I will say the most raw joy I've experienced reading has probably come from the times I've been reading with my little boys.

Do you just want to get by? Or do you want to make me proud?

Humor is hard, hard, hard. And if you fail with humor, you don't fail halfway. You drop the ball humor-wise and everyone notices.

Why are you smiling?' 'I'm relieved,' I said honestly. 'I was worried I'd given myself cadmium poisoning, or I had some mysterious disease. This is just someone trying to kill me.

I was nervous about writing Slow Regard.

Its like he knows he's better than you, but doesn't look down on you for it because he knows it's not your fault.

Hours later the blank sheet still stared at me, and I beat my fist against the desk in fury and fustration, striking it so hard my hand bled. That is how heavy a secret can become. It can make blood flow easier than ink.