Say it, reader. Say the word 'quest' out loud. It is an extraordinary word, isn't it? So small and yet so full of wonder, so full of hope.

Look at me, he said to her. His arms and legs jerked. Look at me. You got your wish. I have learned how to love. And it’s a terrible thing. I’m broken. My heart is broken. Help me. The old woman turned and hobbled away. Come back, thought Edward. Fix me

When I do it [writing] by myself, there's a lot more terror and uncertainty.

We [me and Alison McGhee] probably wouldn't have said that when we were writing the stories, but it is so apparent to me in the finished product. For me, looking at Bink, it's like looking at myself on the page in a way that I've never experienced with any other book that I've written.

It is our duty and our joy to communicate our hearts to each other. Words assist us in this task.

I like going to schools and telling classes that when I was a child, I failed every "will this kid become a writer" test.

But let's not speak of what might have been. Let us speak instead of what is. You are whole.