Perhaps," said the man, "you would like to be lost with us. I have found it much more agreeable to be lost in the company of others.

Despereaux marveled at his own bravery. He admired his own defiance. And then, reader, he fainted.

... 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.

The funny thing is, when I've gone through the relentless editing process, my editor and I are amazed the Mercy Watson books still make us laugh. The same jokes that made us laugh the first time around still make us laugh in the 16th rendition.

I think we sent Tony Fucile pictures of ourselves, photos from like when we were seven years old. That's what he worked from. He captured exactly what we looked like. I'd love to do another one with Alison, not just for the joy of writing, but also for the joy of watching Tony bring it to life with his illustrations. I'm hoping at BEA, or ALA, I'll get to meet Tony and shake his hand and thank him.

There's a Buddhist precept that the only thing you deserve is the chance to do the work, and I've been given the chance to do the work.

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