I think there are crossroads in our lives when we make grand, sweeping decisions without even realizing it.

I wonder if, as you get older, you stop missing people so fiercely. Maybe growing up is just focusing on what you've got, instead of what you don't.

The apple . . . came before Adam and Eve in the story of creation. It had to have been there at least three years because that's how long it takes for a new tree to bear fruit.

All any of us wanted, really, was to know that we counted. That someone else's life would not have been as rich without us here.

We're [parents]) always bluffing, pretending we know best, when most of the time we're just praying we won't screw up too badly.

If you had to pack your whole life into a suitcase-not just the practical things, like clothing, but the memories of the people you had lost and the girl you had once been-what would you take?

I write adult fiction, but a good 40 to 50 per cent of my readers are teenagers. I love that if they have to grow up and move past JK Rowling they can move to me. From Jo to Jodi!