“Every brush stroke on the canvas, every dab of color introduced, the fine textures impressed in the paint—this accumulation of many small acts combines to shape a final work of art.  And so it is with life; each step, each deed, each brief choice builds gradually, day by day, to shape both character and destiny.”

“The pleasures of being a novelist are many.  But the greatest by far is the manner in which I live through my characters; experiencing every detail of their story as it unfolds gradually and personally within my own creative psyche.  I'm like a cat with untold lives, because each new book is my rebirth.”

“Nature awakens each day in brilliant autumn colors, making me wish the pale winter would bid adieu.”

“Life isn't all grand, but it isn't all miserable either.  There's both sweet and sour in every day.  So why focus on the ugly when you can gaze at what's beautiful?  Concentrate on the good.”

“Some build their castles 'mid thunderbolts and fireworks. My worlds take shape in silence.”

“Life is a love story, with every character yearning for permanent refuge in someone's heart.”

“Death. What a brief word for the extinguishing of life. To be no more. To have days cut off and at their end. To never again..........anything.”