I do think that part of literature's job is to comment on and participate in the social issues of the time.

Reading for writers is like training for athletes.

I often have trouble falling asleep at night, so when I'm lying in bed I think up stories. That's where I do a lot of my thinking. I also get a lot of ideas while I'm reading - sometimes reading someone else's stories will make me think of one of my own.

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

I can give advice to anyone interested in writing in one word: Read! I think it's much more important to be a reader than to be a writer!

God bless Interlibrary Loan. I pay a lot of library fines. In the case of 'A Single Shard,' I was using books that hadn't been checked out in 30 years, so I didn't feel too bad.

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.