hanging out the window, Amber blew her a kiss. a lump the size of a fist clogged Heather's throat, while a breeze from th sea pushed her thick hair away from her face. tears trickled unchecked down her cheeks.

I have known some magnificent young people who died very young but had wonderful lives and inspired many people by their short existence.

So this is always the key: you have to write the book you love, the book that's alive in your heart. That's the one you have to write.

Pain and suffering are the soil of strength and courage.

Sisters are made by living everyday with each other and wearing each other down until the rough spots are smooth. They're made by sharing secrets you'd never tell mom, and out of doing things for each other just because you feel like it, not because you have to. I guess you could say sisters are 'grown,' not manufactured, in a very special place called a family.

When my grandmother was alive, she used to tell me that every time God creates a soul in heaven, he creates another to become its special mate. And that once we're born, we begin our search for our soul mate, the one person who's the perfect fit for our mind and body. They lucky oens find each other.

When you're up against a superior enemy, sometimes it's okay to just bow out gracefully