Without peanut butter, I might starve.

Do not tell me what to do and do not tell me what I can't do.

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.

The truth will make you odd.

A lot of people worry much too much about what their children are reading... If a child picks up a book and reads something she has a question about, if she can go to her parents, great. Or else they will read right over it. It won't mean a thing. They are very good, I think, at monitoring what makes them feel uncomfortable. If something makes them feel uncomfortable they will put it down.

My characters live inside my head for a long time before I actually start a book. They become so real to me, I talk about them at the dinner table as if they are real. Some people consider this weird. But my family understands.

Its all about your determination, I think, as much as anything. There are a lot of people with talent, but its that determination.