Archie became absolutely still, afraid that the rapid beating of his heart might betray his sudden knowledge, the proof of what he'd always suspected, not only of Brother Leon but most grownups, most adults: they were vulnerable, running scared, open to invasion.

...pain reaches a certain point and does not get worse but remains in all its intensity and you can survive it.

There are moments that stop the heart, that catch the breath, that halt the beat of blood in your veins, and you are suspended in time, held between life and death, and you wait for something to bring you back again.

I'm always telling myself as I write that I'm not really writing a novel; I'm just going to fool around with a character or an idea.

You seldom get a censorship attempt from a 14-year-old boy. It's the adults who get upset.

Archie became absolutely still, afraid that the rapid beating of his heart might betray his sudden knowledge, the proof of what he'd always suspected, not only of Brother Leon but most grownups, most adults: they were vulnerable, running scared, open to invasion.

I can't remember a time when I wasn't trying to get something down on paper.