She was the storm, she was the lightning, she was the adult world with all its power and all its secrets and all its foolish casual cruelty.

The ties of blood," said Spider, "are stronger than water." Water's not strong," objected Fat Charlie.

In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first book contract. The hardest thing probably overall has been learning not to trust people, publicists and so forth, implicitly.

You are an analog girl, living in a digital world.

You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.

It's astonishing how much trouble one can get oneself into, if one works at it. And astonishing how much trouble one can get oneself out of, if one assumes that everything will, somehow or other, work out for the best.

Richard did not believe in angels, he never had. He was damned if he was going to start now. Still, it was much easier not to believe in something when it was not actually looking directly at you and saying your name.