Another thing all writers have in common is we're all observers. We pay attention to detail.

[When I was a kid] I was a surgeon, amputating legs and arms of my paper dolls. And I had a little board with little tacks that I would tack them down to do this.

I thought [books ban] was crazy. Really my thoughts were "This is America, we don't do this here" but of course I know a lot better now. And I wasn't the only one. Norma Klein was writing at the same time. Her books were going. So many of us. When you say to me, no you can't do this I say, oh yes I can.

What I remember when I started to write was how I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to get to my characters.

Things change…things happen…things you can’t even imagine when you’re young and full of hope.

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

I'm a more skilled writer now, but after 23 books it's harder to be fresh and that's really important to me. I don't want to write the same thing over and over again.