Because publishing is becoming more business-oriented each day with more examination of the bottom line, it's harder to break out than ever.

That's what courage is. If she weren't scared, she wouldn't need courage in the first place." -Jo

On the drive we talked easily, but we did make a small detour. After pulling into a rest stop, we made out like teenagers.

Throughout it all, I loved her as much as I always had, and I found myself aching for those simpler times of the past. I knew what was happening, of course. As we were drifting apart, I was becoming more desperate to save what we once had shared; like a vicious circle, however, my desperation made us drift apart even further.

The key to happiness is achievable dreams.

I try to write every day until the book is done, but the exact process depends on the story and its structure. Sometimes, if the story is more linear, I write it from beginning to end.

There was no pretention here, no hidden meanings in the phrases they spoke, no elaborate plans designed to impress the other. Though it had always been easy to spend time with Mike, she suddenly realized that in the whirlwind of the past couple of weeks, she'd almost forgot how much she enjoyed it.