“The ship’s manifest showed that they could read and write.”

We girls, on the other hand, aim really high. We take a leap.

I cannot unravel the difference between love in my family and the preparation of food because they are so closely woven.

And I knew that the roots of imagery were the senses – and that if my readers could feel.

I love rhinestones, faux jewelry.

The most precious research to me came from the paperwork filed on behalf of my grandparents and great-grandfather.

Food was celebration, conversation, and nourishment.

One person is all it takes to give a kid confidence.

I am in total silence when I write.

You can’t know if you’ll be here tomorrow or a year from now.

I look at my roommates who are so proud of me that it makes me proud.

And so, when I was a young writer I always worked hard on imagery.

When people are filled to the brim with love, they are their most beautiful.

They figure out what you need and they give it to you – without you asking.

Anything you ever make that matters takes a long time.

And if a man promises to build a ladder tall enough to reach it, she believes him, hikes up her skirt, and follows him to the stars.

No matter how large a horse’s ass you are, to stay by your side until death. A fool could tell you this is a bad deal.