I can't let safety and security become the focus of my life.

I love picture books. I think some of the best people in children's books are the ones who create their own picture books. I wish I could say I'm one of them, but I'm not.

There's no book or play or series or anything that speaks to everyone, because then it wouldn't speak to anyone.

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.

You've got to enjoy whatever you can and forget about the rest.

I thought ["Summer Sisters" ] would be a children's book - two girls who summer together from very different backgrounds. And then when it just kept going and going and going. They kept getting older.

Some characters become your friends for life. That's how it was for me with Betsy-Tacy.