They say not to look back, but if you’re not sure what lies ahead, what else is there but looking back?

There are things that can harm a lot more than physically.

Two things I do well in books are sex and violence, but I don't want gratuitous sex or violence. The sex and violence are only as graphic as need be. And never included unless it furthers the plot or character development

That was the problem with loving people: it made you weak. It made you need them. It made the thought of not having them the worst thing in the world.

Your heart is not a wound to be poked at to see if the scab is ready to come off. You can be healed of that very old pain, if you’ll just let it happen. (Marianne)

Put any woman in an area run mostly by men and rumors will fly. Unless you make it very clear that you are off limits, there is also a certain competitiveness that sets in. Some men are either trying to run you out of town or get into your pants. They don't seem to know any other way to deal with a woman. If you're not a sexual object, you're a threat.

I so wanted out of this conversation, but it was like a car accident: Once you started spinning, you could only wait and see what you hit.