sexual predators were like cockroaches. For every one you saw, there were twenty more hiding behind the walls.

When a woman creates an unlikable character, a lot of people think it's a mistake.

Everyone had a reason for everything they did, even if that reason was sometimes stupidity.

Every successful author I know faced crushing rejection early on, and they got back up and kept going.

I am a bit of a Dudley Do-Gooder, though, because if I see a car accident or something bad happen, I am one of those idiots who runs toward the problem instead of away from it. Not that I would recommend this behavior.

Reading develops cognitive skills. It trains our minds to think critically and to question what you are told. This is why dictators censor or ban books. It's why it was illegal to teach slaves to read. It's why girls in developing countries have acid thrown in their faces when they walk to school.

I never felt isolated; I just liked being alone. I think that some people are good at being alone, and some people arent, and as a child, I really liked it.