My mother was my greatest fan.

What's the point of thinking about how it's going to end when it's just the beginning?

When I started to write, it was the '70s, and throughout that decade, we didn't have any problems with book challenges or censorship.

I'm an e-mail junkie though I'm trying to read my in-box only twice a day and to answer all at once.

I try to create new characters in each book I write. That's what makes writing fun and interesting for me.

When I was growing up, I dreamed about becoming a cowgirl, a detective, a spy, a great actress, or a ballerina. Not a dentist, like my father, or a homemaker, like my mother - and certainly not a writer, although I always loved to read.

When I'm writing a book, you can't think about your audience. You're going to be in big trouble if you think about it. You're got to write from deep inside.