Why, I wonder, should the popularity of a news story matter to me? Does it mean it's a good story or just a seductive one?

I work at home, in the country, and days will go by when, except for my husband and son and the occasional UPS man, the only sentient creatures that see me are my chickens and turkeys.

I didn't want to talk, and I didn't think dogs could solve my problems. But they were so uncritical and un-judgmental. Sometimes when you're really blue, you don't want to talk, but you want that sense of companionship. I certainly enjoy that with my beasts.

The first thing I think about when I wake up most mornings is the fact that I’m tired.

Writing about someone well known removes that obligation of defending it as a subject, but it also means that some of the surprise and freshness is already gone. It's so different - in some ways much harder for me.

I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.

Oversized houses, like oversized cars, seem to be a particularly American fixation.