Trouble is said to be good for an artist's soul but almost never is.

When Mother died I was both freed and abandoned, as are we all at this profound juncture in our lives.

Show me a writer, any writer, who hasn't suffered and I'll show you someone who writes in pastels as opposed to primary colors.

Mother believed in enjoying herself. Aunt Mimi believed in enjoying herself, then feeling guilty about it.

Never hope for it more than you work for it.

It's an act of faith to be a writer in a postliterate world.

Never, ever underestimate your readers. Everything you do registers.