nose out of a book, tell them you're working. Tell them it's research. Tell them to pipe down and leave you alone.

I hope that's what I've taught my girls - to be fair, to recognize their own position and their own good fortune, to use their voices to make things better. Beyond that, I'd tell them just to be kind.

People say I'm not good at writing about men. My dad left when I was 16. Give me a break. I'm doing the best I can.

The condom broke. I know how stupid that sounds. It's the reproductive version of the dog ate my homework.