I rarely get a moment to myself, but I love the way that my agenda is dictated by the children, not my work.

I always try to create conflict and drama in my books; it's the engine of the novel.

Some writers are more natural public performers than others; personally I find it quite strange giving interviews. But everyone has parts of their job that they like more than others. You can't complain if you get to do what you love doing most of the time, can you?

I rarely get a moment to myself, but I love the way that my agenda is dictated by the children, not my work.

I don't want to get hung up on what 'people,' that nebulous mass, think about me. That's the way to unhappiness, I think.

You know how if you're born in a certain situation you always expect your life to run on a steady trajectory? I've never really had a sense of that. I assume that life is going to go up and down.

People always want to identify a writer with their protagonist.