Mistakes are growth, and we learn not to do it again. But it doesn't make you a terrible person. That's important to me.

I made the choice long ago to write about real life. And life is both serious and funny.

At age 12, I was put on tranquilizers when I should have gotten help. There was nothing major and awful, I just didn't feel my family was supportive and emotionally generous

Good writing is remembering detail. Most people want to forget. Don't forget things that were painful or embarrassing or silly. Turn them into a story that tells the truth.

I feel like I'm addicted to the printed word.

I didn't expect to be doing a whole bunch of Amber Browns. And because it was just one book, and the father had moved away, I didn't realize I was going to have to deal more with shared custody, divorce and all those issues

I wish I had had my books when I was a kid, I do