All of that loneliness and longing in my heart got transferred into the book Because of Winn-Dixie, I guess.

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

A friend of mine said Winn-Dixie is the way that people want the world to be and Tiger Rising is the way that it is.

There are so many difficult things and stories can make them palatable. That's the way I have always felt.

... every time you look at the world and the people in it closely, lovingly, imaginatively, it changes you. The world, under the microscope of your attention, opens up like a beautiful, strange flower and gives itself back to you in ways you could never imagine.

Reader, you may ask this queston. In fact, you must ask this question. Is it ridiculous for a very small, sickly, big-eared mouse to fall in love with a beautiful princess named Pea? The answer is... Yes. Of course it's ridiculous. Love is ridiculous. But love is also wonderful. And powerful.

I always go to the Agriculture Building, where they make apple cider popsicles for a dollar.