I wanted to wear the mantle and the pearls. I wanted to know the man who painted her like that.

Don't write about what you know - write about what you're interested in. Don't write about yourself - you aren't as interesting as you think.

It was not a house where secrets could be kept easily.

I have consistently loved books that I've read when I've been sick in bed.

I try to write 1,000 words a day - about three pages. When I reach 1,000 words I feel good. Less than that: a failure. More than that: tired.

I find that when I come out of the library I'm in what I call the library bliss of being totally taken away from the distractions of life.

Jane Austen easily used half a page describing someone else's eyes; she would not appreciate summarizing her reading tastes in ten titles.