When you ask, did writing change my life? It totally changed my life. It gave me my life.

I think about Lenaya and Hugh. Will they know how much I've changed this year? Will they have changed too? I'll wait until tomorrow to find out. And then it's possible I won't find out after all. Because some changes happen deep down inside of you. And the truth is, only you know about them. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.

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

It's not so much that I like him as a person God, but as a boy he's very handsome.

In this age of censorship, I mourn the loss of books that will never be written, I mourn the voices that will be silenced-writers' voices, teachers' voices, students' voices-and all because of fear.

It's strange, but when it comes right down to it I never do fall apart--even when I'm sure I will.

I fell in love with books at the Elizabeth Public Library when I was four.