I'm a goody-goody. I'm the person who sits in the back row, makes fun of the teacher, and secretly does the extra-credit work.

Being serious just makes me a little bit embarrassed.

For somebody who is a journalist, I can be awfully unobservant sometimes.

Liz Benedict, a teacher of mine at Iowa, is the person who introduced me to James Salter's work.

Always work hard, be honest, and be proud of who you are.

Looking back, I see that I write books about brothers and sisters, about what makes up a family, what works and what is nurturing.