Book Interviews

I can tell you (but I won’t) the day and the book I was reading when I plopped it down on my lap and said, “This is the best I can find?” I started writing that week.

I think sometimes fiction actually allows you to be more honest than autobiography, because it gives you plausible deniability.

"I love stories that tie faith into life’s tough questions."

"I wrote the essay for anyone who has been a victim of discrimination and especially for America’s youth."

'If I could tell my young self something, I'd say that she should not let anything take away her joy in making things out of words – that whatever tends to take away from that deep play and pleasure should be questioned.'

'Anything that deepens your life is of use to a writer. Anything that makes you a bigger person on the inside is of use. Anything that helps you understand other people is of use. And anything that causes you to grieve, love, be sheltering, be upset, and feel joy is of use.'

"Writing for children is both an art and a science."

:I am a mix of the romantic hopeful vision of life and the practical and pragmatic."

'I’m a multitasker, always have been. I can write for an hour, weed the garden for an hour, go to the store or the gym, then come home and write for three more hours.'

"The reason I wrote this book is that the political parties are founded on values, not figureheads, and the figureheads of the Republican Party are making it a Stupid Party."