It wasn’t so much that I was positive. I just wasn’t fully subscribing to such a negative way of thinking anymore.

Your mother won a special reward," she told me, "because everyone had a head in her pictures. We all applauded.

Because this is what happens when you try to run from the past. It just doesn’t catch up, it overtakes … blotting out the future.

I wasn't ready for this, but then I probably never would be, and this year, like so much else, wouldn't wait. I had no choice but to get out of my car, with everyone watching and begin in earnest, alone. So I did

If things don't work out the way you want, hold your head up high and be proud. And try again. And again. And again!

You asked me to go out with you. I know you probably changed your mind. But you should know, the answer was yes. It's always been yes when it comes to you.

Usually when I finish the draft of a book, I'm sure I'll never write another one. I'm just that tired and sick of myself. But then another idea starts percolating. It usually begins with the narrator's name, then some idea that intrigues me about her life or situation. I try to ignore it as long as I can, because I know when I start writing, I'll be right back into it, every single day. But eventually, I just have to. It's a compulsion!