You bring up your children to be self-reliant and independent and they double-cross you and become self-reliant and independent.

Cities fell. Earth opened. Planets tilted. Stars plummeted. And the awful silence.

You bring up your children to be self-reliant and independent and they double-cross you and become self-reliant and independent.

I have always had a sense that we are all pretty much alone in life, particularly in adolescence.

You hope that people read your book and say "Yes, this is the way it is or could be." But then you have no way of knowing until the reader reads the book. Actually, the critical response doesn't worry me. I've had very few reviews that have upset me.

People always ask me about the role models that I'm providing for kids, and I say I can't be concerned with that. I'm not worrying about corrupting youth. I'm worrying about writing realistically and truthfully to affect the reader.

A novel must work as a story because no one's going to get to the other themes if you don't entertain the reader. But I like to have another layer of meaning, although you can read the book on one level and not bother with that other layer.