I try not to divide plot and character. I get to know a character by what they want and fear and how those internal forces play out in their lives.

Don't shame the young for releasing their pent-up fear.

If I'd learned nothing else, it was this: If you want to be a great writer, be a man. If you can't be a man, write like one.

My oldest sister was an actress living in NYC by the time I was ten, and desperately wanted to be the one in charge of the words.

Sometimes you meet someone and you know that your life will be different from then on.

She knows that whispers can be useful. Sometimes they contain real information. But usually they're fairy tales and lies. This is the worst kind of whisper, the kind that draws you in, gives you hope.

Each genre has something to teach me about the others. Not all the lessons are transferable, but many of the most important ones are.