“I wasn’t a class clown, because my parents were very strict and because nuns in general have no sense of humor. I mean zero, zip, nada. I wasted some of my best stuff on those old hags! Look at these knuckles - those are ruler marks, and they’re still visible all these years later. But I could usually get out of trouble at home if I could get my mom laughing. That’s a huge ace up your sleeve as a kid.”

“People are suckers for the truth and they know it when they see it. Open your soul and they will stop and watch.”

“On working with other writers: You develop honesty and you can then ask the really embarrassing questions. I have learned so many things I didn’t want to know, and they were all a result of interesting interviews for background information.”

“Writers get ideas all day every day. The FedEx guy delivers a package from Sears and the writer is thinking how it could actually be a ticking time bomb.”

“Dig deep and go where the pain and fear and joy are, and put it out there. The minute you shy away from pure honesty in your writing, you become a liar.”

“Don’t polish it forever, put it out there. At some point the changes aren’t improvements, they’re just changes.”

“I come up with an idea and I’ll start throwing little suggestions for possible scenes into a folder, but before I seriously sit down to write Word One, they whole outline is finished. Sue me. It works.”

“I get up at 4am or 5am and write for a few hours before the rest of the world wakes up. And I don’t drink caffeine. That combination is basically a deal breaker for every other author I know. I don’t usual check email, Facebook or Twitter until at least 6:30am, either, another killer for most authors.”

“It’s amazing how my mind opens up right when I have to run on the treadmill. I’ve finished three chapters rather than run a mile.”

“Who do I think would appreciate my book?I’m surprised anybody does. Oops, did I say that out loud?”

“I wasn’t a class clown, because nuns have no sense of humor. They have rulers.”