I've definitely taken a lot of consolation from animals in my life. There have been times when I've been really sad, and they gave solace and comfort and companionability more than a person.

I love convincing a reader that an unusual or seemingly ordinary subject is worth his or her time - it's part of the fun for me as a writer.

It is hard to imagine Thomas Kinkade as anything less than supremely self-assured.

An ordinary life examined closely reveals itself to be exquisite and complicated and exceptional, somehow managing to be both heroic and plain.

I had forgotten how thrilling a snow day is until my son started school, and as much as he loves it, he swoons at the idea of a free day arriving unexpectedly, laid out like a gift.

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

A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder.