Nothing like being visible, publishing one's work, and speaking openly about one's life, to disabuse the world of the illusion of one's perfection and purity.

No, I said. I didn't remember that. There was so much to remember, sometimes the best thing was to forget.

I do not outline. There are writers I know and count as my friends who certainly do it the other way but for me part of the adventure is not knowing how it's going to turn out.

When I was 12 years old, I read Nancy Drew mysteries and biographies of Madame Curie and Florence Nightingale and books about girls who love horses or go to nursing school. I belonged to the Girl Scouts and got A's in school and rarely disobeyed my parents. I still kept a collection of Barbie dolls in my room, and I almost never spoke to boys.

The word NO, carries a lot more meaning when spoken by a parent who also knows how to say yes.

There is a theme that runs through my work, and that is: the toxic property of keeping secrets.

The silence was part of the story I wanted to tell.