life is like a jigsaw puzzle, you have to see the whole picture, then put it together piece by piece!

I just believe that young people need to be able to learn how to write in their own voice. Just like a musician, you pride yourself on having your own distinct sound.

Don't worry about how pretty (the story) sounds, how lilting it is, and the imagery, and the metaphor, all that. Most readers don't care. It's the people in your book that matter.

My stories are character driven.

What I do know is sometimes we love the wrong people and sometimes we marry them.

My mama taught me that anything worth doing in life should be a little scary.

I don't trust white critics' judgment about most things that deal with black life, particularly when a black person is the creator.