You must be filled with expectancy. You must be awash in hope. You must wonder who will love you, whom you will love next.

I work full-time in a used bookstore. I get up. I drink a cup of coffee. I think, The last thing I want to do is write. Then I go to the computer and write.

I didn't know at the time I was writing Because of Winn-Dixie where the story came from, but in retrospect I can see that it was a response to a terribly harsh winter here in Minnesota.

There is a lot of love in him, a lot of love in his heart...And he is up there with no one and nothing to love. It is a bad thing to have love and no where to put it.

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

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

So, yes, at least from my end. You could say there's a lot of Alison [McGhee] in Gollie too.