We are always better than before when those we love inflict wounds upon us.

I'm not an aging gracefully type. But I do believe in aging with grace.

Writing is a solitary endeavor, but not a lonely one. When you write, your world is populated by the characters you invent, and you feel those people filling your life.

My early reviews were so bad that I decided I didn't want to read them again.

I'm astonished by my success. I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never occurred to me that I'd become famous.

I wish I were brave, although I try. I work too hard and don't play enough. Too much work ethic, not enough 'fun'.

People have entire relationships via text message now, but I am not partial to texting. I need context, nuance and the warmth and tone that can only come from a human voice.

I'm probably the most uptight, conservative person you'll meet. I'm very religious.

I used to think when I had children that somebody else had the rule book and they hadn't given it to me, and everybody else knew how to do it right except me. I find the same thing in writing: you think that everybody knows what they're doing and that you don't.

Remember me? I'm back to my old self again. No responsibilities, no attachments, no encumbrances. I don't want to own anything, love anyone, or get too attached to people, places or things. It's a rule that seems to work well for me.

You'd be surprised how fast things happen when the right man comes along.

You don’t know how lucky you are, my dear. Don’t waste it with regrets of the places and people you have lost. You have a lifetime to fill, so many good times and good years and great people ahead of you. You must rush to meet it.

Motherhood is not for the faint-hearted. Frogs, skinned knees, and the insults of teenage girls are not meant for the wimpy.

What’s ready? Was Steinback ready? Hemingway? Shakespeare? Dickens? Jane Austen? They just did it, didn’t they?

So often people tell me: you got me through this, you've really helped me. And I never realized that part of what I do is that I give people hope.

Her life was beginning to make sense again, although she couldn’t say she was enjoying it. But her mind was clear, and her heart was not constantly as heavy. Only when she thought about him. But she knew that in time, she’d survive it. She had done it before and would again. Eventually the heart repairs.

Don't make decisions out of fear. They never get yo anywhere you want to go.

I always try to write about believable people.