The stems stood tall and straight, one series arranged in a single line, the other in a crudely shaped heart, the final one in the shape of the letter U. I love you.

People can't help the way they look, just the way they act.

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.

If I can't wait for you at the end of an aisle on your wedding day, I'll wait for you in heaven.

Everybody dies; that's a fact. Sometimes it blindsides people. Sometimes people get a glimpse of the big picture and decide to cheat.

What really grabs me is when a reader writes to express her personal story and how a book helped her situation, or her acceptance of a situation she can't change. I read some sad cases in my snail and electronic mail. I respond to all I can, affirming that they are the true heroes of life because they are fighting through adversity and surviving.

In truth, how much time do any of us really have?