Don’t be in too much of a rush to be published. There is enormous value in listening and reading and writing—and then putting your words away for weeks or months–and then returning to your work to polish it some more.

I enjoy receiving and giving realistic fiction, for both children and adults, with strong characters, beautiful language, and humane visions.

I prayed to trees. This was easier than praying directly to God. There was nearly always a tree nearby.

I cannot just write a frivolous book, a la-di-da book. Everything isn't la-di-da. There is something that's going to pull you up short. I want to reassure young readers. I want to comfort them, to not fear the unexpected.

So much depends upon a blue car splattered with mud speeding down the road.

Life is like a bowl of spaghetti. Every once in a while, you get a meatball.

Something I am wondering: if you cannot hear do you have no sounds in your head? Do you see a silent movie