Didn't you ever have a father yourself? You don't want him for a reason. You want him because he's your father.' So I figured it's because I never had a father that I don't want one now. A person can't miss something she never had.

The writing process is not just putting down one page after another-it's a lot of writing and then rewriting, restructuring the story, changing the way things come together.

Well, it's simple to love someone," she said. "But it's hard to know when you need to say it out loud.

She's called the secretary, but as far as I can tell she basically runs the school.

But every person has to learn to accept what has happened in the past. Without bitterness. Or there is no point in continuing with life.

I think that's why I wanted to write about seventh grade. I'd say seventh grade is a time when kids are really exploring a lot and becoming aware of the world around them in a deeper way. And they just have sort of have a wider appreciation of what's happening around them. They are seeing themselves from the outside more than they had before.

I'm an old man, and she's gone now. So don't worry, okay?