What was even more germane was my study of the history of religion. It was one of the few things in school I was fascinated by.

. . .There are moments when time does stop. We must be alert enough to notice such moments . . .

All men are liars, said Roberta Muldoon, who knew this was true because she had once been a man.

He wished he could arrange a maiming as a kind of moral lesson

It's my experience that very few writers, young or old, are really seeking advice when they give out their work to be read. They want support; they want someone to say, "Good job."

Adolescence-is it the first time in life we discover that we have something terrible to hide from those who love us?

She felt detached from her family, and thought it strange how they had lavished so much attention on her, as a child, and then at some appointed, prearranged time they seemed to stop the flow of affection and being the expectations - as if, for a brief phrase, you were expected to absorb love (and get enough), and then, for a much longer and more serious phase, you were expected to fulfill certain obligations.