The way we started was, Alison [McGhee] said, 'Tall girl, short girl.' We had no plans beyond that.

When I get to a point in my book writing when I don't know what I'm going to do next, I'll come back look at underlined passages and see if the images I wrote still have a certain amount of resonance for me.

Love!' said the princess. She stamped her foot. 'Why must everyone always speak of love?

This is the great thing about writing for kids. Adults might not do anything if they recognized me. But if they do see me, and they're with a kid, they'll tell the kid who I am. They think they should give that to the kid. So generally that sends the kid over.

I didn't know anything about writing a screenplay, but somehow I ended up rewriting a screenplay.

There are hearts, reader, that never mend again once they are broken. Or if they do mend, they heal themselves in a crooked and lopsided way, as if sewn together by a careless craftsman.

There is nothing worse than war in the summetime.