[Rejection] made me quit writing once. For six months. I started up again when my then seven-year-old son asked me to start writing again because I was too grumpy when I wasn't writing.

It seems the misfortune of one can plow a deeper furrow in the heart than the misfortune of millions.

Isn't it fascinating how long a few minutes seem when you are completely alone with not a familiar face in sight?

The truth can both lift up and knock down.

Character is everything, especially these days when that's what publishers are asking for. Make sure that yours have child appeal. Also don't have a huge cast of characters. One or two is best, four, the maximum.

Sir if I was your daughter I would wait until this train started again and throw myself in front of it!

Why couldn't I be more like other girls my age? Take Mrs. Brown's niece. She spent every waking hour sizing up this beau or that, stitching tea towels and petticoats and putting aside a little each month for a set of Spode Buttercup dishes.