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

Isn't that interesting. All the book clubs. I've never belonged to one.

My parents gave me that gift of "reading is a good thing." I mean my mother was afraid of everything. But she was never afraid that Judy is reading.

I would make up [Theodor] Seuss-like books at night when I was cleaning up from the dinner, you know, putting these little kids to bed, reading them rhyming books. And so that's what I started doing. They were really bad. I have some in a box and it says on the box, it's a note to my kids you know, when I die, if you ever publish these I will come back and haunt you.

I am a big defender of 'Harry Potter,' and I think any book that gets kids to read are books that we should cherish, we should be thankful for them.

I loved to read, and I think any child who loves to read will read anything, including the back of the cereal box, which I did every morning.

A good writer is always a people watcher.