Never judge a man's actions until you know his motives

I am the luckiest novelist in the world. I was a first-time novelist who wasn't awash in rejection slips, whose manuscript didn't disappear in slush piles. I have had a wonderful time.

The first thing you have to understand is that I was not desperate to be a writer. I was never a closet writer filing away notes in a cupboard.

Never judge a man's actions until you know his motives

The brain is not an organ we are authorized to use. We are supposed to use only our hands and legs.

I did not go to any creative writing workshop; I did not major in literature. If I can write, anyone can write. All it needs is imagination.

I want to show that the underdog can win. I believe were all the same: you, a slum girl, my mother.