A mistake made with good in your heart is still a mistake, but it is one for which you must forgive yourself.

I used to sit home with my computer and write. After the Newbery, I probably spend more than half my time on the road.

What I like most: Reading well-written sources that take me to another world for hours at a time - and being able to call that work! Also, of course, finding a gem of information that is either exactly what I was looking for, or else fits perfectly into the story in some way.

Reading for writers is like training for athletes.

A mistake made with good in your heart is still a mistake, but it is one for which you must forgive yourself.

You burn the paper, but not the words. You silence the words, but not the thoughts. You kill the thoughts only if you kill the man. And you will find that his thoughts rise again in the minds of others - twice as strong as before.

All my books take a long time to research. I spend several months researching before I start writing, and in the middle of writing I often have to stop and look up stuff. At my local library, I am one of the best customers! The research takes several months.