All writers start with a layer of truth, don't they? If not, their stories would be nothing but spools of cotton candy, a fleeting taste wrapped around nothing but air.

There is a reason the word belonging has a synonym for want at its center; it is the human condition.

Being a teenager isn't all that different from being part of someone else's story. There's always someone who thinks they know better than you do

Witness testimony is always flawed. It's better than circumstantial evidence, sure, but people aren't camcorders; they don't record every action and reaction, and the very act of remembering involves chosing words, actions and images. In other words, any witness who was supposed to be giving a court facts is really just giving them a version of fiction.

Q: How would you like your eggs in the morning? A: Unfertilized

It just goes to show you: you can put nine insane miles between you and another person. You can make a vow to never speak his name. You can surgically remove someone from your life. And still, he'll haunt you.

Like the teens I worked with, I understood the need for miracles--they kept reality from paralyzing you