And also I think particularly as a female, you're taught to be defensive your whole life. You're taught not to be aggressive.

It's one of the things that weirdly I always used to like about my job: that expressing the emotions of a writer or someone creative and breathing empathy and life into a character people can then identify with, that they'd feel less alone.

I don't think it takes a brain surgeon to understand how to read a story.

When asked if I consider myself Buddhist, the answer is, Not really. But it's more my religion than any other because I was brought up with it in an intellectual and spiritual environment. I don't practice or preach it, however. But Buddhism has had a major effect on who I am and how I think about the world. What I have learned is that I like all religions, but only parts of them.

Before I had my child, I thought I knew all the boundaries of myself, that I understood the limits of my heart. It's extraordinary to have all those limits thrown out, to realize your love is inexhaustible.

Thats when you know youve found somebody special. When you can just shut the f**k up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.

Life sweeps you up. Some people resist a lot. I probably haven't resisted very much.