I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that are being heard and published is a lot more diverse than when I was coming up.

Becoming a mother has helped make me a tougher, stronger writer.

Adaptability is the simple secret of survival.

Everything matters. Time is precious.

There is real beauty in my eyes when I lose my mind.

[On The Philippines:] ... eighty dialects and languages are spoken; we are a fragmented nation of loyal believers, divided by blood feuds and controlled by the Church.

I'm an underdog person, so I align myself with those who seem to be not considered valuable in polite society.