I think to be writer you have to enjoy being alone. I was a loner as a teenager and was always drawn to characters in books and films who were at the fringes.

One day, Liesel.' he said, 'you'll be dying to kiss me.

Yes, I'm often reminded of her, and in one of my array of pockets, I have kept her story to retell. It is one of the small legion I carry, each one extraordinary in its own right. Each one an attempt - an immense leap of an attempt - to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it.

The day was gray, the color of Europe.

She didn't dare to look up, but she could feel their frightened eyes hanging onto her as she hauled the words in and breathed them out. A voice played the notes inside her. This, it said, is your accordion.

An attribute of Rosa Hubermann, she was a good woman for a crisis.

When I find research really rewarding is when one piece of information gives you an idea for a story. That's when it's great.