Why bother? I was right all along: the second you make yourself vulnerable to someone, they start drawing blood.

My dad told me that no one could ever make it as a writer, that my chances were equivalent to winning the lottery - which was good for me, because I like to have something to prove.

I've certainly learned a great deal from my husband, though, and could never have written a book like Liquor without him and the people he introduces me to and the stories he brings home.

Never relinquish your terrors. That's when they catch you.

With the first kiss his mouth will taste of wormwood.

If you find yourself imitating another writer, that doesn't have to be a bad thing, especially if you are a young or a new writer. However, you should be conscious of exactly how you are imitating him - word choice, sentence structure, motifs? - and think about why you're doing it.

I can't heal your pain but I can see it. And you don't have to be lost. Not forever.