“I think when a reader reads a whole book - which takes six to ten hours - that’s kind of a gift to the author. The gift of close, undivided attention. To who else do we listen so closely for eight straight hours? And when readers give that gift to me, I’m grateful for it.”

“A Piece of writing has to seduce the reader, it has to suspend disbelief and earn the reader's trust”

“Books have been my classroom and my confidant. Books have widened my horizons. Books have comforted me in my hardest times. Books have changed my life.”

“Interests evolve into hobbies or volunteer work, which grow into passions. It takes time, more time than anyone imagines.”

“I learned that it was in hard times that people usually changed the course of their life; in good times, they frequently only talked about change. Hard times forced them to overcome the doubts that normally gave them pause.It surprised me how often we hold ourselves back until we have no choice.”

“I used to want to change the world. Now I'm open to letting it change me.”

“If you want to give yourself a fair chance to succeed, never expect too much too soon”