A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.

It's not so much that the old friend is a better friend. It's just that you know the person better, and you know they don't really care if you're acting like a poor, grovelling idiot. They know you would do the same for them.

Do we spend most of our days trying to remember or to forget? Do we spend most of our time running towards or away from our lives?

I certainly wasn't born with creative writing. Maybe there's a certain amount of learning and then it's up to the person. I think in the end it's your favourite books that are the best teachers. That's the way I've learned the most, by far.

What do you want to kiss me for? I'm filthy.'- Liesel So am I.'- Rudy

Outside is dark. The kitchen light is loud. It deafens me as I walk towards it.

I like that every page in every book can have a gem on it. It's probably what I love most about writing--that words can be used in a way that's like a child playing in a sandpit, rearranging things, swapping them around. They're the best moments in a day of writing -- when an image appears that you didn't know would be there when you started work in the morning.