I like having a private name and a public name. It helps keep things straight.

I was desperate for something to read that dealt realistically with teenage life, and I thought others might be, too.

I wish I was a kid again, when I had all the answers.

I go straight from thinking about my narrator to being him.

Anything you read can influence your work, so I try to read good stuff.

Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn. Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot. But all the wrong sights, not the things you want to see.

I have no idea why I write. The old standards are: I like to express my feelings, stretch my imagination, earn money.