If everyone started off the day singing, just think how happy they'd be.

I've written a lot of novels for teens and tweens ... but I'd never really tackled the North Carolina side of me. And it's so strong and so important, and yet I hadn't acknowledged it. And so one of the things I wanted to do in "Shine" is take that on.

Hey. What is it that famous person said? 'It'll all work out in the end, and if it doesn't, that means it's not the end yet'?

Kids are smart. Knowledge is power. Let them figure things out. Don't turn into that grown-up who they won't come to.

Christmas is never over,unless you want it to be... Christmas is a state of mind.

And you're figuring out who you are, and you haven't yet become stagnant in your thinking. You haven't solidified. And one thing that I find is that a lot of grown-ups tend to look back on their high school or middle school years and say, "Oh, thank God all that's over."

Suck it up. This is the life you chose for yourself, so buck up and deal.