When it comes to life, we spin our own yarn, and where we end up is really, in fact, where we always intended to be.

I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than fatally disappointed.

Now is almost always the better choice. You never know about later.

I, too, seem to be a connoisseur of rain, but it does not fill me with joy; it allows me to steep myself in a solitude I nurse like a vice I've refused to vanquish.

Never talk yourself out of knowing you're in love or into thinking that you are.

I love meeting booksellers and readers and hearing how they've read and received my stories. Often I'm surprised by which characters they've loved best, what scenes have stayed with them, what connections they've felt between my characters' lives and theirs.

My publisher is generous with deadlines, which are never set in stone. Some writers need that pressure, but I am more productive when there's less panic.