Impressed. Lord. He had nearly drowned.

What I have come to believe is that joy is the twin sister of gratitude. I am most joyful when I am most grateful.

Since my first novel was rescued from a slush pile, it makes me sad that most publishing houses no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts. Nor are many willing to take chances on novels that are not deemed immediately "marketable."

I realize, of course, that I wasn't born knowing how to read. I just can't imagine a time when I didn't know how.

Hope ... is not a feeling; it is something you do.

One thing living in Japan did for me was to make me feel that what is left out of a work of art is as important as, if not more important than, what is put in.

We book people are always preaching about reading aloud to children, but unless you do, you can't realize how it enriches family life.