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

I think Tony Fucile, who did the illustrations [for Bink & Gollie], is an absolute genius. I've never met him.

A typical day for me is I get up at 6:00, the coffeemaker goes on automatically and the computer gets turned on. I pour a cup of coffee, listen to Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac, and then I write.

Fairy tales dont tell you that dragons are real, but that they can be defeated!

I show up and try, but I may have to ask myself if I need to wait and let myself regenerate and take a break. I know that this thing that makes the stories has to be treated gently. So sometimes I'll just stop and let the well fill up. With my work, sometimes I hate doing it, but I love having done it. The key is to keep doing it.

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

We must ask ourselves these questions as often as we dare. How will the world change if we do not question it?