you cannot hope for change in others, you can only work toward it in yourself. And that's hard work.

Alafair Burke is one of the finest young crime writers working today.

Once you've started down that road to self-discovery, no matter how treacherous the path before you, you can't turn back. The universe doesn't allow it.

In the end, I cared about him so much that I just thought he deserved someone who loved him more than I did.

It's strange how memory gets twisted and pulled like taffy in its retelling, how a single event can mean something different to everyone present.

When you start to really know someone, all his physical characteristics start to disappear. You begin to dwell in his energy, recognize the scent of his skin. You see only the essence of the person,not the shell. That's why you can't fall in love with beauty. You can lust after it, be infatuated by it, want to own it. You can love it with your eyes and body but not your heart. And that's why, when you really connect with a person's inner self, any physical imperfections disappear, become irrelevant.

You can cut the ties that bind but not without losing a part of yourself. You can walk away and hide from the people who made you, but you'll always hear them calling your name.