When asked how she knows when her writing is where she wants it to be: "I know when it's the best I can do. It may not be the best there is. Another writer may do it much better. But I know when it's the best I can do. I know that one of the great arts that the writer develops is the art of saying, 'No. No, I'm finished. Bye.' And leaving it alone. I will not write it into the ground. I will not write the life out of it. I won't do that."

I believe everything is energy. I believe that the meal you serve yourself, you prepare, is energy. And if you serve it to your family, it's your gift of energy to them.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

If I'm here, I'll be trying to be a better human being, a better writer, a better friend and a better beloved.

I have a son, who is my heart. A wonderful young man, daring and loving and strong and kind.

I answer the heroic question, 'Death, where is thy sting?' with 'It is in my heart and mind and memories.

I have no modesty. Modesty is a learned affectation. It's like decal stuck up on a person.