The draft that finally goes to my editor doesn't get into her hands until I have read it out loud innumerable times - sometimes into a tape recorder - to make sure that it sounds right.

There is nothing sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.

I am really an introvert, and I need that time alone for a variety of reasons.

Men and boys always want to go fight. They are always looking for a reason to go to war. It is the saddest thing. They have this abiding notion that war is fun. And no history lesson will convince them differently.

Mercy Watson is pure fun for me as a writer, because I think of her as kind of sorbet - a palate cleanser - between larger works. It's always a relief to come back to her.

When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.

Life is hard. Life is beautiful. Life is difficult. Life is wonderful.