I compromised my ability to tell my story, at the most basic level.

In the event of an oxygen shortage on airplanes, mothers of young children are always reminded to put on their own oxygen mask first, to better assist the children with theirs. The same tactic is necessary on terra firma. There's no way of sustaining our children if we don't first rescue ourselves. I don't call that selfish behavior. I call it love.

I think of myself as a realistic writer, not a creator of soap opera or melodrama.

To share our stories is not only a worthwhile endeavor for the storyteller, but for those who hear our stories and feel less alone because of it.

The big dramas that fascinate me are the quiet ones that happen behind closed doors in so-called ordinary families.

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

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