Jami Attenberg Quotes

What's the point of having a book club if you don't get to eat brownies and drink wine?

In the wintertime I like macaroni and cheese.

An ellipsis is a giant ocean of possibilities.

I find that short stories are almost like palate cleansers, or brain cleansers.

You can quit smoking, and never have to have a cigarette again to survive. But with food, it is a daily challenge.

I've been told by people who write historical novels that you just sort of write the emotional truth first, the story at the core, and then you go back and research it at the end.

I love reading books that you can't put down, and they just take you over for a night or a weekend.

I wish I could write while I'm on the road but it never works for me. I need to be sitting still.

Wouldn't that be nice if we could all afford to just freely pursue our dreams?

I had always loved life on the road. It was just something that appealed to me very deeply.

I don't pretend for a second that I'm that great of a person on a day-to-day basis. I'm a deeply flawed human.

I've just always written, and always considered myself a writer. I wrote my first story when I was five. There was nothing else I wanted to do or be.

Studying writing to me means reading and also rewriting obsessively. That's the best way to learn.

In its current incarnation in my life touring is a lot of airports and hotels and car services and only OK food.

Please make me either relatable or terrible.

My laptop broke and because of the storm I could not get a new one. And so I've been promoting my book via iPhone.

I smoked for many years like a total idiot.

People judge you because of your weight and your food issues. It's very visual.

The fascinating thing about food is that if you have issues with it, you have to face it every single day.

I'd love to be able to write crazy epic plots. I'm working on it.

My last book was speculative. I just don't quite know what I am doing. But I'll get there. I have a list of things I would love to write.

It's good to try stuff. I wrote a book that I threw away, and I think I just wrote it so I could try stuff in it and not be scared

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is a breezy, big-hearted treat, especially if you've ever wondered about the inner workings of America's national treasures--neighborhood bookstores.

Sometimes, things are just exercises.

With apologies to all my past boyfriends, I never loved a man the way I loved my old apartment.

We are human beings, not ants.

Smart, sharp, and hilarious, Slaughterhouse 90210 is the perfect pick-me-up and never-put-me-down book.

I'm not that much of a researcher. I'm good at channeling characters, and I'm good at structure.

In 1998, I started a blog, something I could control very easily and update at my own whim.

I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to, even, but it could still feel big.

I remember being banned from other houses as a younger child during the winter holiday season; I was the only one who didn't believe in Santa Claus, and I was ruining everyone's Christmas.

I love doing readings. I could really give a crap about reviews. It's kind of about the readers.

His words are so slippery they might slide right off the page.

In your 40s, you shed those who bring you down and surround yourself with the most positive people you know.

Robin looked at Daniel and had the meanest thought of her life: "He'll do.

These people all woke up this morning and reminded themselves to be human beings. Not everyone knows how to do that. No vermin, my people. Real human beings.