I know," she said. "You have a stone in your heart, and some days it's so heavy there is nothing to be done. But you don't have to be alone for it. You should have come to me. I understand.

I have a blog where I keep in touch with my fans. I write about things that are important to me. Sometimes on there I'll just tell a little story about the things that happen in my everyday life. People seem to enjoy them well enough.

The good thing about working on the books for 14 years before they hit the shelves is that I worked out most of the kinks long before they were published.

We all become what we pretend to be.

We need to read good books, and for that to happen, we need to share good books.

For most practical purposes Tarbean had two pieces: Waterside and Hillside. Waterside is where people are poor. That makes them beggars, thieves, and whores. Hillside is where people are rich. That makes them solicitors, politicians, and courtesans.

Are you hurt?" "Absolutely," I said. "Especially in my everywhere.